The role of geography is to engage and enthuse young people about the dynamic world in which they live, fostering this knowledge and understanding so that they can become truly global citizens.

The curriculum is designed to build on their KS2 knowledge and skills, extending their understanding and applying this to both familiar and entirely new concepts.  Our core concepts are sustainability, globalisation, place, scale and processes. The curriculum model requires students to investigate both the physical and human worlds through a variety of topics, such as the effects of the UK's changing global position and the consequences this may present post-Brexit; global population trends and the challenges this brings and the effects of hazards and their consequences for people and the environment.

Year Y7

Fantastic places  - An introduction to the subject. Students should be able to demonstrate understanding of scale (local, national and global) and be able to discuss a range of human and physical features found in locations around the world. Students will learn to interpret and analyse OS (Ordnance Survey) maps, using the following skills: Grid references, compasses, scale, contour lines, longitude and latitude.

Climate emergency - Students will study the history of the Earth’s changing climate, alongside how humans are contributing to climate change, and the impact it is having on both a local and global scale. 

UK Geography - Students will study a range of physical and human features across the UK. They will investigate how the physical landscape of the UK affects where people live, and will focus on one UK city in detail.

Weather and climate - Students explore what causes the weather to change and why it varies around the world. Students then use this knowledge to investigate how humans are impacted by climatic hazards through case studies. 

Ecosystems - Students will study where different ecosystems can be found around the world, and the reasons for this distribution pattern. They will focus on rainforests in detail, studying the plants and animals found in rainforests along with exploring ways in which humans are damaging the rainforest ecosystem.

Year 8

Asia and population - Students will study the continent of Asia, including its location, a range of human and physical features, along with how the continent is changing. They will explore what can affect changing birth and death rates and how this affects overall population.  Students will also develop an understanding of how population change is linked to economic development. Students will explore the impacts of over population and look at an example of where population has tried to be controlled.  

Tectonics - Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the processes which take place to create tectonic hazards such as volcanoes and earthquakes, along with the social, economic and environmental impacts of these hazards.

Our urban world - The world is rapidly becoming more urban. Students will investigate why more and more people choose to live in towns and cities, along with the challenges and opportunities this brings.

Changing landscapes - Within this unit, students will learn how rivers fit into the water cycle.  They will look at how rivers erode the land and work with weathering processes to shape the landscape.  The idea of the river’s long profile will be examined and how this affects whether the river erodes or deposits material.  Key landforms from the upper to the lower course of the river will be taught.  Students will learn how landforms are created, what they look like and how they appear on OS maps.

Africa - Students will study the continent of Africa, including its location, a range of human and physical features, along with how the continent is changing.

Year 9

Frozen planet - Students will be able to explain how the UK has previously been affected by ice ages, and identify evidence of glaciation that can be seen today.

Development - Students will gain an understanding of why contrasting countries are at different stages of development, as well as the reasons for the development gap.

Ominous Oceans - Within this topic we delve deeper and build students knowledge around marine life and their adaptations.​ Students will explore the opportunities the oceans provide building on their understanding of resources developed in Year 7 ‘climate emergency’ as well as prior topics of Development and conflict in Year 9.​​

As well as the opportunities students will also explore the threats that our oceans face, before exploring the potential solutions to these challenges. ​Students will engage in a research project around sea level rise and how we can protect against it. 

Conflict - This topic will explore both the physical and human features behind conflict including: religion, resources and politics. Students will explore conflict in a range of countries including: Israel and Palestine, Ukraine and Russia, Syria and the DRC.​ Students will be developing their locational knowledge deepening their spatial awareness of the middle east through the lens of conflict.​ In this topic students will increase their competence in using geographical knowledge and geographical skills in analysing and interpreting different sources of data.

Global issues - Students investigate a range of current global issues such as fast fashion, over population, waste and many others. Students use the skills and knowledge they have learnt throughout KS3 to practice problem solving to create solutions.

Topics Covered:

• Fantastic places - including map skills
• Climate change 
• UK Geography
• Weather and climate
• Ecosystems

Key Knowledge and Skills:

• Map skills (4 and 6 figure grid references, measuring distance, direction, how to use a key).
• Analysis of geographical patterns and discuss why they occur.
• Describe distributions on a range of scales.
• Understand how sustainable development may impact people and begin to see interdependence between ecosystems.
• Analysis of resources including linking OS maps to pictures
• Identify trends from data.
• Collecting data using basic techniques.
• Presenting fieldwork findings e.g. bar graphs.
• Highlighting anomalies.

Assessment:

• Progress tasks in all lessons
• Fortnightly VIP tests to recall key knowledge
• End of unit assessments, focusing on knowledge and skills learnt in the most recent topic and prior learning to help with recall.

Homework:

• Fortnightly tasks complete based on in lesson learning. This is supported through a knowledge organiser.
• Additional homework menu with a range of tasks varying in difficulty to complete over the course of the term.
• Additional resources to stretch and challenge provided via QR code on the homework booklet.

Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:

• Develop mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
• Preparing students for future success in education, employment and training through the cross-curricular skills taught and practised in geography.
• Students giving their opinions on issues facing Modern Britain.

Topics Covered:

• Asia and population
• Tectonics
• Our urban world
• Changing landscapes
• Amazing Africa 

Key Knowledge and Skills:

• Understand how human and physical processes can lead to geographical patterns.
• Understand how different views will impact how the environment is managed.
• Use a range of techniques to interpret data
• Identify patterns across differing landscapes.
• Use percentages and cumulative frequency when presenting data.
• Use sources to investigate environments.
• Judge how reliable sources are.
• Map skills continue to be practised through embedded skills.
• Understand the importance of geographical information systems.

Assessment:

• Progress tasks in all lessons
• Fortnightly VIP tests to recall key knowledge
• End of unit assessments, focusing on knowledge and skills learnt in the most recent topic and prior learning to help with recall. 

Homework:

• Fortnightly tasks complete based on in lesson learning. This is supported through a knowledge organiser.
• Additional homework menu with a range of tasks varying in difficulty to complete over the course of the term.
• Additional resources to stretch and challenge provided via QR code on the homework booklet.

Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:

• Promoting inclusively and diversity.
• Preparing students for future success in education, employment and training through the cross-curricular skills taught and practised in geography.
• Understand how what we do can have an impact on a range of scales.

Topics Covered:

• Frozen planet
• Development
• Ominous Oceans
• Conflict
• Global issues 

Key Knowledge and Skills:

• Understand how geographical processes may limit the success of sustainable development methods
• Empathise and discuss the impacts a variety of methods have on stakeholders.
• Describe, interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical patterns and trends.
• Use maps at different scales to support work.
• Draw sophisticated maps and graphs using standard deviation and quartile and interquartile range.
• Link geographical processes to how they impact investigations.
• Critically evaluate findings and discuss the validity and reliability of investigations undertaken.
• Map skills continue to be practised through embedded skills.

Assessment:

• Progress tasks in all lessons
• Fortnightly VIP tests to recall key knowledge
• End of unit assessments, focusing on knowledge and skills learnt in the most recent topic and prior learning to help with recall. 

Homework:

• Fortnightly tasks complete based on in lesson learning. This is supported through a knowledge organiser.
• Additional homework menu with a range of tasks varying in difficulty to complete over the course of the term.
• Additional resources to stretch and challenge provided via QR code on the homework booklet. 

Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:

• Preparing students for future success in education, employment and training through the cross-curricular skills taught and practised in geography.
• Participating, cooperating and resolving conflict.
• Develop and express personal values and beliefs.

Students who choose to study Geography at GCSE level will follow the OCR Geography B specification (Geography for enquiring minds).

The course is split into 3 main components which the students will prepare for over the course of the 2 years. They will be externally assessed across three exam papers. Students will also attend 2 days of fieldwork during the two-year course.

Component 01: Our natural world

Students develop an understanding and appreciation of the natural world they live in and why it looks the way it does. They study the rich diversity of landscapes and ecosystems which are changing through physical processes and human interactions.

There are four topics:

• Global hazards
• Changing climate
• Distinctive landscapes
• Sustaining ecosystems.

Fieldwork skills include understanding and applying specific geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to real-world physical geographical contexts.

Component 02: People and society

Students explores the social, cultural, political and economic forces that make places unique, and how these change over time and space, particularly the growth of urbanisation and the challenges of feeding an ever-growing population.

There are four topics:

• Urban futures
• Dynamic development
• UK in the 21st century
• Resource reliance.

Fieldwork skills include understanding and applying specific geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to real-world human geographical contexts.

Component 03: Geographical exploration

This component draws on geographical knowledge, understanding and skills that have been developed in components 01 and 02. This synoptic assessment enables students to demonstrate their understanding of the connections between the different elements of the subject.

Geographical skills:

• Cartographic
• Graphical
• Numerical

This component includes a decision-making exercise, here students can become critical thinkers and develop arguments.

The course is split into human and physical geography. The ‘Our Natural World’ section covers:

• Global hazards
• Changing climate
• Distinctive landscapes
• Sustaining ecosystems.

The human geography section ‘People and Society’ covers:

• Urban futures
• Dynamic development
• UK in the 21st century
• Resource reliance

Field trip skills are developed further we visit the coast and city centre to complete fieldwork.

Skills developed:

• Map skills Graphical skills
• Analysing data
• Explaining trends
• Exploring physical and human processes
• Decision making