Theme of the week is: The Future/Careers
Geography at Faringdon Community College
Geography is taught in Years 7 through to 13 at key stage 3, GCSE and A Level. We aim to inspire young people with a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Students learn about the physical or natural processes that shape the Earth together with the way people influence the landscape, oceans and atmosphere. As students make progress through school, their knowledge of processes, places, people should deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes. Geographical skills are woven within the content such as using fieldwork, maps, photographs, satellite images and statistics to analyse geographical patterns.
At key stage 3 students should consolidate and extend their knowledge of the world’s major countries and their physical and human features. They should understand how geographical processes interact to create distinctive human and physical landscapes that change over time. Students should develop greater competence in using geographical knowledge, approaches and concepts and geographical skills in analysing and interpreting different data sources. In this way pupils will continue to enrich their locational knowledge and spatial and environmental understanding. Topics that students study in geography at key stage 3 include maps skills, rivers, Asia and China, climate change, volcanoes, earthquakes and international development.
This popular AQA GCSE Geography course enables pupils to study geography in a balanced framework of physical and human themes and investigates the link between them, building on from what is learnt at key stage 3. Students travel the world from their classroom, exploring case studies in the United Kingdom (UK), higher income countries (HICs), newly emerging economies (NEEs) and lower income countries (LICs). Topics of study include climate change, poverty, deprivation, global shifts in economic power and the challenge of food production. Students are also encouraged to understand their role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes. Fieldwork includes a one day physical geography trip to the Hampshire coast and a one day human geography trip to the city of Bristol. Upon completion of this two year course, students will have the skills and experience to progress onto A-level and beyond.
The AQA A Level Geography course that we teach enables a variety of teaching and learning approaches. This Geography specification will excite students’ minds, challenge perceptions and stimulate their investigative and analytical skills. Physical Geography topics studied include water and carbon cycles, coastal systems, natural hazards including volcanoes, earthquakes, tropical storms and wildfires. Human geography topics include global systems and governance, changing places (the nature and importance of places) and urban environments. A one week residential trip to Pembrokeshire in South Wales is an important and valuable part of this geography course.
Both GCSE and A Level Geography exam results are good and students perform similar to the expected national levels.
Mr Titcombe (Subject Leader)
Mrs Button (Assistant Head)
Mr Winter (Deputy Head)