Curriculum Intent
Geography offers vision beyond the students’ immediate horizons. It helps explain, inspire and address curiosity about Earth and the individual’s place within it. It helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human elements of the world, developing a deep understanding of diverse places, people and of the Earth’s key processes. Throughout their journey in Geography students will be exposed to the knowledge that will enable them to achieve their God-given potential as stewards of the Earth. As part of a broad and balanced curriculum, this intent is applied equally to students at key stage 3, or future experts that have selected to study Geography at key stages 4 and 5.
To inspire and challenge all students at key stage 3, Geography’s intent is to focus on the disciplinary knowledge an expert Geographer needs to employ, and the conceptual knowledge that a Geographer needs to understand the world. Disciplinary and conceptual knowledge derives from the national curriculum and cultural capital i.e., what is required for students to be confident individuals and responsible citizens. Disciplinary knowledge focuses on knowledge, explanation, opinion, and Geographic skills. The six concepts that underpin all topics at key stage 3 are climate change, sustainability, physical processes, inequality, place, and people. Whilst the topics we employ at key stage 3 often to not directly cover the six concepts, the intent is that these are built up as building blocks within different contexts to encourage the ability to know more and remember more.
Geography is designed to adhere to a high challenge, low risk environment. This is intended to create learners that, if they choose so during their options, can develop themselves as experts in their field throughout key stages 4, 5 and foster a passion for Geography that they will carry with them beyond compulsory education. Whilst Geography is always designed as a springboard for the next level, the curriculum intends that students at any level will be able to understand the physical and human environment of Hartlepool and the wider area. Conceptual knowledge is underpinned by the local context of Hartlepool as a coastal northeast town, including cultural, socio-economic, and natural links. We intend to further develop this through the use of extra curricula activities, with a particular emphasis on local, regional and global fieldwork at all key stages.
Fundamentally however, we intend to support wider and deeper educational agendas, enabling our students to develop knowledge and skills that are transferrable to other curriculum areas. Crucially at EMS, our Geography curriculum intends to produce geo-literate individuals, who can think critically about the world and by arming our young people to do so, they will move on and make their own way successfully within it.
Geography Learning Journey
Geography KS3 Curriculum Overviews
GCSE
The exciting new GCSE (AQA) course that we offer is based on a balanced framework of physical and human geography. It allows students to investigate the link between the two themes, and approach and examine the battles between the man-made and natural worlds. Students who complete the course will have the skills and experience to progress onto A-level and beyond.
Topics of study include climate change, poverty, deprivation, global shifts in economic power and the challenge of sustainable resource use. Students are also encouraged to understand their role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes.
Students will take 3 exams at the end of a two year course. The human component is worth 35% of the total marks as is the physical paper respectively. Students will also be examined on their fieldwork experiences, decision making and application of skills in paper 3 which is worth 30% of the overall qualification.
Geography Curriculum Overviews GCSE
Sixth Form
In year 12 you will study a range of physical topics including water and the carbon cycles as well as coastal environments and global hazards. You will also study human geography including the study of how places have changed over time as well as investigating places in context: the regional, national, international and global relationships which impact on the areas selected for study. At Advanced level topics are studied in greater depth with case studies being chosen from a diverse range of places.
How is the course assessed?
At Advanced level there are two examination papers each worth 40% of your Advanced level. One paper examines physical geography and the second one human geography. There is also an individual fieldwork study to be submitted which makes up 20% of your final grade. Students are expected to complete 4 days in the field in preparation for the submission at the end of year 13.