Staff
Mr A S Cawtherley BA (Head of Department)
Mr D A Bishop BSc
Mrs C A Brooks BSc
Mrs TJ Taylor MA
Mr D T Newbury BSc
Aims
The aim of the department is to ensure that each boy maximizes his learning potential. In order to do this we encourage the boys to question the world around them by taking nothing for granted. They learn through a wide range of techniques from the traditional skills of map reading to more complex data analysis using ICT. We encourage them to research topics independently, using a wide variety of source material from newspapers, television and the internet. We seek to ensure that the boys have an understanding of global issues and appreciate the relevance of geography in helping them engage with the rapidly changing world in which they live.
Outline of work
Geography is taught throughout the 11-18 age range by a 5-member department. In the first three years Geography is a compulsory subject. It is an option at both GCSE and AS and A2 Levels.
Boys in the First to Third Forms follow a compulsory Geography programme. They are taught in their class groups by a specialist Geographer and have three lessons a week and one homework. Topics covered include map work, rivers, population, ecosystems, industry and volcanology. Within this framework skills are taught and independent thinking is encouraged in all areas.
Geography GCSE is available as an option to boys in the Fourth and Fifth Forms. There is also the opportunity to study Geography over one year in the Fifth Form. Both of these courses are based upon the AQA Specification A which has a 25% coursework module and a 75% examined module. The boys will learn more about complex interactions between people and the human and physical environments with modules on glaciation, development, weather and climate and settlement as options. The lessons are taught by a specialist Geographer with four lessons per week and two homeworks.
AS and A2 Geography are available as options in the Sixth and Seventh Forms. The specification followed is AQA Specification B which has four key modules, one coursework module and one synoptic paper. The AS/A2 course is split up into physical and human geography and is taught by two specialists. There are eight lessons per week. There are usually 8-12 boys in a class. Fieldwork plays an important part in the course and at all times pupils are encouraged to work independently.
Resources
The department has five specialist teaching rooms, all with their own Television/Video or Television/DVD combination. PowerPoint displays can be given in any of the rooms and all the boys who study Geography have access to the school network of computers in the Learning Resource Centre. The department has its own library of reference books, coupled with many geographical periodicals and reference papers. The department is fully equipped for fieldwork in both human and physical geography which is undertaken throughout the year.
Field work
The department has a comprehensive fieldwork programme that extends throughout the school. Boys in the first three years visit Lyme Park, Formby and Malham where they undertake different tasks from map reading to field sketching. During the GCSE years there is a residential visit to Snowdonia and field work in Bury which forms the basis for their coursework. The AS/A2 fieldwork is based around the River Bollin and Llandudno with a residential trip to Weymouth in the September of the A2 year.