Aims and philosophy

Geography is the study of the differences between places. In order to pursue this, the course aims to promote the understanding of the inter-relationships between people and the environment, the diversity of cultures and landscape, and the constant changes in environments, economies and societies.

Curriculum by year group

Shell: The Shell teaching programme is designed to build a firm foundation of geographical knowledge and understanding. The course begins with a study of global inequalities in development. Students are encouraged to think about how and why countries and regions around the world differ in terms of their economic, social, political and environmental development. Shells then study the most fundamental of physical forces on the planet: plate tectonics. During this part of the course, students study the movement of the Earth’s crust and the causes and impacts of earthquakes and volcanoes. The final area of study during the Shell year is the crucial issue of global population growth. Pupils learn about how and why global population is changing and consider the consequences for different countries and the planet as a whole. Through a variety of activities during the year, Shell geographers will acquire and develop a wide range of skills, including those of selecting and extracting data from different sources, interpreting maps, photographs, satellite images and graphs, and the use of ICT.

GCSE: The GCSE course aims to further the boys' knowledge and understanding of human and physical geography and improve their geographical skills. Areas of study include: Changing Urban Environments, The Challenge of Weather and Climate, Globalisation and Water on the Land which involves the study of river environments. In the Remove year, the students spend a field day investigating urban change in the Notting Dale area of west London. In the Fifth Form, as part of their GCSE, students will complete a Controlled Assessment during which they will conduct and write-up their own fieldwork investigation.

AS-level: Throughout the course a particularly wide range of skills is enhanced, including those of literacy, numeracy, observation, analysis, mapwork and ICT. Students study the physical processes and landscapes in cold, arid and coastal environments and the associated management challenges for human activities; and management issues in urban and rural areas and for the tourism industry. The Lower Sixth will also be taken on a residential field course run by the Field Studies Council at their Slapton centre in South Devon.

A2-level: The A2 course in the Upper Sixth year provides the opportunity to study a smaller range of topics in greater depth with the aim of enabling pupils to draw together the different strands of geographical knowledge they have built up throughout their studies. Four options are studied: earth hazards, climatic hazards, population and resources and development and inequalities. The A2 year also enables the students to further their knowledge and understanding of geographical skills and the design of geographical investigations by conducting school-based fieldwork.

The Geography Society

Several lectures are held every year. The most important lecture is the Strangford Lecture which is an annual event held in the Autumn term. The department aims to get leading figures in the subject to speak. Previous speakers include: Professor Andrew Goudie, Dr Rita Gardner, Professor Denys Brunsden, Professor John Clarke, Dr David Keeble, Professor Philip Stott and Professor Richard Lampitt.