Geography

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The Geography Department aims to create Geographers for life.  

In our Geography curriculum, students are:

  • Encouraged to be curious about the world.

  • Provided with opportunities, at all scales, to explore the links between physical and human processes.

  • Given ways of thinking and a framework to understand the world which is underpinned by key geographical concepts.

  • Challenged to make decisions with justified evidence.

  • Exposed to geographical enquiry so that they can apply fieldwork and investigative skills with increasing independence.

Without these skills, we believe that they are,
in every sense of the word, ‘lost’.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3, students study a variety of topics to explore local and global geography as well as the interaction between physical and human processes.


Year 7 


Year 8 


Year 9
  • What makes Geography unique?
  • Why do weather patterns vary?
  • Is our portrayal of Africa out of date?
  • What is the UK’s physical landscape like?
  • How has the past shaped the Peak District National Park today?
  • How does the hydrosphere provide natural resources?
  • Why is the Middle East an important world region?
  • What threats are ecosystems under?
  • Where does money go when it is spent?
  • What happens when the land meets the sea?
  • What is the future for our planet because of climate change?
  • Why are ocean ecosystems important?
  • Making Geographical decisions
  • The Challenge of Natural Hazards

Key Stage 4

Our GCSE Geography course covers a diverse range of topics. It examines physical geographies, human geographies and the dynamic interaction between the two.

This is a one tier entry course that covers all grades 1 – 9. Students will sit the following examinations:

Paper 1: Living with the Physical Environment – natural hazards, ecosystems, river and coastal landscapes in the UK. Worth 35% of the final GCSE grade.

Paper 2: Challenges in the Human Environment – challenges and opportunities in megacities, the changing economic world and the challenge of resource management. Worth 35% of the final GCSE grade.

Paper 3: Geographical applications – issue evaluation, fieldwork, geographical skills. Worth 30% of the final GCSE grade.

Geographical skills are an essential component for success in the course so are taught and examined through all papers. As part of the course requirements, we undertake 2 fieldtrips in contrasting locations to develop enquiry skills.

Exam Board: AQA GCSE Geography

For further details, please visit: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/gcse/geography-8035

Key Stage 5

Our A Level course covers a diverse range of real world issues. In Year 12, the course is split into Human and Physical Geography units. Units covered in Year 12 include: ‘Coastal processes’, ‘Earth Life support systems’, ‘Changing Places, Making Spaces’, 'Global Migration’, and ‘Power and Borders

This provides a broad coverage to extend and debate in Year 13. There are also two additional chosen topics of focus in Year 13: ‘Disease Dilemmas’ and ‘Hazardous Earth’.

At the end of Year 12, an individual project will be prepared, researched and written. This is a unit called ‘Investigative Geography’ and accounts for 20% of the final grade.

Examination Components

Component 1: Physical Systems– 1 hour 30 mins (22%)

Section A - Changing Landscapes ( coastal processes )

Section B - Earth’s Life Support systems

Component 2: Human Interactions – 1 hour 30 mins (22%)

Section A - Changing Spaces, Making Places

Section B - Global Systems – Migration and Global Governance – Power and Borders

Component 3: Geographical Debates - 2 hour 30 mins (36%)

Section A - Hazardous Earth

Section B - Disease Dilemmas

Component 4 – NEA 20%

Exam Board: OCR

For further details, please visit: http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-geography-h081-h481-from-2016/
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