Geography

Subject Overview

At Redhill, students are provided with a contemporary, enriching and rigorous geographical education. During KS3 students cover a range of human and physical geography topics as well as developing fieldwork and investigation techniques.

Year 7 students receive one lesson a week studying global ecosystems, coastal areas, urban areas whilst also developing a range of geographical skills such as map reading and graphicacy. During Year 8 students receive 3 lessons a fortnight studying tectonics, resource management, river systems, weather and climate and global development. Students complete end of unit assessments in each topic – assessing geographical knowledge, understanding, application and skills. The KS3 Geography curriculum develops a range of transferable skills to help fully prepare students for KS4 and beyond.

Students start GCSE Geography in Year 9 following the AQA syllabus. The course is assessed over two 1 hour 30 minute exams (Paper 1 – Living with the physical environment and Paper 2 – Challenges in the human environment) with an additional 1 hour 15 minute exam assessing geographical application and skills (Paper 3 - issue evaluation, fieldwork and geographical skills). As part of the course we carry out fieldwork investigating urban regeneration in Birmingham and study the local ecosystem at Kinver Edge. The department has developed a range of resources and revision materials and run intervention and catch up sessions to support the progress of all learners

Extended Learning

SMSC

Spiritual Moral Social and Cultural development

Spiritual development – Spiritual education in Geography inspires awe and wonder at the natural world: both at the physical and human features. It also inspires wonder of the natural environment such as rivers, mountains, hills, volcanoes and the effect of weather and climate. It also includes the effect that the environment continues to have on settlement and peoples' daily lives.

Moral development – Moral education in Geography provides opportunities for students to recognise that development takes place within a global context and that local decisions affect and are affected by decisions and processes in other countries for example river pollution. Issues of justice, fairness and democracy are central and can be debated in terms of students' own experiences as well as using geographical issues as contexts.

Social development – Social education in Geography involves the study of real people in different societies. In looking at their own locality and others in the world, students' sense of identity and community can be strengthened.

Cultural development – Cultural education involves the study of real people in real places in the present. It provides opportunities for multi-cultural education through recognising commonalities and differences. It also encourages students to reflect on their own personal reality of sense of space.