THE ECCLESBOURNE SCHOOL

Learning Together For The Future

High visibility

Standard View

Printer Friendly

Geography

Key Stage 3 | Key Stage 4 | Key Stage 5

Contact: Mr S. Beardsley.

National Curriculum

The Ecclesbourne School follows the 3 Year National Curriculum

The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

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
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
are 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 Intent

Geography is a global subject in every sense of the word, involving an increased awareness of environmental, social, political and cultural issues that are relevant to everyday life in a globally interdependent world.

Geography at Ecclesbourne aims to bring these issues alive by relating them as closely as possible to the experiences of the learner.

In Year 7 students will develop a series of map and atlas skills in order to understand the concept of place. Through geographical enquiry, students will develop their map skills and will investigate the characteristics of local places and settlements. They will also further develop atlas skills and will begin to appreciate the position of the United Kingdom within an increasingly globalised world system whilst paying attention to significant global settlements. Work on weather and climate allows students to take part in fieldwork activities around the school site and at home. The year culminates in a faculty trip to the city of Lincoln, where they can draw on their skills and understanding to collaborate in the production of a brochure outlining Lincoln’s past, present and future.

In Year 8 students will understand how geographical processes interact to create distinctive physical landscapes that change over time. They will gain an appreciation of ‘deep time’ and will study changes in the British Isles during and since the Devensian glaciation. They will gain an appreciation of how and why the coastline of the British Isles has evolved and its impacts on the people who live there. Students will study the desert, rainforest and savanna biomes of Africa to be followed by an investigation into the people who live and manage the physical and human resources found there.

In Year 9 students further develop their geographical knowledge, skills and understanding and address more complex geographical issues in order to access the highest levels of attainment. They will begin by investigating natural hazards, with an emphasis on avalanches, to be followed by the Earth’s structure and the causes and impacts of volcanic and seismic hazards. This will encourage the students to explore differences in the abilities of countries and societies at different stages in the development continuum to cope with and manage such events. A study of the (im)balance between population and resources then follows, to include policies and management strategies from contrasting parts of the world. In the final half-term a focus on the hydrological cycle and drainage basins, using the systems approach, is used as a prelude to the GCSE.

Curriculum Implementation

	Term		Content
Year 7	Autumn Term	1	What is Geography? An introduction to the subject for pupils with a variety of KS2 experiences. Establishing Physical, Human and Environmental Geography. Our place in the world. Developing the SKILLS necessary to interrogate the world. This section begins with atlas skills.
	Autumn Term	2	Atlas SKILLS and maps to include The World’s continents and oceans, The British Isles, Europe, Africa. Ordnance Survey map SKILLS.
	Spring Term	3	Ordnance Survey map SKILLS (continued) to include map symbols, 4 and 6 figure grid references, distance and scale, direction, altitude and relief. Settlement studies – an introduction to a HUMAN topic to cover settlement type, form and function, hierarchy, site and situation, urban models and transport issues.
	Spring Term	4	Settlement studies (continued) to focus on the application of OS and atlas skills to identify and locate the world’s megacities and issues associated with urbanisation.
	Summer Term	5	Weather and climate - to develop an understanding of a PHYSICAL topic. To focus on the factors that influence temperature and precipitation patterns in the British Isles.
	Summer Term	6	Weather and climate (continued) to also focus on microclimate and how local factors around the school site can influence differences in temperature, wind speed and direction and humidity. HUMANITIES FACULTY TRIP TO LINCOLN
	Term		Content
Year 8	Autumn Term	1	Geological time and the birth of the Earth – creating a context for understanding that PHYSICAL processes operate over timescales longer than a human lifetime.
	Autumn Term	2	Weathering and erosion – the PHYSICAL factors that slowly change landscapes. Glaciation in the British Isles during the Devensian to cover a variety of PHYSICAL processes and landscape outcomes (to focus on corries).
	Spring Term	3	Coastal processes and landforms – applying the lessons already learned and developing new PHYSICAL processes and landforms associated with the British coast.
	Spring Term	4	Coastal management – how HUMAN management of the coast and coastal processes can lead to a variety of outcomes.
	Summer Term	5	Amazing Africa – a PHYSICAL study of ecosystems and biodiversity in Africa to focus on the rainforest, hot desert and savanna biomes.
	Summer Term	6	Amazing Africa – a HUMAN study of the economic and/or development and/or sustainability issues to be found in Africa in the second decade of the twenty-first century.
	Term		Content
Year 9	Autumn Term	1	Natural hazards and disasters – a HUMAN/PHYSICAL crossover which focuses on avalanches as an example of a multi-dimensional hazard; its causes, consequences and management.
	Autumn Term	2	Natural hazards and disasters – a HUMAN/PHYSICAL crossover which examines the structure of the Earth before examining plate tectonic theory as an explanation for the distribution of tectonic hazards and disasters.
	Spring Term	3	Population growth, change and policy issues – a HUMAN study of global population growth and change to include graph and mapping skills and an introduction to the DTM.
	Spring Term	4	Population growth, change and policy issues – a HUMAN study of issues associated with the (im)balance between population structure and resources for countries at different stages of economic and demographic development and population policy.
	Summer Term	5	Population growth, change and policy issues – a HUMAN study of issues associated with migration.
	Summer Term	6	Drainage basins and a systems approach to PHYSICAL geography – a prelude to GCSE.

Extra Curricular Activities

Various field trips

Course Assessment

Grade	Assessment Detail
9	Students demonstrate outstanding knowledge with exceptional understanding and application to all aspects of geography. They show an outstanding understanding of concepts and how they are used in relation to places, environments and processes, and have an outstanding understanding of how links are made between places, environments and processes. They can, apply an outstanding level of knowledge and understanding and always use creativity and flair to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information from an comprehensive range of primary and secondary sources and from this analysis select, adapt and use a comprehensive range of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and drawing on their outstanding geographical knowledge and understanding reach a very thorough and very detailed conclusion to communicate their findings which are always based on well-evidenced arguments.
8	Students demonstrate exceptional knowledge and understanding and application to all aspects of geography. They can, apply an exceptional level of knowledge and understanding and always use creativity to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information from an extensive range of primary and secondary sources and from this analysis select, adapt and use an extensive range of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and drawing on their exceptional geographical knowledge and understanding reach a very thorough and very detailed conclusion to communicate their findings which is based on well-evidenced arguments.
7	Students demonstrate excellent knowledge with very high levels of understanding and application to all aspects of geography. They can, apply a superb level of knowledge and understanding and use creativity to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information from a wide range of primary and secondary sources and from this analysis select, adapt and use a very wide range of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and drawing on their superb geographical knowledge and understanding reach a very thorough and detailed conclusion to communicate their findings which is based on well-evidenced arguments.
6	Students demonstrate very good knowledge with very competent understanding and application to different aspects of geography. They can, apply a very good level of knowledge and understanding and use creativity to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information both from a wide range of primary and secondary sources and from this analysis select, adapt and use a wide range of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and drawing on their geographical knowledge and understanding reach a thorough and detailed conclusion to communicate their findings which is based on well-evidenced arguments.
5	Students demonstrate good knowledge with a good understanding of geography. They can, apply a good level of knowledge and understanding and use creativity to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information both from a range of primary and secondary sources and from this analysis select, adapt and use a range of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and drawing on their geographical knowledge and understanding reach a detailed conclusion to communicate their findings which is based on evidenced arguments.
4	Students demonstrate sound knowledge with sound understanding of geography. They can, apply a good level of knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information both from a range of primary and secondary sources and from this analysis select, adapt and use a range of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and reach a conclusion to communicate their findings.
3	Students demonstrate basic knowledge with a reasonable understanding of geography. They can locate a variety of places, and describe processes, and environments to some level of detail. They can, apply a reasonable level of knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information both from primary and secondary sources and from this analysis select, adapt and use a range of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and reach a reasonable conclusion, but one that is lacking in depth.
2	Students demonstrate a basic knowledge with some understanding of geography. They can, apply some basic knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information both from primary and secondary sources and from this basic analysis select, adapt and use some skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and reach a basic conclusion.
1	Students demonstrate a very basic knowledge with limited understanding of geography. They can, at a basic level apply some very limited knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information both from primary and secondary sources and from this basic analysis elect, adapt and use a limited number of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and reach a very limited conclusion.

If you have any questions or queries relating to the Geography curriculum please email headofhumanities@ecclesbourne.derbyshire.sch.uk for more information.