Geography

“Geography is the subject which holds the key to our future”

Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time. (National Curriculum 2014)

Geography is so much more than places on a map. A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Studying geography will equip pupils with a knowledge of diverse places, people and the environment. Developing a deep understanding of the increasing complexities of the earth’s processes is becoming ever more important to the future of our planet. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.

Details of the GCSE specification can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/gcse/geography-8035/specification-at-a-glance

You can find more information on our geography curriculum by clicking on the links below.

In the Geography department, we aim to create sparks of enquiry. At all Key Stages we encourage students to investigate the environments in which they interact with. We promote independent thinking and reflection by allowing students to explore, enquire, understand and apply their geographical knowledge.

The department strives to encourage all students to explore geographical issues in the news. We aim to create empathetic citizens who can reflect on the quality of other people’s lives. Amongst students we promote environmental awareness and encourage all to become the future stewards of our planet.

Our Geography curriculum is designed to build both knowledge and skills; we do not teach to the test, we teach to build knowledge and cultural capital. Consequently, the KS3 curriculum explores a wider variety of key processes and concepts than is required for KS4. This knowledge will compliment and consolidate key processes and concepts explored in KS4, in addition to increasing cultural capital.

An overview of the topics covered at Key Stage 3 is shown below:

Term	Year 7	Year 8	Year 9
Autumn	What is Geography? Coasts	Rainforest biomes Globalisation and fashion	Development Development and Reducing the development gap Ice on the land
Spring	Tourism Map skills	Rivers Flooding	Asian Giants – India Asian Giants – China
Summer	Restless earth Fantastic and forbidden places, Micro-Climate Study	Climate change Africa	Environmental Issues

5 ways I can help my child in Geography.

Year 7

1. Encourage your child to explore their local area.
2. Encourage your child to question the local geography of the area; continually ask ‘Why?’, ‘How?’
3. Promote pre-learning by encouraging your child to use their Knowledge Organiser to read ahead of the next topics.
4. When travelling out of your local area, encourage your child to compare the geography of their destination with their home.
5. Point out any geographical events which may be in the news.

Year 8

1. Discuss any geographical events which may be in the news and how they impact peoples’ lives.
2. Prompt discussions about what your child has been studying in geography this week; encourage them to give you detail!
3. Discuss how your daily habits may have impacts upon the wider world. Good examples include recycling and climate change.
4. Encourage your child to proofread their notes from lessons. This will help them identify any gaps in their understanding.
5. Knowledge Organisers should be used regularly in order to help clarify any gaps in their understanding.

Year 9

1. Discuss any geographical events which may be in the news and how they could be managed. Good examples include the Californian Wildfires and Plastic Pollution.
2. Encourage your child to read around any topics which they may be studying in geography. Background reading will help further their understanding.
3. Use the relevant Knowledge Organiser to quiz your child on their understanding of key terms and encourage them to use these in their written work.
4. We live in an amazing geographical location. Try to find opportunities to show your child real-life geography. Good local examples include the Formby Coast, Mersey Estuary, Manchester and Liverpool City Centres.
5. Focus on developing effective revision skills. Encourage your child to find a revision technique that works for them. A good example is the Read, Cover, Write, Check, Correct.

KS4 Students follow the AQA geography syllabus A. This provides students with the opportunity to develop communication, graphical and cartographical skills, problem solving and to develop their inter-personal skills through debate and discussion. Below is a breakdown of the course:

Year 10

Term 1	Term 2	Term 3
Physical Landscapes in the UK Urban Issues and Challenges	The Living World	Changing Economic World Physical Geography Field Trip

Year 11

Term 1	Term 2	Term 3
Natural Hazards	The Challenge of Resource Management Energy Issues Human Geography Field Trip	Pre Release Material Preparation Revision

5 ways I can help my child in Geography

Year 10

1. Encourage your child to read around any topics which they may be studying in geography. Background reading will help further their understanding. Knowledge Organisers are an excellent starting point for this.
2. Encourage your child to get out, discover and experience the local area at different times of the year. Discuss how the natural environment impacts our lives differently according to the seasons.
3. If travelling outside of the local area, encourage your child to consider how and why people’s lives may differ.
4. Visit a local town or city centre and encourage your child to think about the challenges they present to the environment and people who manage them.
5. Encourage your child to consider their own carbon footprint and what changes they could make to their daily lives in order to reduce it.

Year 11

1. Encourage further reading on any topics which your child may be studying in geography. Online journals and GCSE Bitesize provide useful starting points.
2. Encourage regular revisiting of previous topics studied. This can be done by reading over old notes, self-quizzing using Knowledge Organisers or using revision guides and the AQA Website where past papers can be accessed.
3. When discussing geographical events which may be in the news, encourage your child to look at the issue through the eyes of all interested parties. This will help develop empathetic thinking and understanding.
4. Encourage your child to consider how and why the local environment may change during their lifetime. A good example to discuss is the development of Green Belt land around Warrington.
5. Prompt discussions about the challenges of environmental management in the UK. This can include the use of renewable energies such as wind farms or traffic management; encourage them to develop well reasoned opinions on such matters.

In A level geography, students develop a wide range of skills from collecting data in the field to understanding the attitudes and values of decision makers. Students take part in a variety of river, coastal and urban-based fieldwork, which is a fantastic chance to see geography come to life and gain hands-on experience seeing real-life case studies. Students can choose to conduct fieldwork from any aspect of the Geography course that they find interesting.

Details of the specification can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/as-and-a-level/geography-7037/specification-at-a-glance

Course structure and assessment

Component 1: Physical Geography

• Section A: Water and carbon cycles
• Section B: Coastal systems and landscapes
• Section C: Hazards

Component 2: Human Geography

• Section A: Global systems and global governance
• Section B: Changing Places
• Section C: Contemporary Urban Environments

Component 3: Geographical Investigation

Students complete an individual investigation, which must include data collected in the field.

June 2020: Click here to read Year 7-9’s Refugee Week essays