Geography
Curriculum Vision
‘Geography is the subject which holds the key to our future’
- Michael Palin –
Our geography curriculum allows students to understand how they fit into the ever changing world around them. Through studying geography at Chapel High School, students understand their individual and collective impact on others and nature, leading to a sense of shared responsibility for the custodianship of our planet. We highlight the interdependence between people and the natural world, allowing students to understand contemporary world issues and make sense of what they see in the news. We envision that this will inspire students to explore the world beyond the hills of the High Peak and encourage a sense of empathy towards those less fortunate.
Knowledge and skills
Our curriculum is a blend of human and physical geography. The three major agents of change on our landscape (ice, rivers and coasts) are covered in years 7, 8 and 9 respectively. This is interspersed with geographical skills such as map skills, fieldwork, and geographical enquiry, as well as functional life skills such as giving presentations, budget management and working collaboratively. More complex core fundamentals of human geography (Development and Urbanisation) are taught towards the end of year 9 where students are best placed to understand them, having already built a solid foundation in geography. During our learning journey we dispel some common misconceptions about the wider world, for example by looking at Africa as a continent of contrasts, as well as opening students’ eyes to unfamiliar lands such as the frozen plains of the tundra.
Context
Students in our rural community need to be able to understand their local environment which is why, for example, we start with geology and national parks in year 7 and support this with our Castleton field trip. However, our biggest vision is then linking that to the wider world at regional, national and international scales. We hope that when students leave as geographers at age 16, they can make connections between themselves, current modern world issues and the direction our world is moving in.
You can find our year 7 to 9 curriculum here.
You can find our year 10 and 11 curriculum here.
Years 10 and 11 GCSE Geography
Geography is increasingly popular as a choice at GCSE and many of our students go on to study geography at A-level.
Examination Information
| Qualification | GCSE |
|---|---|
| Board | OCR Specification B (Geography for Enquiring Minds) |
| Syllabus number | J384 |
| Website link | http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse-geography-b-geography-for-enquiring-minds-j384-from-2016/ |
| Assessment details | 35% Paper One: Our Natural World 35% Paper Two: People and Society 30% Paper Three: Geographical Exploration |
| Fieldwork details | Students are required to attend and write up two fieldtrips. Students investigate the effects of tourism in York and complete a local river study in Tideswell Dale. |
| Recommended coursebook | GCSE Geography OCR B, Oxford University Press Note: this must be the 2016 edition or newer, which is for the 9-1 GCSE. |
| Recommended revision guides | CGP GCSE Geography OCR B: Geography for Enquiring Minds Revision Guide CGP also do an ‘online’ revision book if students prefer. Note: this must be the 2016 edition or newer which is for the 9-1 GCSE. |
| Recommended websites | https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/gcse-geography-revise-better/id802990908?mt=8 |
