“More than ever we need the geographer's skills and foresight to help us learn about our planet - how we use it and how we abuse it" - Michael Palin

Subject Leader:	Mrs Davies
Geography Teachers:	Mrs Maguire & Mr Perry
Website:	St Wilfrid's Catholic School:  Geography

      

Overview

Geography at St Wilfrid's provides students with new ways of thinking about the world in the 21st Century. The subject provides students with ways of analysing, explaining and understanding the physical and human processes of the world around them.

The subject enables students to follow and participate in debates in significant local, national and global issues and takes students beyond their own immediate experiences. Geography develops major skill areas; map and fieldwork skills; cross-curricular skills such as ICT, literacy and numeracy; as well as an increasing awareness of the world around us and the concept of sustainability. We want students to become global citizens and show a keen awareness of the geography around them, which we encourage through a range of fieldwork opportunities. Geography is everywhere and students at St Wilfrid's develop a keen awareness and appreciation of the geography that shapes their lives at both global and local scales.

Our subject is ambitious in its content and will continually adapt and move forward with regards to our changing world, which adapts to the needs of all its pupils. We strive to make every lesson feel contemporary and allow all students to better understand the challenges and opportunities that we have as humans on planet Earth.

Key Stage 3

In Year 7 students will start with a topic called ‘Passport to Geography’ which covers the basics of continents, countries and capitals across the world. This topic also includes some foundation geography skills like map reading. Students also undertake a piece of fieldwork on biodiversity to learn about the processes involved in a geographical investigation. Students will then move on to a topic called ‘Population Explosion!’ where they will learn about the world’s growing population, how it affects different places and how countries try to manage this. In term 4 students will learn about ‘UK physical geography which focuses on the issues and characteristics of UK landscapes, including learning about river and coastal landscapes in the UK. Students will finish Year 7 by learning about ‘Wild Weather’ which covers how to measure the weather, why the UK has such changeable weather and extreme weather events. Students will also complete an on-site piece of fieldwork about local weather and learn how to analyse data and write their own conclusions.

For year 8 students will then learn about ‘Global Development’, which explores how unequal the world is, the newly emerging economies and a focus on China’s recent growth. Term 4 focuses on ‘Crowded Cities’ which describes the process of urbanisation, how life is changing in megacities such as Rio de Janeiro and Mumbai, and how cities can be made more sustainable. In the summer term students will learn about ‘Energy & Climate Change’ which discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different types of energy, the causes and impacts of climate change and how we can aim for a greener energy future. Students then move on to a topic named ‘Aspirational Africa’ which explores the geography, historical background and culture of the continent of Africa and how it is set to change in the 21st Century.

Students in year 9 start by learning about ‘Tourism’ where we will study the impacts of mass tourism on destinations, how ecotourism can be made more sustainable. Students will move on to a topic named ‘Terrifying Tectonics’ which covers what happens at plate boundaries, how earthquakes and volcanoes are created and the impacts of these disasters in countries around the world. In the spring term students will learn about ‘Globalisation’ which focuses particularly on our increasingly interconnected world, looking at global brands and our increasingly interconnected world. Students will then move on to study global conflict where they study examples of conflict from around the world, looking at causes, impacts and resolutions of conflict.

Key Stage 4

GCSE Geography is an optional subject in Years 10 and 11. The course builds and extends on knowledge learnt in KS3 and allows more in-depth study of key geography themes. There is an opportunity for a physical geography fieldtrip to the Sussex coast and an urban geography fieldtrip in the summer of year 10.

Students will be studying the AQA GCSE course. All information can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/gcse/geography-8035/specification-at-a-glance

Assessment is made up of 3 exam papers:

• Paper 1 - Living with the physical environment (The challenge of natural hazards, The living world, Physical landscapes in the UK)
• Paper 2 - Challenges in the human environment (Urban issues and challenges, The changing economic world, The challenge of resource management)
• Paper 3 - Geographical applications (Issue evaluation, Fieldwork, Geographical skills) 

Key Stage 5

A-Level Geography is split taught by two teachers throughout Year 12 and Year 13, with a focus on the human and physical geography topics allowing for deeper discussion into important issues. There is an extended residential fieldtrip at the end of Year 12, which will allow students to focus on further independent investigation into a specific topic of study.

VI Form geographers will study the Edexcel A-Level Geography course. All information can be found here: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/geography-2016.html

Assessment is made up of 3 exam papers and 1 non-examined assessment:

• Paper 1 - (Tectonic hazards and processes, Coastal landscapes and change, The water cycle and water insecurity, The carbon cycle and energy security)
• Paper 2 - (Globalisation, Superpowers, Regenerating places, Migration, identity and sovereignty)
• Paper 3 - (Synoptic themes using a resource booklet about a geographical issue)
• NEA - Independent investigation (3000-4000 words)