Geography Programme

There are threads which run through the geography curriculum in both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. These include people and place, location, processes, interactions and the overriding concept of sustainability for the future.

In Year 7, the students find out how different places are connected, where people live and how they make a living. River processes, features and flooding are considered and finally they look at perceptions of the UK.

Year 8 starts with coastal processes, concentrating on the active East Yorkshire coast, but also examines the weather and the impressive limestone scenery of the Yorkshire Dales. Cities and Tourism are two other topics covered with Spain as the country studied in depth.

Tectonics starts Year 9 off with a bang. Much of the remainder of the year examines the concept of sustainability with particular regard to ecosystems, development and fair trade, global footprints, global warming, energy and recycling.

The Horizons materials rely heavily on the use of ICT. During Year 8 there is a residential fieldtrip planned to the North Yorkshire coast.

Students have a good grounding in the processes and skills required to study Geography to GCSE level. The GCSE course in Key Stage 4 is the Avery Hill Course, which covers the following units:

Climate, the Environment and People, including weather systems and hazards, ecosystems and concerns such as global warming.

People, Work and Development, covers issues such as sustainable development, fair trade and employment structure.

Landforms and People concentrates on river and coastal processes and their attendant dangers such as floods and coastal erosion.

People and Place looks a settlements in MEDCs and LEDCs. Issues such as the growth of squatter settlements, rural to urban migration and counter urbanisation are studied.

There are also two pieces of coursework and at least one fieldtrip during the course. ICT is used for both research and presentation purposes