The study of Geography equips students with a toolkit to embrace and positively change the modern world. Understanding the interconnectedness of society alongside how it is shaped by the physical world allows our King’s students to take pride in becoming the leaders of tomorrow. Our Geography curriculum ranges from studies of extreme environments to understanding the geopolitical superpowers of the future, all whilst exposing students to a diverse range of cultures, biomes and locales. The analytical nature of Geography allows students to build a skillset that compliments any flightpath in the World of Work, including evaluative extended writing, a suite of statistical skills and the ability to conduct a full research enquiry through Fieldwork at every Key Stage. Geography classrooms at King’s are rooms full of inquisitive minds, guided by passionate subject specialists empowering the next generation of Geographers.
From their very first Geography lesson at King’s, students are provided with a multitude of lenses to view the world from, all taught in fundamental and modern Geographical ideas such as Place, Sustainability and Climate. Students build confidence over a range of topics at Key Stage 3, cementing their understanding of their local area to the wider world, exploring every continent. Students begin their learning journey focusing on the concept of place before exploring the challenges and need for adaptation in our world. Students are then empowered to tackle the world’s biggest challenges, such as Climate, Migration and Hazards. Students are challenged to draw all these concepts together in our cumulative units in Learning Cycle 5, focusing on The Middle East, Africa and Russia. By the end of Key Stage 3 students can take pride in having a broadened understanding of the world and how both our actions and nature’s shape our planet.
Equipped with a toolkit for success from Key Stage 3, students then begin the AQA GCSE Geography course. Their first units of study explore the fundamental concepts of Geography that feature throughout the entire specification, including the Development Gap, Ecosystems, Hazards, Cities and Climate Change. With strong Geographical foundations, students are then able to retrieve core ideas with confidence and apply to further topics, including: economic studies of Nigeria, Liverpool and the Amazon; how Glacial and Fluvial processes have shaped the UK and the need for global resource management for a sustainable future. Students also partake in full enquiry processes for Fieldwork, with studies taking place in North Wales and Liverpool.
Every lesson provides students with the opportunity to broaden their understanding of how both humans and nature shape their surroundings. Geography provides students with the opportunity to explore places, concepts and ideas from a wide range of perspectives, including scientific, political and economic. All students have the opportunity to get into the field at every Key Stage, whilst the department also runs a trip for passionate Geographers to visit Iceland. The department is expanding opportunities for wider curriculum projects, such as the recent participation in the Young Green Britain Innovation Challenge and links with the University of Chester.