Geography

What is the Curriculum within Geography?

The geography curriculum helps to explain where places are, how places and landscapes are formed, how people and their environment interact, and how a diverse range of economies, societies and environments are interconnected. It builds on pupils’ own experiences to investigate places at all scales, including local, national and global. It helps students to understand how the world is an ever changing place and develop a ‘sense of place’ within that world. The curriculum covers a broad range of knowledge about the world whilst equipping our students with good enquiry skills which encourages them to question, investigate, and think critically about issues affecting the world. The curriculum inspires pupils to become global citizens by exploring their own place in the world, their values and their responsibilities to other people, to the environment and to the sustainability of the planet.

Geography at Key Stage 3

The Key Stage 3 curriculum lasts for three years and covers the National Curriculum. It covers both Physical and Human topics, looking at places around the world and processes that sculpt the landscape. The topics look at how we interact with the natural world and change it. It gives students transferable skills including: the analysis and presentation of maps, photos and data; data analysis; thinking skills and problem solving; the collection of data to investigate hypotheses; decision making; group work and discussion. We create opportunities for students to learn key knowledge and skills and we regularly revisit topics deliberately and systematically in our long term planning to develop long term memory.

Geography at Key Stage 4

The Key Stage 4 Geography curriculum is designed to build on the foundation students have developed at Key Stage 3. The GCSE course includes topics that cover many important human, physical and environmental issues, which are of concern today and relevant to young people. The course allows students to gain a good understanding of the Earth’s natural and human environments, how we affect them and how people can manage them. We give opportunities for field work where possible to develop these enquiry skills. Pupils learn to think spatially and use maps, photographic images and GIS, to obtain, present and analyse information.

Geography at Key Stage 5

The Key Stage 5 Geography curriculum is designed to build on the foundation students have developed at Key Stages 3 and 4. The A Level course allows students to travel the world from their classroom applying knowledge and skills of the world and its environments. Students will explore the processes that link places together, the threats Earth is currently facing and how collectively we must work together for the future success and survival of Planet Earth. Knowledge is applied to a range of case studies from both a local and global context and allows students to explore human, physical and environmental issues which reflect an ever changing world. Students use their field work and investigative work to conduct an independent geographical study.

What will Students Learn in Geography?

Students will travel the world from their classroom, exploring a range of exciting, engaging and topics relevant to young people who are finding their place in the world.

See the curriculum map for a full breakdown of what is taught from Y7-13

How are Students Assessed in Geography?

In Geography at Key Stage 3, we assess students’ understanding through a range of formative strategies including a range of questioning techniques and responsive teaching in lessons. Low Stakes Quizzing, plenary tasks and written analysis assess students' knowledge and understanding. Success Criteria are used along with  peer and self assessment which enables students to self regulate and make improvements to their work. At Key Stage 4 & 5 we regularly assess students’ understanding using the assessment objectives set by the exam board. Most lessons start with a recap task of prior learning that the teacher uses to gauge the understanding of content.  Clear and direct feedback is offered to all students via the use of individual Verbal Feedback and Whole Class Feedback addressing common mistakes and/or correcting misconceptions. We deliberately build in ‘Read, Reflect and Respond’ time into lessons to enable students to act upon feedback and enable our teachers to re-teach some content where it is clear students have gaps in their knowledge and/or misconceptions. This is evident in students' books by seeing green pen reflection. Student work is summatively assessed using the school ‘marking 4 approach’ at the end of each unit. Knowledge tests and assessments assess deeper understanding alongside geographical skills.