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 7-8 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, farming, generating energy and using resources. 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.
Key Stage 4
This is a linear 3 year course with 3 exams, the exam board is AQA.
Physical Geography Topics
- Natural hazards, volcanoes and earthquakes, weather hazards such as hurricanes and also global warming.
- The living world – ecosystems of tropical rainforests and hot deserts are studied.
- Landscapes of the UK – river and glacial landscapes.
Human Geography topics
- Urban issues and challenges – students learn about global cities, what makes them important, urban problems and how people strive to improve them.
- Changing economic world – globalisation, economies and trade including fair trade issues.
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 Issue evaluation exam paper 3.
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
