Geography
Overview of the Geography Department
Geography is taught across KS3 and KS4 with the intention of opening up to KS5 for the next academic year. Students across all the key stages study the 3 main types of Geography: Human, Physical and Environmental. Through this they gain a holistic knowledge of the World we live in and beyond, enabling them to become conscientious citizens.
Opportunities for fieldwork are many ranging from visiting a nuclear powerplant to coastlines and changing Urban landscapes. Through this the skills they gain include team work, being able to analyse results and patterns, conflict resolution between different stakeholders, critical thinking, decision making and fosters transferable skills useful for life beyond school.
Meet the Geography teachers
| Name | Role | About them |
| Mr L. Powley | Head of Geography | Mr Powley joined Crayford Academy in 2020. He is enthusiastic about Environmental Geography, focusing at how countries are being impacted by climate change and how the World can become a more sustainable place to live. |
| Miss F. O’Connor | Assistant Principal / Teacher of Geography | F. O'Connor has been at the Academy since 2018. She is passionate about physical geography and highlighting the ways that humans interact with their planet. |
| Miss F. Mowatt | Teacher of Geography | Miss Mowatt joined the Academy in 2021. Her specialism in in Human Geography and is passionate about development and how countries can overcome barriers to improve society. |
| Ms A Chen | Teacher of Geography | tba |
Curriculum Statement
View our Geography Curriculum Overview
Key Stage 3
The purpose of the year 7 curriculum is to introduce pupils to various topics that are important to core skills in Geography. Map skills allows pupils to access how to use maps, identify key symbols, complete a mini fieldwork (mapping the school), they also learn about their local area and link to the other topics throughout KS3. From this topic a baseline assessment can be completed. The other topics studied in this year opens their horizons to locations and case studies across the World, looking at how places are unique and very different to where they live in Crayford UK. It also exposes pupils to problems in the World, especially facing Ice and Polar regions and what they can do to be a sustainable citizen of the World.
In Year 8 there are a range of Physical and Human Geography topics. This is done as it gives a balance to pupil’s strengths and interests between Physical and Human Geography. Physical geographical topics (Tectonics and Coasts) are focused on identifying and explaining causes, impacts and solutions (management) of natural processes. It also builds upon key geographic skills such as being able to describe and explain maps, graphs and trends. Its links to local context as we study case studies from the UK (Holderness) and how changes happening will effect pupils lives in the future. Human Geography topics (Globalisation, Superpowers and Urbanisation) focus on how human society has developed and the impacts this is having across the World. These are contemporary issues as they deal with issues such as Migration, cultural diversity and key connections across the World such as how the UK will be affected by Brexit.
In year 9 each topic is a combination of human, physical and environmental Geography, giving pupils a synoptic approach to Geography to show how these issues are not isolated to specific areas. All of the topics link to Countries across the World in both Developing and Developed countries showing causes, impacts and management differ between countries at different levels of development. We introduce pupils in Year 9 to one of the GCSE topics (DD) to show pupils what is expected for GCSE and to show pupils the depth of knowledge, understanding and evaluative skills needed for GCSE Geography. These topics are important to study as they are directly affecting student now e.g. school climate protests, making it relevant to the pupils. Three of the topics (sustainability, energy and climate change) show pupils how to be more environmentally friendly and therefore teaching pupils how to be responsible citizens of the World.
View our Key Stage 3 Geography Curriculum Map
Key Stage 4
The intent for the KS4 curriculum is that it is divided up into 3 exam papers which are: Global Geographical Issues, UK Geographical Issues and Making Geographical Decisions.
Paper 1 – Hazards, Development Dynamics and Challenges of Urbanising World – This paper focuses on wider issues happening across the Developing and Developed World. All of these topics have global context that will affect pupils in the future and it addresses what causes these issues, the effects of these issues and how they can be managed sustainably. It also deals with misconceptions of what pupils think e.g. India is a poor country (but has World’s 3rd largest economy and how it will overtake China) and how development varies within a country.
Paper 2 – UK Physical and Human Geography + fieldwork. This teaches pupils about the issues facing pupils in a local Context e.g. London and the South East, and how these issues affect the rest of the UK. In this section it focuses on Geographic skills such as fieldwork and allows research of 2 local areas e.g. Herne Bay and Stratford/Newham. From this paper it is the intent to teach pupils more about the country they live in and how past and present processes are shaping the country. It teaches pupils to use their Geographic skills to answer questions such as interpreting data, maps and graphs while building to the larger geographic skills of fieldwork.
Paper 3 – Biomes, forests under threat and Energy – This is a ‘Decision Making Exercise’ paper that allows pupils to express their opinions and what they feel is the solution to complicated issues facing the World, it allows pupils to use their evaluation skills when options are presented to them. It relies heavily on Geographic skills and knowledge from the entire curriculum from KS3 and KS4, and to assess pupils on all areas of Geography that they have studied. This part of the syllabus allows pupils to access information in the exam to support their answers.
View our Key Stage 4 Geography Curriculum Map
Key Stage 5
View our Key Stage 5 Geography Curriculum Map
What qualifications can be gained?
- Edexcel GCSE Geography B
- Edexcel GCE Geography
How does Geography prepare students for the next stage of their education or employment?
According to the Royal Geographical Society, Geography graduates have some of the highest rates of graduate employment.
Geography is great for any kind of career that involves the environment, planning, or collecting and interpreting data. Popular careers for people with geography qualifications include: town or transport planning, surveying, conservation, sustainability, waste and water management, environmental planning, tourism, and weather forecasting.
The army, police, government, research organisations, law and business world also love the practical research skills that geographers develop.
Because geographers learn about human and population development, geography can be useful for jobs in charity and international relations too.
More Information
More information about our curriculum can be found by looking at our curriculum overviews
