Geography Department

Welcome to the Geography Department

Overview

The Geography department strives to promote, foster and encourage pupils’ interest, knowledge, understanding and participation in the nature and understanding of Geography. The department also places great emphasis on developing students geographical skills.
The department aims to provide an enriching, positive and rewarding experience for all pupils and ensure that they achieve their full potential regardless of gender, culture, class, or ethnic origin; by this, making Geography accessible to all, using differentiation throughout its delivery to all Key Stage’s.
At Key Stage 3 the department and its members will deliver the National Curriculum. For Key Stage 4, the Geography department uses AQA. When the pupils progress into the Sixth Form they undertake an AS and A2 GCE in Geography that is examined by Edexcel.
Pupils will be taught the following skills in the abovementioned themes in Key Stage’s 3 and 4:

Geographical skills
Settlement
Industry
Development and differences in levels of Development
Weather and Climate
Migration
Natural Hazards and how they affect people
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Ecosystems
Individual Studies – Data collection and Fieldwork
Global warming and climate change

Staff

Paw Chodzko-Zajko - Head of Department – teaches: Key stages 3, 4 and 5
Jim Colley - Oxbridge Mentor, Aim Higher Coordinator – Teaches Key stage 5
Justin Quinn - Geography teacher – teaches: Key stage 3 and 4

Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9)

Year 7

In year 7 students are introduced to the nature of Geography.

They develop their mapwork skills working on Direction/Compass points, Scale and distance, Grid references and showing height on maps. Students then go on to study settlement and urban morphology. Students undertake an investigation into housing in their area and carry out modelling activities. Activities planned include orienteering trips.

Year 8

In year 8 students are introduced to the Topic of Development. Students study how other less developed countries differ from the UK. During year 8 students research countries and create oral presentations about them. The second theme of year 8 is Industry. Students continue to work from the KEY GEOGRAPHY texts provided.

Year 9

In year 9 students begin with the Topic of Plate Tectonics. This gives them a chance to begin study of GCSE topics and students are encouraged to do GCSE level work in advance of Key stage 4. Topics include Volcanoes and Earthquakes. Students then investigate the Fashion and Sport Industries( including study of the 2012 Olympic site) and how they demonstrate Globalisation.

Key Stage 4 (Year 10-11)

Students study the AQA A syllabus.

In year’s 10 and 11 students begin with an overview of the key skills in Geography that are required at GCSE level. They learn about Plate tectonics (Volcanoes and earthquakes), Rivers and coasts. These topics prepare them for their Fieldtrip, during which they collect data to complete their coursework as a controlled assessment. This is worth 25% of the overall course mark.
The highlight of the course is the fieldtrip to Devon where students collect data for use in their coursework.

In year 11 students study Human geography including Tourism, Population and Globalisation which are assessed in paper 2.

Key Stage 5 (Years 12-13)

In year’s 12 and 13 study the Edexcel ‘A’ level syllabus. This includes study of Climate change and Global Hazards as well as issues of Urban and Rural settlement and Globalisation. The fieldtrip to Devon in Year 12 allows students to gain the skills and understanding needed to carry out investigations in the field. Unlike GCSE there is no formal coursework to complete and fieldwork is examined as part of the written exam.

In Year 13 the A2 course includes research for an Essay topic on hazards and a study of 6 issues which feed into the synoptic assessment.