Geography is the study of the world around us. Therefore, it is important that students learn about Geography and have the experience of exploring different places and people. In our geography curriculum we aim to give students as many opportunities as possible to explore the world in a local, regional, and global context. This will ensure that after KS3 students are global citizens who are equipped with the skills and knowledge to use geography beyond the curriculum in everyday life.
Students will learn many skills in geography including written skills as well as, graph and map interpretation skills. At Barnsley Academy our curriculum is also sequences thematically so that students can build key knowledge and skills throughout their learning journey at the academy.
The Key Stage 3 Curriculum (Year 7-9)
Our curriculum has been sequenced to encourage increasing cognitive demand from Year 7 onwards. As pupils progress through the curriculum, expectations around understanding and application increases. Pupils acquire knowledge and the foundations of the subject in Year 7, but in expectations of written responses, the depth of understanding increases year on year. Therefore, by the end of Year 9, pupils should be able to apply their knowledge and understanding, think like geographers, take part in geographical debates, and be able to engage with enquiry in the subject.
Therefore, students begin year 7 with geographical skills. This is to ensure that students have the basic skills from KS2 and that these are secure moving into KS3. This unit will also support students understanding in the later units of year 7. Other units of work in year 7 include Development, Rivers and World of Work.
At the beginning of year 8 students will study coast which links back to previous learning from the rivers unit in year 7. They will then go onto study Population, Tectonics and East Africa. All these units build students understanding and help students to build their own mental models about the world around them.
Finally, as students progress to year 9, they begin the year by studying climate change. This unit really allows students to bring together their wider knowledge and the content previously learned in KS3 to critically analyse and make information decisions about the climate change debate. As they move through year 9 students will continue to build on previous learning by studying Life in Newley Emerging Economies and Urbanisation.
The Key Stage 4 Curriculum (Year 10-11)
Course Studied: Geography Edexcel B
Specification Link: https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Geography-B/2016/specification-and-sample-assessments/Specification_GCSE_L1-L2_Geography_B.pdf
Description of the course:
Component 1: Global Geographical Issues
Topic 1: Hazardous Earth – an understanding of the global circulation of the atmosphere and changing climate. Plus, two depth studies of an extreme weather hazard (tropical cyclones) and tectonic hazards at contrasting locations.
Topic 2: Development dynamics – an understanding of the scale of global inequality. Plus, a depth study of how one emerging country is developing and the consequences for people, environment, and the country’s relationship with the wider world.
Topic 3: Challenges of an urbanising world – an overview of the causes and challenges of rapid urbanisation across the world. Plus, one depth study of a megacity* in a developing or emerging country.
Component 2: UK Geographical Issues
Topic 4: The UK's evolving physical landscape - an overview of the varied physical landscapes in the UK resulting from geology, geomorphic processes, and human activity over time. Plus, two depth studies of distinctive landscapes – Coastal change and conflict and River processes and pressures.
Topic 5: The UK's evolving human landscape - an overview of the changing and varied human landscape of the UK, including the socio-economic and political processes that influence it. Plus, a case study of a major UK city - Dynamic UK cities.
Topic 6: Geographical investigations - two investigations, including fieldwork and research, carried out in contrasting environments, one from 'Coastal change and conflict' or 'River processes and pressures' and one of either 'Dynamic urban areas' or 'Changing rural areas'.
Component 3: People and Environment Issues – Making Geographical Decisions
Topic 7: People and the biosphere – an overview of the global distribution and characteristics of large-scale ecosystems, why the biosphere is important to human wellbeing and how humans use and modify it in order to obtain resources.
Topic 8: Forests under threat – a detailed study of tropical rainforests and the taiga, looking at processes and interactions and issues related to their biodiversity and to their sustainable use and management.
Topic 9: Consuming energy resources – a study of renewable and non-renewable energy, its supply and demand, access and energy security issues, its sustainable use and management.
How the course is assessed:
Component 1: Global Geographical Issues
Written examination: 1 hour and 30 minutes 37.5% of the qualification 94 marks.
Component 2: UK Geographical Issues
Written examination: 1 hour and 30 minutes 37.5% of the qualification 94 marks.
Component 3: People and Environment Issues – Making Geographical Decisions
Written examination: 1 hour and 30 minutes 25% of the qualification 64 marks.