Geography

 

“Geography is the subject which holds the key to our future.” - Michael Palin

 

Every interaction that we have with the physical world around us, opens up opportunity for debate and discussion.  Geography is a living and breathing subject, a diverse and dynamic discipline which should be an adventure with a purpose, and at Wellington we cover a broad and exciting curriculum of human and physical geography, based in contemporary events and issues.  

At A Level, pupils follow the AQA specification. We explore globalisation and investigate the meaning of place, uncovering the exogenous and endogenous factors which help create a sense of place in an ever-changing world. The links between population and the environment are emphasised through studies of soils, agriculture and the models of Malthus and Boserup, and we learn how the physical world operates as a dynamic cascading system, studying the water and carbon cycles, hot desert environments and the challenge of natural hazards.

The GCSE curriculum intertwines physical and human geography, focussing on topics such as the challenge of resource management, the UK’s physical landscape and our changing economic world.  All of the content is underpinned by skills, with pupils developing their analytical, graphical, and observational skills alongside literacy and numeracy. 

At KS3, pupils develop an awareness of how we as humans are affected by and in turn effect our natural world, studying a range of topics including climate change, economic development, settlement, ecosystems and coastal processes.  

Field work is an integral and important part of geography and all year groups are involved in work outside of the classroom, ranging from clone town surveys in Wellington, to days out at Dawlish Warren and week-long residentials in Morocco. Here, they can see theory become reality and geography as a subject is dramatically brought to life. 

Beyond the curriculum, we offer Explorers Clubs, Worldwise Quizzes and lectures from outside speakers, including many old Wellingtonians. Recent events have included cross curricular days based on climate change and global development, talks about the work of a flood analyst and our own pupils and staff, giving presentation on their travels. 

Geography is not a subject that stands still and it is certainly going places at Wellington!