Geography

Young people have enquiring minds and it is important that they have the opportunity to learn about the world around them. With the threat of climate change and its impact on all aspects of life there has never been a more important time to study a subject that explains the dynamic interplay of humankind and the natural world. Our course is based on a balanced framework of physical and human geography and it allows students to develop an awareness of the link between the two. We encourage students to develop a problem-solving approach to contemporary geographical challenges so that students are inspired by the immediate relevance of the subject matter and empowered by knowledge that they can make a difference.  

Geography opens doors to many careers and courses. In the short term it allows students to go on to study Geography at GCSE and A Level. Qualifications in Geography also lead on to a very wide range of university courses, apprenticeships, and careers such as teaching, town planning, land management, aid and development work, research, journalism, meteorology, air traffic control and aviation.

Year 9

Students follow a bespoke curriculum which provides a solid foundation to progress onto GCSE study. The major content areas are: Climate Change; Life in an Emerging Country; Issues of Urbanisation; and Energy. Each topic builds on what has been taught in earlier years and provides a springboard for further development at GCSE. Towards the end of the year students develop their practical fieldwork skills in a local urban and rural area. Case studies covered during the course highlight contemporary issues such as flooding in Bangladesh, the destruction of rainforests in Brazil, the manufacture of iPhones in China, economic growth in South Korea, and fracking and wind farms in the UK. Click on the links below for BBC Bitesize content.

Autumn Term 1: Climate Change

Autumn Term 2: Life in an Emerging Country

Spring Term 1: Issues of Urbanisation

Spring Term 2: Energy

Summer Term 1: Fieldwork

Summer Term 2: Revision and Assessment

There are four end of unit mini assessments that last 45 minutes and one End of Year Exam lasting 1 hour.

GCSE Geography

Students will explore contemporary case studies in the United Kingdom, higher income countries (HICs), newly emerging economies (NEEs) and lower income countries (LICs). Topics tackled include climate change, poverty, deprivation, global shifts in economic power and the challenge of sustainable resource use. Students develop a scientific problem-solving approach to issues such as food security, global fresh-water shortage, and desertification. They are also encouraged to understand their role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes. 

In Years 10 and 11 the students follow the AQA GCSE Geography Specification. We take each of the units in the specification and encourage students to focus on challenges and opportunities presented in problematic areas, such as the favelas in Rio or the Thar Desert. We also encourage them to isolate problems and suggest solutions to issues such as global food security and water shortages. 

Students will be required to take part in a field study for both Physical and Human Geography which will form the basis for Paper 3: Geographical Applications. Field studies examine coastal processes and urban development and usually take place in North Norfolk. In addition, students may have the opportunity to take part in an extra-curricular trip to Innsbruck, Austria to study glaciation, but this is not compulsory.  

Students are taught for 3 x 50-minute sessions a week. Year 10 begins by addressing Urban Issues and Challenges, focusing on Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, and Bristol in the UK. We then move on to The Living World looking at biomes under threat, focusing on tropical rainforests and examining reasons for the worldwide expansion of deserts. Next, we study the challenge of Resource Management, specialising in the causes and consequences of diminishing global freshwater supply. Here we focus on water transfer schemes in Lesotho and India. At the end of the first year, we switch back to physical Geography and examine the causes and consequences of coastal erosion in Physical Landscapes. As part of this section of the course we will develop fieldwork skills and apply them during a trip to the Norfolk coast.

The Year 11 Autumn Term begins with the challenge of Natural Hazards focusing on Tropical Storms and Earthquakes in Japan and the USA. We follow this with a close look at the role of Trans National Companies (TNCs) and the rise of post-industrial economies in The Changing Economic World.

You can follow the links below for BBC Bitesize content.