Subject Intent – Vision and Philosophy

The geography department aims to inspire students to have a fascination and curiosity about the world around them, so that they have a sense of wonder about places and people at all scales, we want our students to see a world beyond Armthorpe, so that they can access it and engage with it. We have the highest of aspirations for our students in line with those of the wider academy. We are committed to the fundamental principle that all students studying Geography should make exceptional progress through all key stages, and do so with a positive, outward facing mindset that stretches beyond performance in assessments. For us, our curriculum should ground students in place and time, enable them to connect the broadest of topics together and provide students with geographical knowledge and skills to engage with a rapidly changing world.  

  

From the student’s first day at Armthorpe they will engage with a curriculum that stimulates their different interests and creativity, focusses on knowledge acquisition and skills competency, a growth mindset and that places reading and further literacy at the very heart of its intent. The curriculum provides students with the opportunities for collaborative working as well as independent learning. Students are explicitly taught skills, knowledge and the vocabulary needed to effectively explain and understand geographical issues in the past, present and future.   

  

Geography is important in the development of ‘Cultural Capital’, helping students understand the dynamic and contemporary world around them. It helps to explain the many environmental issues that are changing their world and the economic and political forces at play that will have a direct impact on their lives now and in the future. Learning experiences will also exist beyond the classroom through an enrichment program of clubs, fieldwork and home learning.  

  

We believe that the geography curriculum is the starting point in the student’s journey to a life full of rich learning experiences, a life where learned skills and confidence can be readily applied to any situation, a life where challenges are met and overcome. All of this is underpinned by one common simple idea: enjoyment. When learning is fun, stimulating, challenging and thought provoking then it becomes the best legacy that a curriculum can create. 

Aims

Students to have a well-developed sense of the scale of our planet, and a clear understanding of their role as citizen of this planet.

The curriculum inspires in students a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives, equipping them well for life beyond education.

Developing a wide range of transferrable skills that will support their learning at Armthorpe and beyond.

To encourage student’s interest and understanding about a wide range of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.

To understand the negative impacts human activity can have on the planet and how these can be addressed, so that students have a degree of certainty, positivity and hope about the future.

To explore a wide range of relevant and topical concepts and issues, from these in the UK such as the effects of Globalisation to how the Asian tigers could dominate the world’s economy.

Students will 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

Build retrieval practice throughout whole of curriculum via high-frequency but low-stakes testing, to improve knowledge retention.

Finally, the geography curriculum will help students develop a range of skills

• Cartographical: Location and Place
• Cartographical: Interpretation and application
• Cartographical: Interpretation and analysis
• Description, explanation and connection
• Judgement and evaluation
• Mathematical / Data: Methodology and presentation
• Mathematical / Data: Mathematical skills
• Mathematical / Data: Evaluation and decision making

Implementation

Implementation of a new curriculum has allowed the embedding of key geographical skills, challenge, metacognition, memory techniques and literacy into our lessons. Alongside the new curriculum, we are developing knowledge organisers at KS3 and 4. This is enabling us to define the core knowledge and skills our students need to master, and regular testing allows us to monitor their progress. In geography we implement our curriculum through a variety of teaching approaches as well as a wide variety of learning and teaching resources. Our careful sequencing of topics through years 7-11 allows for interleaving whilst studying contrasting physical and human topics as well as focusing on a wide variety of places, such as the United Kingdom, Amazon rainforest and The Middle East. Students are taught how to analysise and evaluate information which enables them to substantiate decisions that they are asked to make in lessons.