Curriculum Intent
We aim to enthuse students to appreciate the world that they live in and to create a sense of awe and wonder of the world around them. We want students at Walton Le Dale High School to begin a life-long journey to both understand and to question why things happen in certain ways.
Students will be able to appreciate the importance of Geography for understanding the world around them. They will gain an understanding of the physical processes that shaped the world and understand the impact that humans have had on the world. They will gain an understanding of how as humans we can live on the planet in more sustainable ways and make a more positive impact on our planet.
Programmes of Study
Year 7
Year 7 begins with a unit on map skills which will help students to consolidate and strengthen their learning from KS2. The map skills unit also underpins all of the other units and will be revisited regularly. Students will then study the following units – Rivers, the World of Work, Development, and Russia.
Year 8
Year 8 begins with the study of life in an emerging country. Students will then study the following units – Population, Cold Environments, Hot Extreme Environments, the Middle East, Coasts and Glaciation.
Year 9
Students will begin by studying weather and climate. They will then complete units on – Ecosystems, Natural & Tectonic Hazards, Resource Management and the Living World. These units will consolidate previous learning and support students that chose to study Geography at GCSE.
Year 10 & Year 11
Students will follow the AQA GCSE Geography Syllabus (8035). They will study a mixture of Human and Physical Geography and complete fieldwork.
Marking and Assessment
Students will have regular tests and assessments allowing us to measure their knowledge and understanding of their concepts and skills in geography. Students will receive feedback to help them to improve the quality of their work and to make further progress. The assessments will be cumulative and each assessment will include questions from previous topics in order to consolidate students’ knowledge and prepare them thoroughly for the GCSE exams.
Examinations
AQA Geography GCSE 9-1
Paper 1 – 35% (1 hour 30 mins) Living with the with the physical environment
Paper 2 – 35% (1 hour 30 mins) Challenges in the urban environment
Paper 3 – 30% (1 hour 15 mins) Geographical applications
Revision Guides/Supporting Resources
E 9-1 Geography AQA Revision Guide by Tim Bayliss, Rebecca Tudor, et al.
Staff Details
Miss Main – Head of Humanities
Mr. Keith – Teacher of Geography
Mrs Yaqub – Teacher of Geography
Mr. Lees – Teacher of Geography
Miss Bryan – Teacher of Pe and Geography
Careers and Progression
Geography is a highly regarded subject at college and university levels whilst also counting in the EBacc portfolio of assessment. The analysis and enquiry skills learnt in Geography are transferable to all subjects and offer a sound base for future study. It naturally leads on to studying not only Geography at A Level, but Environmental Science, Geology, Leisure/Travel & Tourism and many other subjects and leads to jobs such as management, project management, accounting, civil engineering, leisure and tourism, teaching, planning and a broad range of environment-related fields.