Geography

There has never been a better or more important time to study geography. With growing interest in issues such as climate change, migration, environmental degradation and social cohesion, geography is one of the most relevant subjects a young person can choose to study. The Geography Department tries to develop pupils’ passion for the world. Studying geography provides knowledge and transferable skills that reward them personally and advance them professionally. Geography at St Mary’s involves a variety of IT, field and classroom analytical approaches including techniques such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and fieldwork, which are an integral part to most courses

Staffing

Mr Weaver	Curriculum Leader for Humanities
Mrs Loftus	Assistant Headteacher
Mrs Schofield	SENCO

All pupils study Geogrpahy until the end of Year 9.

In year 9 all pupils have the opportunity to opt to study AQA Geogrpahy GCSE in KS4.

The following topics are studied at KS3.

	Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
Year 7	Introduction to geography	Cities past and present	Wacky Weather
Year 8	Chaotic coasts; Risky rivers	The United Kingdom; Restless earth	China; Geography of conflict
Year 9	Global Issues – Ecoysystems; Rainforests/Deserts	Global Issues – Wasteful World	GCSE Study – Natural Hazards & Urban Issues

The following units are studied at KS4.

Pupils have 2 lessons per week in year 10 and 3 lessons per week in year 11.

	Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
Year 10	Urban Issues/Human Fieldwork; Natual Hazards	Natural Hazards; Changing Economic World	Coasts/Physical Fieldwork
Year 11	Glacial Environments	Recource Management; Ecosystems	Changing Economic World Pre-Release Preparation

Extra-curricular activities and visits:

The most effective place to experience true geography is outside the classroom. Therefore the Geography Department at St. Mary’s offers a wide and varied range of fieldtrips. In year 7 we stay closer to home and explore the microclimates of our school. In Year 8 we aim to take our students to investigate their local shopping area in Leyland to investigate whether it is a ‘home town or clone town’. Our year 9 pupils in the summer term visit the Flyde coast to investigate the effectiveness of coastal engineering strategies. For GCSE we offer a visit to Liverpool, which is linked to the GCSE aspect or Urban Geography within the UK.

In addition to this, every other year the Geography department offers an international trip to pupils. Previous trips have included Iceland and Italy. St Mary’s is also an accredited centre for the Duke of Edinburgh’s award, which is run through the geography department.