Geography

Intent Statement

At the Mandeville school, geography is an overarching subject that delivers and enhances a deeper understanding of the world around us at a range of scales. We provide students opportunities to identify and understand a range of different cultures through building a wide range of locational knowledge. With the world having different degrees of development, we inform students as to where is more and less developed and how this affects their ability to deal with a range of challenges that arise, for example natural disasters. Building on this, we allow students to explore a range of geographical concepts and build links between them to be able to understand how and why the world is the way that it is. In a constantly changing and increasingly inter-connected world, we ensure that students have the knowledge and curiosity to map their futures in it. We encourage students to be able to understand a range of physical processes and how human interactions with the physical world creates opportunities and challenges, deepening understanding of this through studying a range of places. We encourage students to use evidence to build informed opinions and be able to articulate these clearly and concisely through written and verbal communication, supported by a range of data presentation methods.

The Geography curriculum is aligned to the whole school Curriculum. The Geography curriculum is designed to establish a kind community where everyone perseveres, achieves and flourishes; where we enable all the experience life to the full. In the Geography department we maintain the Mandeville School Curriculum Principles:

A kind community through a curriculum that respects the diversity of our school, valuing our rich knowledge, history and experiences.

Perseverance and achievement through a curriculum that is well sequenced, developing understanding, building retention and leading to academic achievement. Firm foundations in a three year key stage three provide grounding for success in key stage four, key stage five and beyond.

Flourishing through a curriculum that nourishes personal development by giving students opportunities to explore their identity and grow their character. Students are equipped with knowledge of how to be healthy, sustain positive relationships and maintain wellbeing, all information needed to be able to make an effective contribution to society.

Enabling students to experience life to the full through a curriculum that inspires and enriches them with meaningful knowledge and cultural capital. High aspirations mean studying a broad range of subjects in key stage three and having a variety of routes through Key Stage Four and Five which are challenging and aspirational.

In key stage three, we have 5 big ideas that we navigate through our studies. These are

1. Cause and Effect

2. The world around us

3. Physical and human features

4. Being a citizen of the world

5. How to interpret the world in the 21st century

By the end of year 9, students will have achieved our curriculum intent through a deeper understanding of the big ideas including….

1. Cause and Effect

a. Why the planet is changing due to physical processes and how human activity enhances this. Understand where is being impacted and what impacts are seen now and are likely to experience in the future.

b. Development – Understanding that there are differing degrees of development of countries around the world and why this is. How populations are around the world directly affected by their respective levels of development.

c. Decision making – students will critically evaluate evidence to make an informed to make challenging decisions which would have a theoretical positive and negative impact and how they can justify their choices.

2. Knowledge of the world around us

a. Hazards – what hazards are there for people around the world. Understand that different countries have differing abilities to respond and prepare.

b. Climates – What the different climatic zones are around the world and the different biomes that exist.

c. Geopolitical events – what decisions are world leaders making that have impacts to us on a macro and micro scale.

3. Physical and Human Features

a. Physical processes – how do a range of physical geography events occur and how humans prepare and react to these.

b. Human interactions – Where rural and urban areas are around the world and the challenges that exist around them.

c. Landscapes – Understanding the relief of land around the UK and wider world and how this leads to different human uses of the land.

4. Better Citizen

a. Studying a series of challenging issues and understanding the impacts that these have on people’s lives. Recognising the differing opportunities and challenges that people around the world face.

b. Taking action and making opportunities to challenge how the world around us is run and decisions made.

c. Thinking deeper about the problems that the world faces and creating solutions to these challenges.

5. How to interpret the world in the 21st century

a. Data skills – interpreting information from a wide range of maps, graphs and tables.

b. What Geographical Information Systems are and how these can be used.

c. Fieldwork skills – applying geographical understanding in a real-world context, preparing students for future research projects in education and work.

Underpinning the big ideas is the importance of interrelationships and interdependency of them. We have an array of concepts and contexts that all link with each other and how decisions taken by humans interact with these, which may impact future outcomes at the range of scales. We aim to help students navigate these ideas and ultimately make better, more informed decisions in the future.

Curriculum Map

Geography Curriculum Map Years 7-9