Geography

The Geography Department consists of four enthusiastic members of staff who are passionate in their approach to teaching a subject that has never been more relevant than it is today. The subject is very popular - with about a half of students following the course in Years 12 and 13. In Years 10 and 11, Geography is also one of the most popular optional subjects with more than two-thirds taking the GCSE course.

Geography is central to so many of the topical stories that are in the news and we do our best to reflect this in what we cover. We live in a world of amazing beauty, infinite complexity and rigorous challenge and through our teaching we aim to open the door to this dynamic world. By providing our students with a framework for their natural curiosity and enthusiasm, we aim to develop an appreciation of how places and landscapes are formed, how people and environments interact, what consequences arise from our everyday decisions, and what a diverse range of cultures and societies exist and interconnect. The Department offers a practical, enquiry based approach to learning making use of a wide range of strategies including debate, drama, role play, games, computer simulations, video analysis, GIS as well as the more traditional map interpretation skills.

Fieldwork is a core element of the curriculum across the key stages, with students developing the skills associated with the collection, analysis and presentation of information. In KS3 Year 7 study coastal management issues at Walton-on-the-Naze, Year 8 explore regeneration and urban sustainability by carrying out fieldwork at the London 2012 Olympic sites and Year 9 participate in a Global Development Conference. GCSE students visit the Lake District on a residential trip whilst A level students travel to Devon and Iceland.

Examination results are exceptional. In 2009 88% of A2 students achieved an A grade and 85% of GCSE students achieved an A*. In recent years two girls have been awarded the RGS-IBG Student of the Year award and our students are frequently recognised by the examination board for achieving amongst the best results in the country. In 2009 the department was awarded the Good Schools Guide A level Award for the best results in the country at Advanced Extension Award. Each year over one third of the A level cohort are inspired to read Geography at leading Universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.