Asking the Right Questions

Geography is all about asking the right questions – Who, What, Where, Why, When And How?  The world is going to change more in the next 50 years than it did in the last 500. Geography is the study of the physical and economic processes that have shaped the world we live in.

As a department, we look at a broad selection of issues covering Environmental Science which looks at sustainability, energy and the planet’s resources.  It also extends to Business Studies, where students investigate the economics of how we use resources.

Our Approach

We are very enthusiastic about thinking skills - learning to learn - and believe that the method of acquiring knowledge is as important as the knowledge itself. We take a thematic approach looking at systems of climate, rivers, coastal areas, rainforests, deserts and the people who live in different regions.

Key Stage 3

Students investigate basic physical and economic models, looking at landscapes and urban development factors.  These topics include an introduction to settlement patterns, weathering and erosion, climate and the Earth’s resources.

Students also have the option for a trip to Vesuvius & Pompeii in Sorrento, Italy in Year 9.

Key Stage 4

Geography students continue the themes from Key Stage 3 in more depth:

• People and Places – poverty, the developing world, influence of technology
• Climate, the Environment, and People – destruction of habitats, impact on climate, relationship  between different ecosystems, such as Global Warming and Acid Rain
• Water, Landforms and People – Hydrogical Cycle,flooding & drought, coasts & river systems
• People, Work and Development – employment, trade & poverty, unemployment

Students take a field trip to Devon for five days for surveying.

Environmental Science and Business Studies are also Options in KS4.

Resources

The Department has three specialist teachers with a huge range of experiences and interests.
Other resource includes:

• Subject room with maps
• GPS software, mapping software
• A wide range of Office applications and simulations