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Geography
Key Stage 3 Summary
Across Key Stage 3, students develop core geographical knowledge and skills through a range of human and physical topics at different scales, to critique and make judgement of their surroundings.
Students will explore different places, at a local, national and global scale and understand how physical processes shape our earth. They will also consider how people exist in different environments, how they impact on these environments and ultimately how they can be managed sustainably now and in the future. Each unit expects students to form an opinion by using the knowledge they have evaluated throughout the weeks.
Most of our units are taught thematically by issue, as it allows students to make geographical links and analysis when introduced to a new context.
Our curriculum is in line with the national curriculum and focuses on:
Curriculum Summary KS3:
| Year Group | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 |
| Year 7 | UK and East London | Rivers and flooding | Amazing Asia |
| Overall question | How can I think like a Geographer? | Is the UK flood ready? | Why is Asia an amazing continent? |
| Year 8 | Ecosystems and humans | Sustainable development | Physical geography of the UK |
| Overall question | Should humans exploit ecosystems? | Can we sustainably close the development gap? | Do natural hazards have the same effect on places? |
| Year 9 | Population and migration | Climate change | Globalisation |
| Overall question | Should populations be controlled? | How should humans change with climate change? | Who are the winners and losers in a globalised world? |
Students will work both individually and collaboratively in geography. They will develop their written and spoken communication as well as developing their enquiry skills and ability to use geographical information to make decisions from KS3-KS5.
At KS3 students have 3 lessons a fortnight. Homework is set fortnightly in the lesson and students complete the tasks in the given booklet for the term.
Key Stage 4 Summary
At Key Stage 4, we study the new AQA geography GCSE over a two-year course.
The course builds on skills and content studied in Years 7 to 9 and covers half human, half physical geographical topics, outlined below:
| AQA | HT1 | HT2 | HT3 | HT4 | HT5 | HT6 |
| Year 10 | The Living World | Living World | Urban issues and challenges | Physical landscapes of the UK: Rivers | Physical landscapes of the UK: Coast | Fieldwork and issues evaluation practice |
| Case studies | -Epping forest -Amazon rainforest | -Alaska | -Lagos (Makoko and Eko Atlantic) -London (East Village and Here East) | -River Severn -Jubilee river | -Dorset coastline -Walton on the Naze | |
| Year 11 | Changing economic world | Changing economic world | Challenge of natural hazards | Challenge of natural hazards/ issues evaluation | Challenge of resource management / issue evaluation | Revision and GCSE exam |
| Case studies | -Jamaica -Nigeria (Shell and Unilever) | -UK (Here East) -North Somerset and Cumbria | -Japan 2011 (HIC) -Haiti 2010 (LIC) | -Typhoon Haiyan 2013 -Beast from the East 2018 | -Oil in Alaska, -Micro HEP, Nepal |
Two non-residential fieldwork days are required and students will visit local urban area Stratford to study urban issues and challenges and Epping Forest for the ‘Living World’.
Students are assessed through 3 papers at the end of year 11 – Paper 1: Physical geography,
Paper 2: Human geography and Paper 3: Issue evaluation and field work.
At KS4 students have 5 lessons a fortnight. Homework is set weekly in the lesson and students complete the tasks in the given booklet for the given unit.
Key Stage 5 Summary
At Key Stage 5, we study the AQA A level over two years.
Students will deepen their knowledge of the processes shaping our planet and how humans interact with their physical environment. We study topics hugely relevant to current global changes and it is an excellent bridge to studying geography at degree level, as well as other subjects such as geology, environmental sciences, economics and politics.
The topics we teach are outlined below:
The topics we teach are outlined below:
| Term1 | Term 2 | `Term 3 | |
| Year 12 | Changing places including local fieldwork | Global systems and Global governance | Essay structure on space and time/ Revision for PPEs |
| Hazards | Coasts | Independent Fieldwork Investigation (3000-4000 words) | |
| Year 13 | Contemporary Urban Environments | Past papers bootcamp Independent Fieldwork Investigation (3000-4000 words) | Essay structure on space and time/ Revision and Exams |
| Water and carbon cycles | Past papers bootcamp Independent Fieldwork Investigation (3000-4000 words) | Essay structure on space and time/ Revision and Exams |
Useful websites:
GCSE: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/gcse/geography-8035/specification