When studying geography, we want to inspire a pupil’s curiosity and fascination of the world we live in as well as its people and give them the opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of the diverse places and people in the world. Students will be able to link people, processes and their environment and understand how those interactions shape the world we live in. Pupils will be able to understand the issues that humans have created as a result of our interactions with the environment and what can be done to solve those issues. In addition, students will develop their geographical and statistical skills to interpret and analyse data to form a judgement based on evidence to make better sense of the world. In a world that is fast paced and ever changing, we want to ensure pupils are equipped with the best understanding of the world and increase their skills that will help them with employment in the future. We want pupils to think like a geographer and in doing so, aid them in jobs or careers that are not even established yet and better yet, to be the best global citizens of the future.
The Geography Department has identified what makes a good geography curriculum and narrowed it to these threshold concepts: Location/Place, Processes/Patterns, Understanding/Relationships, Sustainability, Skills. Each geography topic will include these concepts that break down the knowledge, understanding and skills that are needed and are used to explore many regions of the world, including the UK. To embed pupil’s knowledge, understanding and skills, we apply these threshold concepts to various regions of the world at global, national and local scale. This includes countries as India, China and Russia as well as regions of the Middle East and regions within Africa. The UK is explored as an overview at KS3, with some additional depth on London as it is a more familiar location for pupils to relate to. At KS4, pupils will look at various regions, in particular Africa, South America and the UK in more depth. Fieldwork is a key component in geography to apply their knowledge, understanding and skills in action. Small scale investigations conducted in year 7 and 8 in their local area and on school site will help pupils understand that geography can be applied at all scales. Conducting investigations will help them exercise their enquiry skills and form logical sequencing of processes. This foundation and knowledge of how to investigate prepares them at KS4, but also outside of school, such as the ability to collect information/data, interpreting and presenting data, analysis of data, forming conclusions and evaluation. These are transferable skills that any pupil can use with any type of project.
Topics and themes have been ordered and sequenced to help build upon previous knowledge understanding and skills. All topics chosen at KS3 provide a foundation to be explored in more depth at KS4 without compromising those pupils that do not to take it further at KS4. Topics such as tectonic plates are presented at KS3, applied to regions and revisited again in more depth at KS4. Through the topics, many of the skills are repeated and practiced but are applied to new topics and places. Skills progress with each year group such as, assessing/evaluation and critical thinking, maths/statistical skills such as percentages, the use of various graphs, the use of images to interpret, analyse and annotate. These skills get progressively more complex at KS4 and are also cross curricular with subjects such as Science, Maths, English and History. When pupils leave Hornchurch High, they will have acquired knowledge and skills to be able to use on a daily basis such as, watching a weather report, being able to use a tube map, identifying continents and oceans. Topics and case studied have been carefully selected so that they can see the relevance in the news or in their life, such as going on holiday, in their local environment or perhaps through a family member’s employment.
