Geography

Our Geography curriculum:

• Inspires pupils to be fascinated about the physical and human geography that engulfs them on a local and global scale.
• Embeds knowledge about the processes that lead to the formation of the physical and human features of the world.
• Develops the ability to interpret a range of geographical information, utilise a range of map formats and apply geographical understanding to patterns on a local and global scale.
• Embeds the most recent evidence based educational research to accelerate pupil progress.
• Equips pupils with essential skills for life and promotes spiritual, cultural, social and moral development.
• Enables pupils to become well rounded global citizens with an appreciation of the vast range of cultural differences in the world.
• Raises aspirations for future career paths by developing a diverse skillset that is highly transferable.

Strategic Intent for the Geography Department.

Our pupils are geographically blessed in their locality. They live in an urban environment located close to the coast and within reach of upland scenery and physical features. Bringing this to the forefront of their imagination and opening their eyes to their surrounding will be a key aspect in the delivery of this curriculum. Due to the demographic of our pupils, it is imperative that our curriculum delivers a far reaching global appreciation in order for our pupils to travel and gain cultural capital.

The geography curriculum enables pupils to consider local, national and global influences via an integrated approach combining both subject and place based knowledge. Core geographical skills are embedded throughout Key stage 3 in a range of guises. Through this method pupils are empowered with the ability to interpret and improve their world whilst also building the foundations for further study of the subject. Geography surrounds us at all points in time, we want our pupils to be acutely aware of this and their part within it through engaging, fluid, topical units and thought provoking activities. We want them to see ‘the bigger picture’ in terms of aspirational career choices that are linked across the key stage and also the range of transferable skills developed in their geography learning journey.

The geography curriculum allows pupils to explore relevant concepts on a variety of scales and empowers them to be empathetic and informed global citizens themselves. This encourages them to be responsible young adults aware of their impact on the world and those around them. This global approach is also be complemented by the importance of the direct locality of our pupils and how to be healthy, safe and responsible within this environment too.

The design of the geography curriculum allows for fluency and repetition as core concepts are required to be retrieved and then built upon to incorporate new subject knowledge and application, reducing cognitive load in each lesson. This is a spiral curriculum that uses interleaving and retrieval to ensure that pupils are given the chance to develop deeper understanding of the physical and human processes that define the world around us. Critical thinking will form a basis of developing pupil’s ability to question these processes and their interaction to greater depth.

Key geographical language will be embedded across all lessons and the key stage. There will be a high expectation for all pupils to speak and write as Geographers (e.g. North NOT top!). A strong focus will be placed upon command words in assessment style questions. Pupils will also be encouraged to consider the relevance of the skills obtained in prior learning. The core geographical skills and concepts of scale will run across the curriculum to ensure a greater depth and understanding is achieved. Non classroom based activities will run across the key stage to enable pupils to apply their knowledge and understanding to more practical activities. This will also encompass fieldwork to consolidate the understanding of theory covered during lessons.

Responsive teaching is at the heart of each lesson and a key focus of departmental CPD. Effective questioning is crucial and staff are expected to continually refine their skills. Pupils drive their own assessment for learning and develop the skills through critical thinking of becoming self-regulating in their assessment of their own knowledge acquisition.

Curriculum Principles

Pupils are encouraged to explore their immediate locality and reflect upon the similarities and differences in this across the wider world. Giving them insight via fieldwork, visiting speakers and opening them to different career paths will allow them to gain an appreciation of their own sense of identity and how this fits within an ever expanding global society.

Learning is made relevant via media links, experiments on and off site alongside careers links to show Geography in the wider world. This is all delivered through an engaging and topical curriculum that is fluid in nature to absorb any ‘Geography in the news.’

Each core concept within the curriculum has specific careers associated which will be explored upon delivery. The key Geographical skills that run across the key stage will always be identified as transferrable and applicable to a number of careers options and generic ‘skills for life.’

We support the whole school drive that ‘Reading is Power through, sharing media sources with pupils during lessons and embedding independent and class reading at all opportunities. We also explore cross curricular links with; Science, RS, History, Maths and English in order to promote the importance of transferable skills and build links in subject knowledge.

Course Content

Key Stage 3 Pathways:

Year 7

1. Where do we fit in the global community? (Sense of place),
2. What are Mother Nature’s extremes? (Extreme environments),
3. Is Fairtrade fair? (Development and trade),
4. Crime watch: A global issue (Geography of crime and conflict),
5. Is New Zealand moving? (Tectonics),
6. The edge of our land and beyond. (Coasts).

Year 8

1. Can we predict Mother Nature? (Weather and climate),
2. The White Land that no-one owns. (Antarctica),
3. Death and Destruction! (Natural hazards),
4. Should I stay or should I go? (Tourism),
5. Rolling on the river! (Rivers),
6. A question of sport. (Geography of sport).

Key Stage 4 Pathways:

1. Living with the physical environment: The challenge of natural hazards; the living world; Physical landscapes in the UK and Geographical skills.
2. Challenges in the human environment: Urban issues and challenges; the changing economic world; the challenge of resource management; Geographical skills.
3. Geographical applications: Issue evaluation; fieldwork; Geographical skills.