Geography
Extra-Curricular Activities
- Yr 9 trip to Southend
- Yr 12 trip to Slapton
Key Stage 3
What are the knowledge and skills that students will gain over Key Stage 3?
Geography should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. We aim to equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.
Why is it delivered in this way?
We aim to ensure that all pupils: develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes. They need to understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world; how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time; We want the students to be competent in the geographical skills needed to: collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) . We want them to be able to read geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and write at length using all of these skills..
To this end, topics are taught thematically with sustainability, global governance, empathy and awe and wonder in mind, while embedding the key skills required skills.
Topics range from-
Year 7:
- What is Geography?
- Rivers
- Tourism
- Extreme Weather
- Settlements
- Field work
Year 8:
- Tectonics
- Energy
- Population
- Ecosystems
- Contemporary Issues
- Fashion and Globalisation
This allows us to address contemporary issues- analysing physical and human geography at different scales.
Key Stage 4
Course Title: AQA GCSE Geography 8035, AQA-8035-SP-2016.PDF
What are the knowledge and skills that students will gain over Key Stage 4?
The subject content is split into four units: 3.1 Living with the physical environment, 3.2 Challenges in the human environment, 3.3 Geographical applications and 3.4 Geographical skills.
In units 3.1 and 3.2 the content is split into sections, with each section focusing on a particular geographical theme. Unit 3.3 sets out the requirements for fieldwork and issue evaluation. Unit 3.4 sets out the geographical skills that students are required to develop and demonstrate.
In the specification content, students are required to study case studies and examples. Case studies are broader in context and require greater breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding. Examples are more focused on a specific event or situation, are smaller in scale and do not cover the same degree of content.
Why is it delivered in this way?
We follow the AQA GCSE Programme of study which delivers it in line with the exam papers.
Topics on paper 1 range from Hazards- tectonic and atmospherics; contrasting ecosystems; Rivers and Coasts.
Paper 2 is more Human based Geography with emphasis on development and human impact and a number of scales.
Paper 3 revisits the skills we have been embedding throughout KS3 and 4.
Sixth Form
Course title: AQA GCE A level Geography 7037, AQA-7037-SP-2016.PDF
What are the knowledge and skills that students will gain over Key Stage 5?
At KS5 we are revisiting topics we have covered before, but at the depth required for the A level syllabus.
This requires independent, extended reading around the topics and more sophisticated theories to be embedded and referred to in context. We study at a variety of scales, and with case studies as hooks to explore. Students are required to consider in terms of social, economic, political and environmental while using skills of analysis and evaluation.
Why is it delivered in this way?
We follow the AQA A level Programme of study, split between two geography teachers. Modules are taught in the whole but with synoptic links being explicitly made.