Our Curriculum Intent
The Geography Curriculum at CCSC is a focused and holistic course that is interlinked between years and key stages. Each year has been developed to recap and build on the learning of the key themes in geography; Location, Place, Human and Physical Geography, Geographical Skills and Fieldwork.
All years and key stage programmes have recently been overhauled and redeveloped to reflect the ethos focused on Crucial Knowledge of ‘know more, remember more, understand it and apply it.’
Our curriculum aims to give students at all abilities and key stages the knowledge and skills to have an interest in the world around them and be enthused to become an active citizen. This is achieved through the study of a plethora of topics, that build confidence in geography at Key Stage 3 and allow for students to build on this knowledge at GCSE.
Key Stage 3 Courses
In Geography, we have developed a knowledge-based approached to teaching and learning that embeds the critical skills through a variety of topics, activities and assessments to ensure that students are engaged and enthusiastic geographers.
At CCSC, we deliver a two-year Key Stage 3 curriculum, which has proven highly effective. It allows us to tailor learning with precision and condenses the most important knowledge across a broad range of topics, ensuring students are fully equipped for success at GCSE Geography. The course is focused on the knowledge needed and activities aimed to embed the learning, ensuring that students are fully aware of key geographical issues on a range of scales to develop the student’s awareness of different environments and cultures. By using the two-year course, we can prepare fully the students for similar topics at KS4; giving them the fundamental knowledge and skills in which can be built on at higher levels.
The assessments at Key Stage 3 have also been redeveloped to give students more confidence in their geographical abilities as well as allowing them to clearly display their knowledge. We have tried to ensure that, at Key Stage 3, students do not disengage following a poor exam result but are encouraged to use this as an opportunity to grow; showing what they do know, and develop on what they do not know, to ensure progress. Some assessments, in Year 8, also mirror the GCSE format to prepare pupils who decide to continue their studies at KS4.
Key Stage 4 Course
Following the school decision to adopt the shortened Key Stage 3 model, students begin their GCSE courses in Year 9. This has been highly effective as it focuses learning and allows for students to prepare for the increase in difficulty at Key Stage 4. We have found that this has worked well consistently for students; allowing crucial knowledge and recap to be addressed throughout the course allowing students to ‘know more, remember more, understand more, and apply learning’.
At CCSC, we follow the AQA GCSE Geography 9-1 course; this course is varied it its approach and we as a department feel that it gives the students the required learning and knowledge to continue to become valued and active citizens by balancing geographical issues at all scales. This course is reflected by the Key Stage 3 curriculum, which gives a foundation, allowing knowledge to be built on and extended. Our overall aim is to ensure that students develop into mature, engaged and enthusiastic geographers who play an active role in society.
Assessments are comprised of past GCSE questions to give pupils experience with these questions, build their knowledge of the command words used and their confidence of how to approach these and write a successful answer.
Lessons
The department takes pride in delivering high quality, well-resourced and engaging lessons which ensure that crucial knowledge is fundamental to teaching and learning; allowing the students to make consistent progress throughout their learning journey. As a department we make excellent use of technology with lessons being shared across teams; proactively adapted and kept up to date with geographical events and issues. Resources are made available on OneNote for both staff and students to use, change and develop.
Pupils in Year 7 have 2 hours of Geography, which changes to 2 ½ hours of Geography in Year 8; allowing us to consistently reflect and recap learning. As an option subject at KS4, students attend 2 hours of lessons per week, but teaching and learning is ‘topped up’ with the use of the independent learning time the pupils have and actively promote and set tasks for students to complete outside the classroom.
Assessment
At KS3 we use a range of formative and summative assessment in the form of questioning, quizzes and recap activities; as well as the more standardised ways of measuring student progress, including End of Topic Tests. This is backed up with regular feedback to allow students to become responsible for their learning.
At KS4, we again use a wide range of formative and summative assessment to ensure student progress and prepare pupils for their final GCSE exams effectively. These all are composed of past GCSE exam questions, requiring students to use and build the same skills needed to be successful come the real thing. All exams are followed by extensive and individual feedback.
All year groups have at least one set of formal assessments throughout the year.
For more information please visit the official course website by clicking THIS LINK.
