Geography
Overview
Geography aims to give pupils knowledge of places peoples and events that are happening in the world at present. There is a strong focus on the way humans are using and affecting our planet and ways that we can act in future to protect it and make our lives more sustainable.
There is also a strong emphasis on equipping students with practical and thinking skills that are relevant to investigations and enquiry that are useful in other subjects as well as the workplace.
Key Stage 3
Students in years 7-9 have geography lessons twice a week. We aim to encourage students to become independent learners, with enquiring minds, who are aware of their environment (both natural and human), and aware that they belong to a global community.
Students learn about the natural ‘physical’ geography that has shaped the earth, climate, geology, ecosystems, rivers and erosion all change the earth.
Students also learn about how people use and change the earth, building cities, migration, food and farming, generating energy and using resources. Students also learn about a wider range of places around the world through work on regions in Africa and Asia and also Russia and the Middle East.
There are many examples where physical and human geography overlap and affect each other. Students will learn about how hazards affect people, for example volcanoes and earthquakes and flooding. Also how people affect the planet by pollution and global warming and also what people are doing about these problems.
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Key Stage 4
This is a linear 2 year course with 3 exams, the exam board is Edexcel (Geography Spec A).
Paper 1 Physical Geography Topics
● Topic 1: The changing landscapes of the UK
1A: Coastal landscapes and processes,
1B: River landscapes and processes
● Topic 2: Weather hazards and climate change
● Topic 3: Ecosystems, biodiversity and management
Paper 2 Human Geography topics
● Topic 4: Changing cities
● Topic 5: Global development
● Topic 6: Resource management – 6A: Energy resource management
Paper 3: Geographical Investigations: Fieldwork and UK Challenges
This is a skills based paper which assesses two fieldwork studies, Rivers and a Rural settlement. UK challenges is a skills based response on topics from previous units using resources to support answers.
Skills and issue evaluation
This course covers a wide range of skills valued by employers and further education, including interpretation, numeracy and statistics, map skills, analysis of resources, critical thinking, decision making and written communication.
These skills are embedded through the core topics and examined in the paper 3 exam.
There is no coursework element at GCSE but there is a requirement for a minimum of two days of fieldwork that supports topics studied and develops investigation skills.
There is no coursework element at GCSE but there is a requirement for a minimum of four days of fieldwork that supports topics studied and develops investigation skills.
Post 16
At the academy’s sixth form we offer students A Level Geography
