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St Mary's Catholic High School

Geography

Vision Statement

In promoting a curiosity about the world for our students, we aim to stimulate an interest in and a sense of wonder about places and people, from the personal to the global.

We strive to inspire students to become global citizens by exploring their own place in the world and their values and responsibilities to other people, to the environment and to the sustainability of the planet.

We endeavour to foster a lifelong love of geography through varied activities both inside and outside the classroom and prepare well-rounded students for the world.

Aims

We aim to ensure that all students develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes, They should also understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time.

Students should be competent in the geographical skills needed to:

  • collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
  • interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
  • communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

Curriculum Content

Key Stage 3

Students at KS3 follow a varied and engaging curriculum in Years 7-9 where they are given the opportunity to experience both physical and human Geography at local, regional and global levels, using a range of teaching styles.

Students will investigating how the natural world works, how humans interact with the world, and the impacts they have on the environment. They will be able to ask questions about the world and develop the range of skills needed to allow them to explore it in the classroom and beyond.

Geography - Year 7 Curriculum MapGeography - Year 8 Curriculum MapGeography - Year 9 Curriculum Map

Key Stage 4

In Year 10 and 11 we teach the Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Geography B syllabus, which provides a varied series of topics which aim to excite students throughout. 

Component 1: Global Geographical Issues 

  • Topic 1: Hazardous Earth
  • Topic 2: Development dynamics
  • Topic 3: Challenges of an urbanising world

Component 2: UK Geographical Issues

  • Topic 4: The UK’s evolving physical landscape – including sub-topics 4A: Coastal change and conflict and 4B: River processes and pressures.
  • Topic 5: The UK’s evolving human landscape – including a Case Study - Dynamic UK cities.
  • Topic 6: Geographical investigations – including one physical fieldwork investigation and one human fieldwork investigation linked to Topics 4 and 5.

Component 3: People and Environment Issues – Making Geographical Decisions

  • Topic 7: People and the biosphere
  • Topic 8: Forests under threat
  • Topic 9: Consuming energy resources

Geography - Year 10 Curriculum Map

Geography - Year 11 Curriculum Map

Edexcel Geography B - Specification