Geography

Our aims:

• To develop a firm foundation of geographical information which may be useful in later life
• To develop a wide range of geographical skills and ideas
• To develop an understanding on man's interaction with different physical and human environments
• To promote an understanding and sympathy for other people and their different cultures
• To widen pupils' horizons and help them have a greater understanding of the environment and community in which they live

The Geography Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 course explores a wide variety of themes that include physical, human and environmental aspects of the world around us. We believe that geography has a very relevant place in society today especially with the focus on climate change that has become a key issue for today’s generation and that of tomorrow. Pupils are encouraged to learn about processes and the links between cause and effect.

These skills not only help our pupils develop in this subject area but also that of other subject areas. Geography has much scope for cross-curricular opportunities in learning. Field trips are an integral part of the geography course throughout the Key Stages and are of particular relevance in Key Stage 4 where the coursework for the GCSE course is based on a field trip.

The course has the following structure throughout Key Stage 3:

Year 7

• What is geography?
• Map skills using OS maps
• Tectonic Hazards
• Rivers in the landscape

Year 8

• Rocks and weathering
• Coastlines
• Brazil
• Ecosystems

Year 9

• Local Actions and Global Effects
• National Parks
• Antarctica
• Tourism
• Development
• Natural Hazards

At Key Stage 4 the boys are taught the AQA A syllabus. This consists of two exams and a piece of coursework. We believe that the foundations provided by Key Stage 3 geography give boys a huge opportunity to achieve a good GCSE grade in the subject.

Below is a list of some of the topics covered in the GCSE course.

Year 10 and 11 GCSE Geography

• Rivers in the landscape
• The coastal landscape
• Development
• Industry
• Population studies
• Tectonic activity
• Weather and Climate
• Agriculture