Why do we learn geography?
Our approach
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 13
Year 13

Why do we learn geography?

At Ark Burlington Danes Academy we aim to promote the development of responsible and informed global citizens about how the world functions and its challenges and opportunities, while also embedding knowledge of locations, places, environments and processes and extending competence in a range of skills including fieldwork, Geographic Information System (GIS), and mathematical skills.

Geography provokes and answers questions about the natural and human worlds, using different scales of enquiry to view them from different perspectives. It develops knowledge of places and environments throughout the world, an understanding of maps, and a range of investigative and problem-solving skills both inside and outside the classroom. As such, it prepares pupils for adult life and employment. Geography is a focus within the curriculum for understanding and resolving issues about the environment and sustainable development. It is also an important link between the natural and social sciences. As pupils study geography, they encounter different societies and cultures. This helps them realise how nations rely on each other. It can inspire them to think about their own place in the world, their values, and their rights and responsibilities to other people and the environment. Geography develops skills that are transferrable for students. Through the teaching of geography, it enables pupils to be empathetic, inquisitive, explorative, synoptic and most importantly, to think like a geographer. This is delivered through the teaching of a range of topics from Reception to year 13.

Our approach

At KS3, pupils study one topic every half term, with two lessons per week. Then at KS4, pupils study the topics for paper 1 in year 10 and the topics for both paper 2 and 3 in year 11, which is achieved through three lessons a week. Also, in year 11, they complete a three-day residential, where they conduct both a physical and urban investigation that they are assessed on in paper 3. At KS5, pupils have seven lessons a week, which is split between physical and human geography, where two units are covered in year 12 and two units in year 13. Also, in year 13, pupils complete a 5-day residential, in which a 4000-word independent investigation is produced that equates to 25% of their overall grade. Throughout both year 12 and 13, pupils are taught how to think synoptically by focusing on three synoptic themes; players, futures and uncertainties and attitudes and actions. This provides the foundational skills for paper 3, which is a synoptic paper based on five compulsory units.

In all lessons, pupils can expect a knowledge retrieval Do Now and at least 15 minutes of deliberate independent practice to help embed skills and knowledge into the long-term memory. The curriculum is sequenced so that pupils begin with learning the necessary foundational skills to progress through the KS3 curriculum. This then ensures that pupils who study geography at KS4 have acquired a strong foundational knowledge of key topics such as brilliant biomes, trade and resources and coastal landscapes that they study in more depth at both KS4 (the living world and changing economic world) and KS5 (globalisation and the carbon cycle). Even though the curriculum is taught in this order, topics are often revisited and are interlinked, which encourages the development of synopticity from KS3. At both KS4 and KS5, the specification is used to inform pupils of what they are learning lesson to lesson, alongside knowledge organisers being used, again so that both the pupils and parent can see exactly what pupils are learning and the skills they will acquire to be able to complete their GCSE or A Level exam.

Year 7 - Geography

Autumn
How to become a great geographer
Different type of maps and compass directions
Physical geography of UK 
Human geography of UK 
How migration has shaped the UK 
Role of fieldwork and fieldwork in your personal geography
Our Planet 
Continents 
Structure of the Earth 
Why is there life of Earth?
Why is water important on Earth?
Countries and governance 
Global population and population pyramids
Distribution of wealth 

What are the key physical and human processes on our planet?

Geography and me

Our Planet
Spring

Why is there an uneven distribution of resources on a global and national scale?

Global trade patterns

Types of employment

Distribution of biomes

Tropical rainforests, hot deserts

Impacts of deforestation

Water cycle

Climate graphs

Resources and Trade

Brilliant Biomes
Summer

Physical processes shaping the UK landscape

Patterns of relief

Continental drift

Rock cycle

Marine environments

Coastal processes

Landforms of erosion and deposition

OS maps

Fantastic landscapes in the UK

UK coasts

All Year 7 subjects Next Year 7 Subject - Religious Education

Year 8 - Geography

Autumn

Features of a river

River long and cross profile

Why are rivers important for the environment and people?

Managing rivers using hard engineering in Ethiopia - The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

Why is food important?

Food distribution

Physical & human factors that cause food insecurity

Managing food security  

What is the world’s food future? 

Does humanity live sustainably with the environment?

River Rivals

Food and Famine
Spring

Why is energy important? Where are the energy sources?

Why is the world using more energy?

Distribution of energy

Russia – an energy Superpower

How are energy mixes changing?

Are renewable energy sources the solution?

What is climate change

The natural greenhouse effect

The enhanced greenhouse effect

What evidence is there for climate change?

Impacts of climate change

Managing climate change

Endless Energy

Climate Change
Summer

What are Polar environments? 

The importance of polar environments

Climate of polar environments

Plant and animal adaption  

What is it like in the Russian Arctic? 

Where is the Middle East? 

What is the physical and human geography of the Middle East? 

Why is the climate so dry?

Does the Middle East have all the resources it needs?

Why is the Middle East a cultural treasure chest?

Conflict in the Middle East

Polar Environments

The Middle East – A Regional Study

All Year 8 subjects Next Year 8 Subject - Religious Education

Year 9 - Geography

Autumn

Grid references, location, numerical, statistical, graphical and literature based analysis.

Population, migration, flooding, air pollution and sustainable living.

Human rights, global superpowers, political corruption, education, tribal equality

How does geography shape London?

How does global inequality impact development?
Spring

Natural hazards

Tectonic hazards – earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

Hazard management  
Why are some places in the world hazardous and how do natural hazards pose a threat to places?
Summer

Weather hazards

Tropical storms - Formation, impacts and management

UK extreme weather

Climate change – evidence, causes, effects and management
What are weather hazards and are they on the rise as a result of climate change?

All Year 9 subjects Next Year 9 Subject - Religious Education

Year 10 - Geography

Autumn

Evidence of climate change, natural causes, human causes, impacts of climate change, climate change management – mitigation and adaptation

Distribution of ecosystems

Small scale UK ecosystem

Tropical rainforest

Hot deserts

What are the natural and human causes of climate change? How can the effects of climate change be managed?

What is the function of the world’s ecosystems and why do we need to protect them?
Spring
Geology of the UK
Distinctive UK landscapes
Coastal processes 
Coastal landforms resulting from erosion and deposition 
Coastal management

Global patterns of urbanisation
Case Study – Rio. Where is Rio? Causes of urban growth. Social, economic and environmental opportunities and challenges of rapid growth. Managing growth of squatter settlements
How is the UK geologically structure?
How do physical process and human activity shape the distinctive coastline of the UK?
How has urban growth created opportunities and challenges for cities in LICs and NEEs?
Summer
Case Study – London. Where is London and how is it connected to the world? Impacts of migration. Social, economic and environmental opportunities and challenges. Urban regeneration project.

Primary data collection
Secondary data collection
Processes and presenting data
Evaluating findings

River processes and the long profile  
River landforms resulting from erosion and deposition 
Human and physical causes of flood risk 
River management
 
How has urban growth created opportunities and challenges for cities in the UK?

To what extent was the Stratford 2012 regeneration project successful in its aims?

How do physical process and human activity shape the distinctive river landscape of the UK?

All Year 10 subjects Next Year 10 Subject - Religious Education

Year 11 - Geography

Autumn
How has urban growth created opportunities and challenges for cities in the UK?

To what extent was the Stratford 2012 regeneration project successful in its aims?

How do physical process and human activity shape the distinctive river landscape of the UK?
What are the physical and human causes of flooding and how can they be managed?
Rivers fieldwork enquiry - How do river characteristicschange with distance downstream along the Debden Brook?
Spring
Case Study – Nigeria. Location, Nigeria in the wider world, changing industrial structure, roles of TCNs, aid, environmental impacts of economic development, effects of economic development on QofL for the population
Case Study – UK – cause of economic change, post-industrial economy, Environmental impacts of industry, changes in rural landscape, transport infrastructure, the north-south divide.
Distribution and consumption of food, water and energy.
Provision of food, water and energy in the UK
Global energy supply and demand
Impacts of energy insecurity
Strategies to increase energy supply
Sustainable energy use
Fieldwork – urban and rivers 
What are the impacts of rapidly growing economies?
How has the UK’s economy changed?
How can we sustainably manage our energy resources while meeting the needs to the increasing global population?
Summer
Fieldwork – urban and rivers
Pre-release – paper 3 preparation
Revision  

All Year 11 subjects Next Year 11 Subject - Religious Education

Year 12 - Geography

Autumn
Coastal Systems
The difference between coastal processes and coastal features
Coastlines are zones of erosion, transportation and deposition of material
People have strategies to reduce rates of erosion, but these can have unforeseen consequences on other parts of the coastline
Human influences at the coast can have both positive and negative influences
A significant proportion of the world’s population lives on or near the coast and is likely to be affected by future changes to global sea level.

Global systems and government

place in human life and experience. Insider and outsider perspectives on place.
Categories of place:
near places and far places
experienced places and media places.
Factors contributing to the character of places:
Endogenous: location, topography, physical geography, land use, built environment and infrastructure, demographic and economic characteristics.
Exogenous: relationships with other places. 
 
Coastal systems and landscapes
Global systems and global governance
Spring
Coastal Systems
Case study of a coastal environment beyond the United Kingdom (UK) to illustrate and analyse coasts as presenting risks and opportunities for human occupation and development. Evaluation of human responses of resilience, mitigation and adaptation
Sundarbans
Tectonic Hazards
Nature, forms and potential impacts of natural hazards (geophysical, atmospheric and hydrological). Hazard perception and its economic and cultural determinants.
Characteristic human responses – fatalism, prediction, adjustment/adaptation, mitigation, management, risk sharing – and their relationship to hazard incidence, intensity, magnitude, distribution and level of development.
The Park model of human response to hazards.
The Hazard Management

Global systems and government:
How the demographic, socio-economic and cultural characteristics of places are shaped by shifting flows of people, resources, money and investment, and ideas at all scales from local to global.
The characteristics and impacts of external forces operating at different scales from local to global, including either government policies or the decisions of multinational corporations or the impacts of international or global institutions.
How past and present connections, within and beyond localities, shape places and embed them in the regional, national, international and global scales.

Changing Places
The concept of place and the importance of place in human life and experience. Insider and outsider perspectives on place.
Categories of place:
• near places and far places
• experienced places and media places.
 Factors contributing to the character of places:
• Endogenous: location, topography, physical geography, land use, built environment and infrastructure, demographic and economic characteristics.
• Exogenous: relationships with other places
Coastal systems and landscapes
Hazards
Global systems and global governance
Changing places
Summer
Changing Places
The impact of relationships and connections on people and place with a particular focus on: either changing demographic and cultural characteristics or economic change and social inequalities.
• How the demographic, socio-economic and cultural characteristics of places are shaped by shifting flows of people, resources, money and investment, and ideas at all scales from local to global.
• The characteristics and impacts of external forces operating at different scales from local to global, including either government policies or the decisions of multinational corporations or the impacts of international or global institutions.
• How past and present connections, within and beyond localities, shape places and embed them in the regional, national, international and global

 

Year 13 - Geography

Autumn
Water Cycle
Global distribution and size of major stores of water – lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and atmosphere.
Processes driving change in the magnitude of these stores over time and space, including flows and transfers: evaporation, condensation, cloud formation, causes of precipitation and cryospheric processes at hill slope, drainage basin and global scales with reference to varying timescales involved.
Drainage basins as open systems – inputs and outputs, to include precipitation, evapo-transpiration and runoff; stores and flows, to include interception, surface, soil water, groundwater and channel storage; stemflow, infiltration overland flow, and channel flow. Concept of water balance.
Runoff variation and the flood hydrograph.
Changes in the water cycle over time to include natural variation including storm events, seasonal changes and human impact including farming practices, land use change and water abstraction.
Contemporary urban environments
Urbanisation
• Urbanisation and its importance in human affairs. Global patterns of urbanisation since 1945. Urbanisation, suburbanisation, counter-urbanisation, urban resurgence. The emergence of megacities and world cities and their role in global and regional economies.
• Economic, social, technological, political and demographic processes associated with urbanisation and urban growth.
• Urban change: deindustrialisation, decentralisation, rise of service economy.
• Urban policy and regeneration in Britain since 1979.
Urban forms
•Contemporary characteristics of mega/world cities. Urban characteristics in contrasting settings. Physical and human factors in urban forms.Spatial patterns of land use, economic inequality, social segregation and cultural diversity in contrasting urban areas, and the factors that influence them.
•New urban landscapes: town centre mixed developments, cultural and heritage quarters, fortress developments, gentrified areas, edge cities. The concept of the post-modern western city.
Social and economic issues associated with urbanisation
•Issues associated with economic inequality, social segregation and cultural diversity in contrasting urban areas.
•Strategies to manage these issues.
•Urban climate
•The impact of urban forms and processes on local climate and weather.
•Urban temperatures: the urban heat island effect. Precipitation: frequency and intensity. Fogs and thunderstorms in urban environments. Wind: the effects of urban structures and layout on wind speed, direction and frequency. Air quality: particulate and photo-chemical pollution.
•Pollution reduction policies.
NEA - Fieldwork


 
Water and Carbon cycles
Contemporary urban environments
Spring
The carbon cycle –
• Global distribution, and size of major stores of carbon – lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere biosphere, atmosphere.
• Factors driving change in the magnitude of these stores over time and space, including flows and transfers at plant, sere and continental scales. Photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, combustion, carbon sequestration in oceans and sediments, weathering.
• Changes in the carbon cycle over time, to include natural variation (including wild fires, volcanic activity) and human impact (including hydrocarbon fuel extraction and burning, farming practices, deforestation, land use changes).
• The carbon budget and the impact of the carbon cycle upon land, ocean and atmosphere, including global climate
Water and carbon
Water, carbon, climate and life on Earth
• The key role of the carbon and water stores and cycles in supporting life on Earth with particular reference to climate. The relationship between the water cycle and carbon cycle in the atmosphere. The role of feedbacks within and between cycles and their link to climate change and implications for life on Earth.
• Human interventions in the carbon cycle designed to influence carbon transfers and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Case study of a tropical rainforest setting to illustrate and analyse key themes in water and carbon cycles and their relationship to environmental change and human activity.


Urban drainage
Urban precipitation, surfaces and catchment characteristics; impacts on drainage basin storage areas; urban water cycle: water movement through urban catchments as measured by hydrographs.
Issues associated with catchment management in urban areas. The development of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS).
River restoration and conservation in damaged urban catchments with reference to a specific project. Reasons for and aims of the project; attitudes and contributions of parties involved; project activities and evaluation of project outcomes.
Urban waste and its disposal
Urban physical waste generation: sources of waste - industrial and commercial activity, personal consumption. Relation of waste components and waste streams to economic characteristics, lifestyles and attitudes. The environmental impacts of alternative approaches to waste disposal: unregulated, recycling, recovery, incineration, burial, submergence and trade.
Comparison of incineration and landfill approaches to waste disposal in relation to a specified urban area.
Other contemporary urban environmental issues
Environmental problems in contrasting urban areas: atmospheric pollution, water pollution and dereliction.
Strategies to manage these environmental problems.
Sustainable urban development
• Impact of urban areas on local and global environments. Ecological footprint of major urban areas. Dimensions of sustainability: natural, physical, social and economic. Nature and features of sustainable cities. Concept of liveability
• Contemporary opportunities and challenges in developing more sustainable cities.
• Strategies for developing more sustainable cities.
Case studies of two contrasting urban areas to illustrate and analyse key themes set out above, to include:
• patterns of economic and social well-being
• the nature and impact of physical environmental conditions
with particular reference to the implications for environmental sustainability, the character of the study areas and the experience and attitudes of their populations.
NEA
Introduction and preliminary research;
Methods of field investigation;
Methods of critical analysis;
Conclusions, evaluation and presentation
Water and Carbon Cycles
Contemporary urban environments
Summer
Revision 

All Year 13 subjects Next Year 13 Subject - Religious Education