Geography

Our KS3 Geography curriculum is designed to equip students with a sound grasp of Geographical Skills over the three years. We embed skills such as map work and place knowledge throughout. We also endeavour to provide students with an understanding of global issues that will help them make sense of the world in which they live. We hope that students will develop the skills and desire to make positive choices about how they impact upon the environment. We focus on empathy when looking at these global issues. We study a broad range of human and physical geography and will build upon case study knowledge. We will continue to interpret a range of sources to enhance our knowledge and students will also continue to use data to create their own graphs and maps throughout the topics. Students will have an understanding of the world around them, and explore some of the reasons our world is changing and consider what the future may hold for us all. We investigate important and unknown places whilst building upon skills that have been taught throughout the course. The geographical skills are revisited and built upon with more complicated examples in preparation for the transition into KS4. The topics link to the KS4 curriculum but also provide a rounded Geographical education for those who choose not to continue with Geography at GCSE.

We have opted to follow the AQA exam board in KS4. This is because out of all exam boards the curriculum is the most diverse, engaging and accessible for our students.

Students study a balance of physical and human geography with a third examination on geographical skills. Topics include:

• The challenge of natural hazards

• The living world

• Physical landscapes in the UK

• Urban issues and challenges

• The changing economic world

• The challenge of resource management

• Issue evaluation

• Fieldwork (including trips)

The AQA specification provides a broad and coherent course of study along with the application of key geographical skills. During the GCSE course, students will:

• develop and extend their knowledge of locations, places, environments and processes, and of different scales including global; and of social, political and cultural contexts (know geographical material)

• gain understanding of the interactions between people and environments, change in places and processes over space and time, and the inter-relationship between geographical phenomena at different scales and in different contexts (think like a geographer)

• develop and extend their competence in a range of skills including those used in fieldwork, in using maps and GIS and in researching secondary evidence, including digital sources; and develop their competence in applying sound enquiry and investigative approaches to questions and hypotheses (study like a geographer)

• apply geographical knowledge, understanding, skills and approaches appropriately and creatively to real world contexts, including fieldwork, and to contemporary situations and issues; and develop well-evidenced arguments drawing on their geographical knowledge and understanding (applying geography).