Acting Head of Department: Ms Morrin
Email: pmorrin@brakenhale.bracknell-forest.sch.uk

"You can travel the seas, poles and deserts and see nothing. To really understand the world you need to get under the skin of the people and places. In other words, learn about geography. I can't image a subject more relevant in schools. We'd all be lost without it!" (Michael Pallin)

Aims

• To stimulate pupil's interest in their surroundings and in the variety of human and physical conditions on the earth's surface;
• Foster pupil's sense of wonder at the beauty of the world around them;
• Help pupils to develop an informed concern about the validity of the environment and the future of the human habitat and thereby enhance pupil's sense of responsibility for the care of the earth and its people.

Key Stage 3

We aim to cover the following:

Year 7

• Atlas skills
• Map skills
• Making connections
• Settlement
• Population
• Ecosystems (enquiry)

Year 8

• Hurricanes/tornadoes
• Earthquakes & volcanoes
• Tsunamis
• Development

Year 9

• Weather & climate
• Rivers/water
• Coasts
• Floods
• Ecosystems

Appropriate places will be chosen as case studies from MEDCs (More Economically Developed Countries) and LEDCs (Less Economically Developed Countries).

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Key Stage 4

At Brakenhale we teach the WJEC Geography Specification B: Avery Hill. The specification consists of four units.

Unit 1: Climate, the environment and people
Unit 2: Water, landforms and people
Unit 3: People and place
Unit 4: People, work and development

The areal context must include

• The United Kingdom
• The European Union
• Other more economically developed countries
• Less economically developed countries

Assessment is by:
Terminal examination

Paper 1 = 45% of total marks
Examination paper consists of six stepped questions, each with an incline of difficulty.

Paper 2 = 30% of total marks
This covers problem solving issues derived from the nominated unit. They consist of compulsory, stepped exercises.

Nominated units for
2008: Unit 2 - Water, landforms and people
2009: Unit 4 - People, work and development
2010: Unit 1 - Climate, the environment and people

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Post 16

• Students are taught in small classes
• They follow either AQA A or OCR A syllabus

Teaching and Learning

• The subject is taught across the school by four specialist and experienced geography teachers.
• Different methods of teaching and learning are adopted to suite the situation, but could include enquiry, projects, power points, orals and coursework.
• Extra revision and coursework lessons are provided when required
• Teaching and learning takes place both inside and outside the classroom.

Resources

• The department has a wide range of textbooks, atlases, videos and CDs at its disposal.
• Students use the LRC and SAM Learning facilities as well as computers in the ICT rooms.

Special Events

The department tries to get pupils out on trips at least once in the year.

Year 7: Henley or Twickenham
Year 8: Trip to Natural History/Geology Museum
Year 9: Farm or river
Year 10: Short residential field trip to Dorset

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