Geography

Overall Geography Intent: 

Geography at HGS develops students to be citizens of the world who are eager to explore the rapidly changing environmental and social challenges facing us and to learn how we should tackle them. Students understand the unique role that geography plays in understanding the world in which we live as it bridges the social and natural sciences. They gain an education for life and for living, through learning in the classroom as well as experientially through travel, fieldwork and expeditions. Through geography students become more socially and environmentally sensitive, better informed about the places and communities where they live and may work, and more responsible as citizens and employees. They see how the world is interconnected and how our individual and societal actions contribute to both local and global change. 

Key strengths of our curriculum: 

We broadly follow the aims of the NC in terms of developing contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places, understanding processing of key physical and human geographical features of the world. We have included themes that show links between places and particular regions, and building the key knowledge of globes, atlases, and fieldwork. 

• From the beginning of Year 7, students are exposed to geographical skills including reading maps, analysing graphs, and developing critical thinking. This builds incrementally across KS3 allowing students to face the challenges of KS4 with success and independence. The curriculum is the progression model.  
• The sequencing of curriculum at all key stages is designed to build on the knowledge of the previous year. 
• Every Year 7,8 and 9 topics in Term 1-6 build upon the understanding and knowledge gained in the previous year.
• Each year student study 6 topics that fit within 6 common themes. The common themes are: 1. Places, 2. Hazardous World, 3. Physical World, 4. Human World, 5. Sustainable World and 6. Conflicting World. 
• We also alternate between physical and human geography to ensure students have a variety of topics, and every year has at least one opportunity for fieldwork either virtually or in the field.  
• Key Stage 3 covers major themes covered at KS4 and prepares them for KS4 with the use of assess and evaluation questions 
• Students learn how to become global citizens and understand their role in the changing environment. Students are shown that Geography is at the forefront of minds and that the skills and understanding they gain through the subject will serve them throughout their lives.  

Golden Thread themes include: Global atmospheric circulation, a globalising and urbanising world, being a global citizen, conflict,  sustainability and climate change. 

Key strengths of Geography

• Extremely experienced staff members that are experts in the field providing high quality teaching and learning 
• Employment of strategies to promote depth of long-term knowledge retention with the School Lead in Teaching and Learning in the department. 
• Staff form excellent relationships with students and there is an exceptionally high uptake for GCSE and A level Geography. 
• Careful modelling using AQA examiners feedback 
• Questioning- targeted for access and challenge for all 
• Production of targeted resources to meet the needs of all students 
• Relevant and current Geography from the news incorporated into lessons including a focus on local geographies. 

Curriculum overviews