Geography
A rich geography education gives pupils the opportunity and key foundations to bring to life the diverse world we live in via their own classroom. It develops a deeper appreciation of its natural and social aspects along a journey that will remain with them for a lifetime. As they progress through their studies, pupils will increase their understanding of the key interactions between human and physical processes.
Pupils will:
- build their own identity and develop their sense of place
- be inspired by the unique situation in Bolton, Greater Manchester where some of the greatest physical landforms in the National parks like the Yorkshire Dales and the Pennines meet great industrial cities like Preston, Manchester, and Liverpool
- recognise the similarities and differences between the world around them and contrasting environments
- understand important processes and changes in the world around them, including those affecting the land, bodies of water and the air, people, and wildlife and their impact
- learn about the orientation of the world, including references such as the continents and oceans that they can navigate from
- deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments
- be competent in the geographical skills needed to: collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered; interpret a range of sources of geographical information; communicate geographical information in a variety of ways
- appreciate that geographical academic knowledge is provisional and revisable. Geographers build, challenge or refine the work of each other engaging with genuine academic debate
- engage in live fieldwork including data collection, analysis and presentation developing an appreciation of the interplay between locational knowledge and human and physical processes.
The whole-school curriculum operates at three levels and addresses pupils’ academic, personal and social development. The three individual elements of learning provide a different component to the education of every pupil. Intellectual, personal and social maturity will be the goal of these structured layers of learning at the school. There are three guiding elements which are brought to life in the mathematics curriculum:
- Educational excellence:
- Geographical expertise is built on substantive geographical knowledge.
- Drawing from the breadth of concepts (place, space, scale, interdependence, physical and human processes, environmental impact, sustainable development, cultural awareness, cultural diversity) gives pupils the knowledge they need to appreciate the whole domain of geography.
- They understand how common concepts draw different aspects of the subject together.
- Character development:
- Geography teachers provide enrichment opportunities both inside and outside of school, ensuring outdoor learning helps to put theory into practice and to foster a love of geography.
- They help to build their own identity and develop their sense of place.
- Service to communities:
- Geography teachers develop key contextual knowledge of geographically significant places, which includes the defining of human and physical characteristics and how these help shape understanding of key processes.
Pupils learn to:
- develop key contextual knowledge of geographically significant places, which includes the defining of human and physical characteristics and how these help shape understanding of key processes
- recognise the processes that generate key physical and human features across our world, how they bring special variation over time
- become skilled in collecting and interpreting key geographical data through exposure to outdoor learning, including fieldwork, that will help to foster a deeper understanding of geographical features and processes
- interpret a wide range of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
communicate geographical information through quantitative and qualitative means
The following principles underpin the geography curriculum:
- substantive concepts are the highly generative knowledge that it is critical pupils can recall and revisit meaningfully and regularly from place, space, scale, interdependence, physical and human processes, environmental impact, sustainable development, cultural awareness, cultural diversity
- substantive knowledge is carefully chosen to ensure breadth and depth and case studies
- geographical understanding is identified and is categorised into substantive concepts and substantive knowledge
- disciplinary knowledge, thinking like a geographer, is taught alongside substantive knowledge. This covers how substantive knowledge was established, its degree of certainty and how it continues to be revised, interconnectedness, interplay, use what they know from one context to another, think about alternative futures, consider their influence on decisions made
- procedural knowledge is highlighted and developed for each sequence of lessons from location, place, human and physical processes, geographical skills
- the use of geographical language at all times is essential to articulate concepts with accuracy in both the spoken and written word. Pupils through each line of enquiry engage with genuine geographical debate/writing known as fluency composites. By engaging with real-life issues, Pupils can develop their understanding that geographical knowledge and understanding are revisable
- pupils deepen their substantive knowledge and concepts through personal experiences of fieldwork. Where opportunity arises, Pupils through enquiry apply their geographical skills to collect, present, interpret a range of data using numerical manipulation. Pupils are able to reach a reasoned conclusion and critically reflect on the enquiry process
Year 7
Year 7 focuses on studying places at a variety of different scales, by looking at the human and physical processes that shape and change them. Geographical skills are developed to enhance and deepen geographical thinking.
| Location | Geographical skills | Location | Place | Human and physical processes | Location | Place | Human and physical processes |
| I know where I’m going! Traditional map skills in a digital age. | Why is the tropical rainforest under threat and how can it be managed sustainably? | The development of Kenya and Africa |
| Location | Place | Human processes | Location | Place | Human processes | Location | Place | Physical processes | Geographical skills |
| Does the Fylde & Sefton Coastline need managing? | Does the Fylde & Sefton Coastline need managing? | Why is Britain’s weather and climate like it is and how might this be different in the future? |
Year 8
Year 8 builds on the strong foundation of year 7 and provides pupils with the opportunity to become more confident in analysing information from a variety of sources to form conclusions about a range of issues and processes that affect people, the environment, and the natural landscape at a variety of scales and across a range of places. Students become increasingly confident in making cross-curricular links.
| Climate Change | Human and Physical processes | Glacial landscapes | Location | Place | Human Processes | Tectonic hazards | Location | Place | Human processes |
| The IPCC has finally stated that climate change is real and is caused by humans. How should we respond? | Alaska and Antarctica are the last true wildernesses on the planet and should be protected at all costs. Can this truly be achieved? | Why did so many people die in the Ghorka Earthquake 2015? |
| Rivers | Location | Place | Physical processes | Rivers | Location | Human and physical processes | Population – Migration | Location | Place | Human and physical processes |
| Hard engineering is the only way to protect a city from river flooding. Do you agree? | Hard engineering is the only way to protect a city from river flooding. Do you agree? | How should we respond to the migrant crisis? Local study Blackburn migration patterns. |
Year 9
Pupils gradually develop deeper contextual knowledge and understanding of geographical concepts, recalling and revisiting them meaningfully and regularly. Through enquiry, they confidently interpret a wide range of geographical information enabling them to conceptualise their classroom learning. With and increasingly interconnected web of knowledge Pupils can demonstrate a more mature awareness of issues and differing attitudes and values within which they arise.
| Location | Place | Human Processes | Location | Human and Physical processes | Location | Place | Human and Physical processes |
| Made in China – is China’s influence on the world growing? | How successful has the Manchester regeneration been? | Why was Hurricane Katrina such a disastrous storm? |
| Location | Place | Human and Physical processes | Location | Place | Human processes | Location | Place | Human processes | Fieldwork/enquiry |
| Globalisation is shrinking the world. To what extent do you agree? | Globalisation is shrinking the world. To what extent do you agree? | How can we manage world resources (water and food) to ensure our global needs are met? |
Pupils begin with exploring themes in the human environment; processes, systems and outcomes and how this change both spatially and temporally. Pupils develop an understanding of the factors that produce a diverse variety of human environments; the dynamic nature of these environments that change over time and place; the need for sustainable management; and the areas of current and future challenge and opportunity for these environments (at various stages of development HIC, NEE, LIC). Pupils move onto explore the dynamic nature of physical processes and systems, and human interaction with them in a variety of places and at a range of scales. Pupils develop an understanding of geomorphological & biological processes and features in different environments and the need for sustainable management. Pupils undertake a geographical physical enquiry, investigating changes along a river.
Pupils continue to develop their knowledge and understanding of the physical environments by learning about tectonic and meteorological processes and features in different environments, and the need for management strategies governed by sustainability and consideration of the direct and indirect effects of human interaction with the Earth and the atmosphere. Pupils then draw together and apply their knowledge, understanding and skills from Year 9-11 by undertaking a synoptic unit. This will contribute to their critical thinking and problem-solving skills on a particular issue using the pre-released source booklet. In preparation for their GCSE examinations Pupils will complete a series of consolidation sessions to recap and imbed knowledge and understanding.
| Location | Place | Human Processes | Location | Place | Human processes | Location | Place | Human and Physical processes | Location | Place | Physical & human processes | Geographical fieldwork | Location | Place | Physical processes |
| Paper 2 Section B: The changing economic world | Paper 2 Section A: Urban issues and challenges | Paper 2 Section C: Resource management |
Paper 1 Section C: Physical landscapes in the UK (Rivers). Fieldwork Trip: Changes along a river |
Paper 1 Section C: Physical landscapes in the UK (Coasts) |
| Location | Place | Human & physical Processes | Location | Place | Physical Processes | Location | Place | Human and Physical processes | Location | Place | Human and Physical processes | Geographical fieldwork | Location | Place | Human and Physical processes | Geographical fieldwork |
| Paper 1 Section B: The Living world | Paper 1 Section A: The challenge of natural hazards | Paper 3 Section A: Issues evaluation | Paper 3 Section B: Fieldwork consolidation |
Paper 3 Section A: Pre-release preparation Consolidation and geographical skills |
AQA GCSE Geography 8035
Paper 1: Living with the physical environment
| Overview | Focus |
|
Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes 88 marks (including 3 marks for spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist terminology (SPaG)) 35% of GCSE |
3.1.1 The challenge of natural hazards; 3.1.2 The living world; 3.1.3 Physical landscapes in the U; and 3.4 Geographical skills.
|
Paper 2: Challenges in the human environment
| Overview | Focus |
|
Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes 88 marks (including 3 marks for SPaG) 35% of GCSE |
3.2.1 Urban issues and challenges; 3.2.2 The changing economic world; 3.2.3 The challenge of resource management; and 3.4 Geographical skills.
|
Paper 3: Geographical applications
| Overview | Focus |
|
Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes 76 marks (including 6 marks for SPaG) 30% of GCSE Pre-release resources booklet made available 12 weeks before Paper 3 exam |
3.3.1 Issue evaluation; 3.3.2 Fieldwork; and 3.4 Geographical skills.
|
Pupils are offered a wide range of enrichment through field trips.
Geography can open the doors to many careers and provides a range of skills that can help pupils enter different fields. Jobs in Geography include:
- Cartographer
- Climate Change Analyst
- Climatologist
- Emergency Management Specialist
- Geomorphologist
- Geospatial analyst
- GIS specialist
- Hydrologist
