Geography
We believe that students should have the geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to prepare them for the 21st Century in a world of challenge and opportunity. Our curriculum (both in regard to T&L at school but also our remote learning plan) supports students in developing a critical understanding of the world and how we interact with that world. Our curriculum and its sequencing develop our students' ability to analyse the changing world and how they interact with their environments enabling them to make responsible and rational decisions as sustainable global citizens. Our approach to the Geography curriculum is comprehensive both in terms of the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills. KS3 builds on geographical themes embedded into the AQA GCSE specification, but addresses different contexts to broaden global understanding. Students are supplied with a firm foundation and passion for geography in KS4 but also the necessary cultural capital for those students who do not continue their studies at KS4. Through teaching and learning we aim to broaden our students’ world in terms of scope and access to cultures and cultural understandings from around the world inspiring a passion and enthusiasm for Geography but also a life-long love of learning. We are privileged to be teaching in a geographically rich location and as such our curriculum thrives off this.
Our curriculum is dynamic, reflecting our changing world and our changing students. We recognise the broader development of students and the importance of learning both in and outside the classroom and within and across subject areas. The sequence and nature of the curriculum seeks to develop confidence in students and a range of transferable skills. Our curriculum gives students cultural capital enabling them to access careers, key skills and British values.
Key Stage 3
Subject statement: At geography at KS3 students learn key geographical skills that will underpin their learning. They study map skills, graphs skills and use of resources. The aim is to build on students' presentation, analytical and evaluation skills. Students will be introduced to the tectonics, development, globalisation, climate change, glaciation, rainforests, coastal processes, and the carbon cycle. We build on classroom teaching with fieldwork trips as much as possible and aim to take KS3 to both the Eden project and Paignton Zoo.
Links to useful websites
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https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/
Key Stage 4
Subject statement:
Students will travel the world from their classroom, exploring case studies in the United Kingdom (UK), higher income countries (HICs), newly emerging economies (NEEs) and lower income countries (LICs). Topics of study include a variety of biomes and climates, climate change, improving deprivation, global shifts in globalisation and economic power and the challenge of sustainable resource use. Students are also encouraged to understand their role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes and the core theme of social, economic and environmental sustainability runs throughout the course. We also aim to take students on a variety of different urban and rural fieldtrips over the two years including to a city, the coast and a moorland. This is usually in conjunction with them completing their own fieldwork project which is assessed as part of paper 3.
Exam information: 3 exams
Paper 1: Living with the physical environment
Paper 2: Challenges in the human environment
Paper 3: Geographical applications
Exam board: AQA GCSE Geography.
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/gcse/geography-8035
Links to useful websites:
Key Stage 5
The Edexcel A Level offers an issues-based approach to studying geography, enabling students to explore and evaluate contemporary geographical questions and issues such as the consequences of globalisation, responses to hazards, water insecurity and climate change. The specification content gives students the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of physical and human geography, the complexity of people and environment questions and issues, and to become critical, reflective and independent learners.
Exam information: 3 exams and 1 piece of coursework
Paper 1 (30%): Tectonic Processes and Hazards, Coastal Landscapes and Change, The Water Cycle and Water Insecurity, The Carbon Cycle and Energy Security
Paper 2 (30%): Globalisation, Regenerating Places, Superpowers, Migration, Identity and Sovereignty
Paper 3 (20%): The specification contains three synoptic themes within the compulsory1 content areas:
● Players
● Attitudes and actions
● Futures and uncertainties.
The synoptic investigation will be based on a geographical issue within a place-based context that links to the three synoptic themes and is rooted in two or more of the compulsory content areas.
NEA: student choice (20% coursework)
Exam board: Edexcel Geography