Geography

Our mantra is ‘We Don’t Just Teach Geography We Create Geographers’. We achieve this with our vision.

The Gryphon geography departments vision is to inspire pupils with a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. An enjoyment of space and place understanding is key. We aim to equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources, and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes. The Department encourages our students to develop the scales of interconnection and change over time from place to space.

Department Members

Mr Woodville,  Mrs Olward, Miss Griffiths, Mr O’Donnell.

Key contact:  Nathan Woodville nsw@gryphon.dorset.sch.uk

Course Overview

Assessments

Each topic will have and assessment that will test students, skills, knowledge and application. They will be short based questions and an essay-based essays. Short questions are 4/6 marks essay will be 12/20 marks.

Year 12

Autumn/Spring

• Tectonic hazards pose significant risks in certain regions. These risks are especially pronounced where active tectonic plate boundaries intersect densely populated and underdeveloped areas. Understanding the causes of these hazards is crucial for effective management and successful responses to mitigate social and economic impacts, fostering resilience and adaptation
• Globalisation: Globalisation and interdependence create evolving opportunities for businesses and individuals. Wealth shifts lead to inequalities within and between countries. Cultural impacts on community identity intensify through the exchange of ideas, people, and goods. Recognizing potential tensions and environmental pressures enables sustainable solutions

Spring/Summer

• Coastal landscapes: Coastal landscapes result from the interplay of winds, waves, currents, and sediment sources. Geological features, energy flows, and sediment budgets shape these landscapes, which can be rocky, sandy, or estuarine. Threatened by natural processes and human impact, holistic and sustainable management is essential worldwide, including examples from both UK and international coastlines.
• Regenerating Places: Studying local places’ economic and social dynamics involves understanding the interplay of local, national, and global processes. Analysing movements of people, capital, and resources reveals economic dynamism and inequalities. Urban and rural regeneration programs impact lived experiences, fostering comprehensive comprehension of place evolution

Year 13

Autumn/Spring

• The Water Cycle and Water Insecurity Water’s vital role in supporting life extends from global to local scales. Physical processes govern water circulation across land, oceans, cryosphere, and atmosphere. Addressing water insecurity, influenced by both natural and human factors, requires diverse approaches to managing water supply
• Superpowers: Geopolitical superpowers wield significant influence globally, shaping international affairs through economic, military, and political power. Their policies impact ecosystems, climate change, and resource distribution, affecting neighbouring countries and regions. Understanding their dynamics is crucial for navigating global complexities

Spring/Summer

• The Carbon Cycle & Energy Security Revision: A balanced carbon cycle is crucial for planetary health. Operating across spatial and temporal scales, it involves physical processes that move carbon between land, oceans, and the atmosphere. Changes in carbon stores and fluxes result from both natural and human factors, including reliance on fossil fuels. Understanding the water and carbon cycles, along with their feedback interactions, contextualises climate change comprehension.
• Migration, identity and sovereignty: Studying local places’ economic and social dynamics involves understanding the interplay of local, national, and global processes. Analysing movements of people, capital, and resources reveals economic dynamism and inequalities. Urban and rural regeneration programs impact lived experiences, fostering comprehensive comprehension of place evolution.

Homework

Homework will be set weekly per teacher. Homework assignments will cover a variety of skills, including mathematical, cartographic (including map analysis), photography analysis, and data analysis. Additionally, students can expect exam practice papers, case study revisions, and a range of printed and ICT-based resources available on platforms like TEAMS, Forms Quizzes and websites). Workbooks with will be available on teams for short-based knowledge recall questions to be set. Supplementary study notes from their Geography Textbook, Need-to-know Revisions guide will also aid exam preparation. Additional work will be set to include wider reading this will stem from newspapers and subject reading list.

KS5 Progression

Students begin A Level Geography by building on the knowledge, understanding and skills developed at GCSE. Through the study of contemporary physical and human geography, they investigate the complex relationships between people, places, environments and processes operating at local, national and global scales. Following the Pearson Edexcel A Level Geography specification, students study coastal landscapes and change, the water cycle and water insecurity, globalisation, shaping places through migration, identity and sovereignty, and the superpowers topic. They also explore geographical issues through the study of diverse global case studies, independent investigation and fieldwork. Throughout the course, students develop increasingly sophisticated geographical skills, including critical analysis of data, GIS, quantitative and qualitative research methods, fieldwork techniques and the evaluation of contrasting viewpoints.

KS5 End point

By the end of Year 13, students will have developed a critical and synoptic understanding of the dynamic world around them. They will confidently apply geographical theories, concepts and evidence to analyse complex environmental, social, economic and political issues, recognising the interconnections between physical and human geography. Through fieldwork, independent investigation and enquiry, students become reflective and independent geographers who can evaluate different perspectives, construct balanced arguments and reach well-reasoned conclusions. They leave A Level Geography with a deep understanding of globalisation, sustainability, migration, identity, sovereignty and environmental change, and are well prepared for higher education, future employment and active participation as informed global citizens.

Reading List

Previous Trips and Visits

In 2024 Sixth Form Geographers ventured to Morocco for a once in a life time adventure. You can see photos from their visit in the Morocco 2024 photobook below:

GRYPHical Magazine

Gryphical is a geography journal created by students. Each issue focuses on a different topic related to geography. Students are responsible for writing the articles, selecting images, designing the layout, and creating titles for each piece. The topics covered in Gryphical connect to broader areas of study within the field of geography, providing a comprehensive and engaging learning experience.

You can check out GRYPHical here: