Main School
Geography
The aim of the Geography department at Red House School is to help pupils to develop an understanding and appreciation of the world in which we live, in terms of both human and natural environments. We also aim to develop geographical, literacy and numeracy skills with the ultimate aim of enabling pupils to have success in external examinations.
In years 4, 5 and 6 pupils study topics from the
QCA scheme of work, including mapwork skills, pollution, mountains and
rivers. These topics aim to provide a basic grounding in the skills and
knowledge of geographical principles required for further study.
We have recently purchased the new ’Geography Success’ series of text
books to support teaching in these years. These are used alongside
other resources such as photographs, ICT and school based
fieldwork.
At Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9), we have recently introduced the new
Geography 1 2 3 series of texts. These aim to teach geographical
skills, knowledge and principles using a wide variety of topics which
are aimed at engaging pupils interest, such as the geography of
football. There is an emphasis on developing an independent style of
learning, using a range of activities such as enquiry and thinking
skills. These are used in conjunction with ICT, videos and other
media.
At GCSE we follow AQA specification A. This is a topic based syllabus
which gives a choice of both human and natural environment themes, such
as managing resources and comparing selected ecosystems. For more
details view detailed subject options by viewing the Option Blocks
webpage.
Examination results have been consistently good over recent years with
at least 40% of pupils achieving an ‘A’ or ‘A*’ grade
Out of the Classroom
Fieldwork at Key Stage 3 includes an enquiry into
Norton High Street shopping centre and we intend to introduce a coastal
fieldwork project in the near future.
There is a 3 day fieldtrip to the Lake District in the summer term of
Year 10. During this trip pupils collect data on a variety of topics
which form the basis of their coursework and / or useful case studies
for their examinations. They have a choice of either a town centre
study or a river study for their coursework.
