Geography

Intent

Our mission is to offer a wide ranging and engaging curriculum that allows students to explore their local and global environments with increasing independence.  We aim to allow students to participate in current geographical debates such as climate change and international migration, thus allowing them to be effective and reflective global citizens who are well-informed and have high levels of numeracy, literacy and graphicacy. We aim to deliver our curriculum by focusing on the central themes of skills; location and scale, and sustainability to allow a progressive curriculum which builds on itself to encourage learning in ever increasing depth.

Introduction 

We offer an exciting opportunity to study both the natural and human worlds using contemporary issues and case studies: whilst imbuing spatial and temporal understanding through the use of patterns, trends and issues.  The subject content provokes and answers questions about people, place and the environment, through the use of enquiry processes.  It inspires our students to think about their own place in the world and encourages a sense of empathy with the opinions, values, rights and responsibilities of other people in the world.  Geography also develops a wide range of transferable, personal skills, such as problem solving, report writing, ICT and presentation skills, GIS, statistical and mapping skills.  These skills are useful in future study and careers. Geography qualifications are well respected and geographers are increasingly sought after in the workplace.

Examples of cross-curricular links

English:

Non-fiction reading  -  articles on environmental issues                                

Vocabulary strategy – technical vocabulary is taught explicitly

Purpose and audience writing - report writing, writing to inform, debate, persuade.  

Mathematics: Interpreting and displaying data.
Science: Environmental issues, sustainable energy sources
Humanities:  mpact of human society on environment

Examples of Cultural Capital entitlement from NC

  • Understanding and appreciation of global environmental issues
  • Knowledge of countries and their geographical characteristics
  • Understanding and appreciation of different societies globally
  • Wider curriculum opportunities such as trips to Iceland and Kew Gardens
  • Engagement with the ‘eco’ and ‘plastics’ movements to allow students a voice in changing their own environment and considering who this can be up-scaled
  • As part of the OPEN learning network we access talks put on by other schools around the areas of environment and planning etc
  • As part of Transition Oundle, and the OWL group there are talks on various environmental issues.
  • Key Stage 3

    In Year 7 we begin the academic year with a consideration of important basic geography skills including mapping and interpretation of information through the topic of ‘Our Planet’. This allows us to introduce ideas of scale/location, as well as skills thus covering two of our ‘pillars’ of the Geography Curriculum at PWS. We then move on to looking at rivers and flooding- theoretically and within a given location. This allows us to reinforce our ‘pillars’ and introduce the third; that of sustainability. These three ‘pillars’ continue to provide structure for our learning as we go on to consider the physical and human geography of Africa and the UK.

    In Year 8 we start the year looking at a unit on globalisation and development. It requires students to think about the differences in their lives compared to those in other parts of the world (location), with particular reference to employment and living standards. As we go through this unit students have the chance to simulate a sweatshop, make decisions and present their work orally. This allows for the strengthening of LORIC skills. We will then consider the physical and human geography of the wider Asia region, moving between the scales and locations of Russia, the Middle East, China and India. This will allow us to build on the skills learned in Year 7 where place is considered, and to further delve into concepts of scale. We will also be revisiting some of the themes from the first Year 8 unit of globalisation and development as we consider the sustainability of the economy and environment in parts of Asia.

    Year 9 gives us the opportunity to explore our world and how it is changing and will influence our learners through their lives. The purpose of this year is to both build geographic skills and knowledge but also help those not continuing to study Geography to understand the importance of the world and our commitment to steward. We start the year considering natural hazards, this allows us to re-visit work on natural processes that we build up throughout KS3. We look at the causes and effects of earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis and consider what we can do to reduce these. We look out designing out risk in places and refer to the work of town planners and structural engineers- this year, having had a structural engineer come to work with some of the students on this aspect of the curriculum. We then move on to look at the atmosphere. Here, we will consider the UK weather and climate to locate in place the wider concepts learned. This will be further reinforced by completion of a piece of fieldwork to practise collection and interpretation of data. We will link to climatic events on a wider scale, and in located places such as bush fires in Australia and heatwaves across Europe. At the end of the year we will be considering contemporary geographic and environmental hazards that will have bearing on the sustainability of the planet.

    Year 7
    Term 1 Term 2 Term 3
    Our Planet Rivers Africa
    Term 4 Term 5 Term 6
    Horn of Africa

    UK

    UK
    Year 8
    Term 1 Term 2 Term 3
    Development & globalisation Development & globalisation Russia
    Term 4 Term 5 Term 6

    Middle East

    Asia (China)

    SW China

    Asia (India)
    Year 9
    Term 1 Term 2 Term 3
    Natural Hazards Natural Hazards Weather and climate
    Term 4 Term 5 Term 6

    Weather and climate

    Our Warming planet

    Our Warming planet

    Environmental challenges

    Environmental challenges
  • Key Stage 4

    At Key Stage 4 there are two main divisions splitting into a further three mirroring areas.

    In the first half of the course the UK is considered and then in the second half the same broad issues of physical environments and processes, people and places and environmental issues are considered at a global scale.

    For example in the first half we look at rivers, coasts and the physical landscape of the UK; followed by trade, unequal societies and urban areas. This half ends with looking at weather and energy.

    In the second half we look at areas such as world ecosystems such as the rainforest and coral reef, uneven development and what causes rapid urbanisation. In the final section we consider atmospheric processes, hurricanes and droughts.

    Throughout the course we incorporate a skills focus on areas such as graph, map and statistical work.

    Exam structure/weightings

    There are two 1 hour papers, one called ‘Living in the UK’ and the other called ‘The World Around Us’ both worth 30%.

    The final 40% comes from the test of skills and fieldwork in a 1½ hour paper.

    Career opportunities

    There are many career possibilities with qualifications in Geography. For those with a geography degree there are direct career paths such as in town and transport planning and management, surveying, environmental consultancy, sustainability, development, tourism, energy futures, and conservation. Geography has many transferable skills which opens doors into careers such as finance, marketing, research, IT and project management.

    Revision

    A program of revision is set based on the cohort about to take exams and their needs. These can take the form of after-school revision, personalised activities, resources on the school’s YouTube channel and one-to-one sessions to improve revision and exam technique.

    Year 10
    Term 1 Term 2 Term 3
    Landscapes of the UK Landscapes of the UK People of the UK
    Term 4 Term 5 Term 6

    People of the UK

    Environmental threats in the UK

    Environmental threats in the UK

    Ecosystems of the World

    Ecosystems of the World

    Fieldwork and write up

    Year 11
    Term 1 Term 2 Term 3
    People of the Planet People of the Planet Environmental Threats to the Planet 
    Term 4 Term 5 Term 6
    Environmental Threats to the Planet Revision Exams

    Please click this link to view the full course specification.

  • Key Stage 5

    This qualification is now studied as a full two year course. During this time we study a range of physical and human topics. We start Year 12 with a unit of coastal systems. This is followed by a compulsory unit on the Earth’s Life Support Systems (carbon and water cycles). This is followed by a unit of Changing Spaces, Making Places and Global Connections which both explore human aspects of the world in which we live. The next unit we undertake is student driven. This is an independent investigation written by the students. In the final section we consider debate papers, these ask students to consider arguments around areas such as hazards and disease.

    Exam structure/weightings

    The main weighting for the qualification comes from the debate paper where the two topic areas contribute 36% of the marks in a 2½ hour paper. There are two equally weighted (22%) and timed (1½ hour) papers, considering the physical and human parts of the course. The last 20% comes from the independent investigation.

    Career Opportunities

    There are many career possibilities with qualifications in Geography. For those with a geography degree there are direct career paths such as in town and transport planning and management, surveying, environmental consultancy, sustainability, development, tourism, energy futures, and conservation. Geography has many transferable skills which opens doors into careers such as finance, marketing, research, IT and project management.

    For more information regarding this subject please follow the links below.

    https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/careers-advice/what-can-you-do-geography-degree

    Revision

    A program of revision is set based on the cohort about to take exams and their needs. These can take the form of after-school revision, personalised activities, resources on the school’s YouTube channel and one-to-one sessions to improve revision and exam technique.

    Year 12
    Term 1 Term 2 Term 3

    Coasts

    Changing Spaces, Making Places

    Coasts

    Changing Spaces, Making Places

    Earth’s Life Support Systems

    Human Rights
    Term 4 Term 5 Term 6

    Earth’s Life Support Systems

    Human Rights

    Investigation

    NEA

    Global Migration

    Investigation

    NEA

    Global Migration/ exams
    Year 13
    Term 1 Term 2 Term 3

    Disease Dilemmas

    Hazardous Earth

    Disease Dilemmas

    Hazardous Earth

    Disease Dilemmas

    Hazardous Earth

    Term 4 Term 5 Term 6

    Disease Dilemmas/ revision

    Hazardous Earth/ revision
    Revision and exams  
  • Careers and progression
    Qualification pathways 

    The GCSE offered at KS4 prepares students perfectly for the A level offered at KS5, which in turn prepares students for further study at degree or employment in a related sector such as town and transport planning and management, surveying, environmental consultancy, sustainability, development, tourism, energy futures, and conservation. Geography develops many transferable skills too, which opens doors into careers such as finance, marketing, research, IT and project management.

    Example of successful progressions

    Three students from Year 13 progressed to higher education/careers in humanities area in 2019.

    Examples of links to Gatsby benchmark 4 (Linking curriculum to careers) 

    Case studies which include the role of town planners and architects which allow discussion of these professions

    Careers foci within lessons such as in weather and climate looking at the requirements to become a meteorologist and the role of humanitarians and looking at emerging industries like CCS, for example. We also take opportunities to discuss where particular skills used in lesson might be needed in real world examples. An instance of this might be in deciding where to locate a factory as part of a ‘company board’. We also promote skills such as debate (through joining the school debate club) as the need to be persuasive and well prepared is key in many job areas.

    Examples of links to Gatsby benchmark 5 (encounters with employers)

    We have had a visit from structural engineer (earthquake-proofing buildings) and looked at ‘on-line’ employer/employee encounters by looking at jobs such as weather forecasting. As part of a STEM event sixth form students also attended a day with Anglian Water to complement their A Level students. Through our trip offerings we also continue to promote a careers focus as we visit a geothermal power station in Iceland, and look at the work of the council in managing the shore line in Hunstanton - recently on a trip we were able to observe the work of the company scanning the coastline to track recedence.

    Employability skills

    There are many useful employability skills taught through Geography. The main areas are data presentation and interpretation, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, analysis & evaluation.

    For more information regarding higher education and careers in this subject please follow the links below.

    https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/careers-advice/what-can-you-do-geography-degree

Get in Touch

To get in touch with Prince William School please click on the link below, or call us on 01832 272881

Contact Us