Geography

Subject Overview

At Redhill, students are provided with a contemporary, enriching and rigorous geographical education. Throughout KS3 pupils will develop their understanding of the interrelationships that exist between physical and human processes whilst also building on key numeracy, literacy, graphicacy and cartographic skills required to support the subject. The curriculum provides a range of fieldwork opportunities across a 5-year curriculum which supports Redhill’s personal development programme and wider enrichment.

Year 7 students receive three lessons a fortnight, studying Global Ecosystems and the Amazing Amazon, Changing Coastal Areas in the UK (including a specific focus geographical skills), Changing Urban Spaces, a country study of Russia, Climate Change and a local place study: The Black Country (including fieldwork skills)

Year 8 students receive three lessons a fortnight, studying The Restless, Fiery Earth, Investigating the Middle East, Global Energy Management, How does water shape the land?, Fieldwork – River landscapes, and Development Dilemmas including a China place study.

Year 9 students receive four lessons a fortnight, studying Africa - a continent of contrasts and a weather field study. Then moving to The Living World (the distribution and characteristics of global ecosystems, the importance of tropical rainforests, the opportunities and challenges of hot deserts).

Students complete end of unit assessments in each topic – assessing geographical knowledge, understanding, application and skills.

The KS3 Geography curriculum develops a range of cross-curricular and transferable skills beneficial to students during their time at Redhill and beyond.

Students start GCSE Geography towards the middle of 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 30-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 coastal erosion at Brean Down, Somerset. 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.

Geography Curriculum - Autumn Term

Intent

Our intent at Redhill is to provide an engaging curriculum that allows pupils to develop their knowledge of physical and human environments as well as develop geographical skills and fieldwork.

During KS3 pupils will develop their understanding of the interrelationships that exist between physical and human processes whilst also building on key numeracy, literacy, graphicacy and cartographic skills required to support the subject. The knowledge, understanding and skills outlined in the Geography National Curriculum have been used to support our curriculum plan through KS3 – building upon knowledge, understanding and skills from KS2 whilst delivering a range of geographical topics at local, national and global scales. As a department, our intent is to develop ‘global citizens’ and we encourage our pupils to think like geographers, providing them the knowledge and skills required to understand the world in which they live.

A balanced curriculum has been implemented to ensure students experience a range of human and physical environments and associated processes in line with Geography National Curriculum. Key geographical vocabulary and a range of examples and case studies have been introduced at KS3 to allow for a deeper understanding and application. Appropriate graphicacy and cartographic skills have been layered within this to build a wide-ranging skills base. Units of study and the sequencing of these allows for accessibility and the development of knowledge, understanding and skills throughout KS3.

The units of study outline the key knowledge, understanding and skills required for each year group. The implementation of this curriculum will allow core geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to be consolidated throughout the key stages and prepare students for further education in the subject (and related disciplines) and beyond. 

Wider School Opportunities

Lessons will use a range of evidence and sources such as maps, photographs, videos, images, news reports, figures to help understand context of location at a variety of scales – local, national, global. Teachers do not ‘assume’ or ‘presume’ prior knowledge and understanding of place/space and therefore opportunities for questioning and discussions around context are facilitated across the curriculum. Explicit strategies are used to develop geographical literacy and the implementation of the ‘reading toolkit’ and ‘talk at Redhill’ across the curriculum further supports disciplinary literacy and ‘reading like a subject specialist’. Fieldwork opportunities in the local area (Year 7 Black Country Mooch, Year 8 Carding Mill Valley River landscapes study and Year 9 UK weather study) further develops cultural capital and strengthens British identify and values.

SMSC

Spiritual Moral Social and Cultural development

Spiritual development - Spiritual development in Geography inspires awe and wonder of both the physical and human worlds and the environments, processes and interrelationships that exist within them. Spiritual development considers how individuals are connected and engaged with different environments across a range of scales – global, national and local. Fieldwork also provides opportunities for students to connect and engage with physical and human environments outside of the classroom.

“Spiritual development relates to that aspect of inner life through which pupils acquire insights into their personal experiences that are of enduring worth.” “A sense of awe, wonder and mystery – being inspired by the natural world, mystery or human achievement.” (Geographical Association, ‘Awe, wonder and pure power’, 2019)

Moral development - Moral development in Geography provides opportunities for students to recognise that around the world issues of justice, fairness and democracy can impact on people’s quality of life. Educators have a responsibility to ensure young people are geographically informed, morally and ethically aware, and able to develop their own values and potential as citizens in the 21st century.

Social development - Social development in Geography involves the study of real people across a range of scales, locations and societies. Opportunities for social development are evident in lessons through class discussions, teamworking and critical thinking. Fieldwork provides opportunities for students to develop as ‘social geographers’ outside of the classroom.

Cultural development - Cultural development in Geography encourages students to reflect on their own personal sense of place, space and identity in an ever-changing world as well as understand a range of cultures through different geographical concepts. Multi-culturalism and how this can shape space and place is valued across the curriculum and links with wider school opportunities and personal development.