Here at Central Academy, our students are entitled to a rich and diverse curriculum in Geography that develops a wide range of Geographical skills and knowledge about the world in which they live. They are taught about many of our Earth’s most spectacular natural environments including the rainforests, deserts, rivers and oceans and learn to understand why they differ in terms of climate, biodiversity and landforms.  

As our world is ever changing, we challenge our students to explore important issues facing our human planet such as climate change, population growth and urbanisation. Students will consider locations at a variety of scales from local to global and are encouraged to make links between them whenever it is relevant.  

Through our curriculum we encourage our students to become passionate learners, who want to learn more about their world and to consider potential future career opportunities in Geography. Students may choose to study Geography further at GCSE level in KS4 and in our post-16 AS and A Level, with the hope of continuing their studies at university. 

Implementation

Key stage 3

In  KS3, students have 2 x 100 minute lessons in Geography.

All students in KS3 follow an ambitious curriculum that challenges them to build on their prior learning to embed  and develop what they already know. 

The curriculum in KS3 ensures that students have the knowledge and understanding of the traditional pillars of the subject so that by the time they reach KS4 they can apply this knowledge to begin to tackle some of the complex questions, and inter-relationships explored.  

In KS3 students will study:

Year 7- Introduction to Geographical Skills, Introduction to Global Climate, Development, Rivers, The world of work and The Middle East.

Year 8- Population change, Plate Tectonics, The coastal environment and The East of Africa.

Year 9- Climate change, Life in an emerging country, Ecosystems and Glaciation.

Fieldwork- Throughout KS3 students have the opportunity to deepen their understanding and practical skills through local fieldwork practise and visits.

Assessment- Students are regularly assessed throughout each unit to check for understanding and the mastery of the topic studied,  before completing a final assessment at the end of the whole unit. At the end of the year, students sit an end of year exam in which they are assessed on the compulsory units of issued by United Learning.  These summative assessments allow students to demonstrate their growing knowledge and understanding of the units that they have studied in their Geography lessons.  

 

Key stage 4

In KS4, students have 3 x 100 minute lessons in Geography.

In KS4 we follow the AQA GCSE Geography syllabus which is structured to cover three main components, all of which are examined in three exam papers at the end of Year 11.   

The curriculum in KS4 build upon student learning in KS3, alongside building new skills and knowledge. Students are coached to think analytically about the key issues in Geography, relating to our physical world and the challenges people face in a modern and changing world.

In KS4 students will study:

Paper 1- Living with the physical environment  

Student’s study three units within this sphere of the subject which include: 

• Unit 1 - The challenge of natural hazards 
• Unit 2  -The living world 
• Unit 3 – Physical landscapes in the UK 

Paper 2- Challenges in the human environment

Student’s study three units within this sphere of the subject which include: 

• Unit 1 -  Urban issues and challenges  
• Unit 2 – The changing economic world 
• Unit 3 – The challenge of resource management 

Paper 3- Geographical applications

• Section A -  Issue Evaluation 

• Section  B – Fieldwork  

Fieldwork- A compulsory fieldwork visit will take place to Silloth, encompassing both Physical and Human geography research. During this visit students will investigate the impact of coastal management, as well as the impact of tourism.

Assessment- Students are regularly assessed throughout the unit to check for understanding and mastery of the topic,  alongside practising key exam skills and techniques. Students will also complete formal mock exams throughout the course following the academies exam practise programme.  

 

Key stage 5

In KS5, students have 6 x 100 minute lessons in Geography.

In KS5 we follow the AQA A Level Geography syllabus which is structured to cover three main components, all of which are examined in two exam papers at the end of Year 13 along with a non-examined component based on students’ personal research.   

The curriculum in KS5 build upon student learning in KS4, alongside building new skills and knowledge. Students are coached to think analytically about the key issues in Geography, relating to our physical world and the challenges people face in a modern and changing world.

In KS5 students will study:

Paper 1- Physical Geography  

Student’s study three units within this sphere of the subject which include: 

• Section A – Water and Carbon Cycles 
• Section B  - Coastal Systems and Landscapes 
• Section C – Hazards 

Paper 2- Human Geography

Student’s study three units within this sphere of the subject which include: 

• Section A – Global Systems and Governance  
• Section B  – Changing Places
• Section C – Contemporary Urban Environments 

Paper 3 – Non Examined Assessment (NEA)

Students must complete an individually researched investigation into a pre-agreed area of interest, relating to the geography specification. This is guided by the teacher and must be completed by Feb of Year 13. The suggested word count is between 3000 and 4000 words. It counts towards 20% of the final grade and is teacher assessed.

Fieldwork- Compulsory fieldwork takes place over 4 separate days and has in the past included trips to the Blencathra Field Studies Centre, Manchester, St Bees and Carlisle; encompassing both Physical and Human geography research. During the visits students have investigated the nature of changing places, waste management, economic and social impact of heritage quarters, carbon storage in the Lake District, effects of regeneration projects in Manchester and impacts of tourism on Keswick.  

Assessment- Students are regularly assessed throughout the unit to check for understanding and mastery of the topic,  alongside practising key exam skills and techniques. Students will also complete formal mock exams throughout the course following the academy’s exam practise programme.  

Our curriculum enables students to know more and remember more as they progress through the school Students access prior learning that is embedded into  new topics and have regular exposure to key geographical knowledge via knowledge organisers and regular low stake quizzes. Low stake quizzes help students to remember more and apply more as the curriculum progresses.  

At the end of each unit students undertake classroom  assessments. At the end of the academic year students sit a formal  exam. The benefit of these assessments is that students can gain a better understanding of their performance as part of a larger cohort.  This also enables our department, and the academy to consider student performance against national  benchmarks enabling appropriate intervention.   

In  geography we work to ensure that students are competent in literacy and numeracy by integrating numeracy and literacy tasks into our lessons. These are planned and shown in  our learning maps for each topic in KS3-KS5.   

We strive to ensure that all students leave our academy as wel rounded individuals who have a sound knowledge and understanding of the world we live in and enable them to become global citizens who will make a positive contribution to our ever-changing Earth.