Geography

Geography at Tottington High School aims to demonstrate that the world is a place of awe and wonder, and that by doing this we will create a stronger appreciation for the world and how it is forever changing.We will enable students to grasp some of the biggest challenges facing the world and society and consider the approaches to which we can help to make the world a better place. Students will develop an understanding of ‘place’ around them and across the world – ensuring that they can grasp how physical processes, and human interactions can shape ‘landscapes’ over ‘time’, and across different ‘scales’, while becoming increasingly ‘interconnected’

Geography Learning Journeys

The Geography curriculum has been sequenced to encourage students to become curious about the world over time.In KS3 students develop a strong sense of place and scale through a series of deepening thematic studies in 9 different regions across the world that build upon prior knowledge while also encouraging students to learn about different cultures and landscapes. Core concepts are revisited and built upon in each unit to ensure students reach KS4 with a secure and confident understanding of the world. The KS3 is fully compliant with the requirements of the National Curriculum. In KS4, students follow the AQA GCSE Geography specification. Having built from the KS3 curriculum,  students begin to sense and develop an understanding of the synoptic links between key concepts and apply their understandings of processes to evaluate them. 

Geography at Tottington High School uses an enquiry focus. We use this because it enables students to effectively think and study like a Geography. Each place we study sees us delve into several different key themes that allow them to gain a deeper sense of the place and space that is relevant.Each theme within the wider topic will see students study guiding questions that are designed to spark curiosity and intrigue. Students engage in a range of Geographical data from a wide range of sources, including ones that they collect themselves. Students are then challenged to make sense of this data through independent practice and reflection tasks. 

Throughout the process of studying Geography at KS3 and GCSE, we use regular formative assessments to check that the substantive and disciplinary knowledge has been understood, ensuring that we circle back to close any misconceptions that follow. These formative assessments range from  quick knowledge tests through to exam style questions depending on the core concepts that are being studied We then complete summative assessments to check this understanding over a longer period, ensuring the foundational building blocks that we start building in Year 7 continue to be secure and understood throughout the KS3 and into the GCSE.

There are wide range of enrichment opportunities in Geography, including recent entries to the Geographical Association Geogwize quiz where we recently came 4th in the NW against a number of fee-paying schools. We also engage in a number of field trips both during KS3 and the GCSE to allow students to take their understanding from the classroom and apply it out into the field. Geography homework in KS3 uses a project focus that reinforces the need to reinforce the key concepts of the curriculum while allowing students the chance to gain a deeper understanding of an area of their choosing. In GCSE, homework is used to supplement the understanding of the key knowledge required to be successful at the course.

Choosing Geography at school can open the doors to a university degree, either specifically in Geography or by combining geography with other A Levels to gain a place on a degree programme in another subject.Students from Tottington who continue to study Geography will often attend Holy Cross, Bolton College and Bury College to study A-Level Geography.  Geographers have access to a wide range of careers due to the wide range of skills that it can build. Geographers who studied to degree level have a lower unemployment rate than those with degrees in many other subjects  (2018-19)Geographers often go on to work in sectors as diverse as: law, science, sales, business, the environment, IT, management, finance, banking, marketing, research, manufacturing, teaching, childcare, engineering and building, arts, design and media, town planning, working abroad and many more…