Geography
What does Geography at Durham School do?
• It builds knowledge of the world we live in and an understanding of geographical processes and current events from local to global.
• It provides opportunities for the first hand investigation of places through fieldwork.
• It develops skills for the future, including literacy, numeracy, graphicacy, spatial awareness, map interpretation, ICT proficiency, problem solving, team work, thinking skills and enquiry.
Key Stage 3
In Years 7 to 9 all pupils study geography. We follow the geog.123 course published by Oxford University Press, which looks at a variety of topics in the context of the United Kingdom and other parts of the world.
GCSE
In Years 10 and 11 Geography can be studied as a GCSE option, and between a third and half the pupils choose to do so. We follow AQA Specification A.
Scheme of work
All pupils are issued with AQA’s recommended textbook, which is edited by Simon Ross and published by Nelson Thornes.
Topics Covered:
The Coastal Zone
Ice on the Land
The Restless Earth
Changing Urban Environments
The Development Gap
Tourism
Controlled Assessment (writing up fieldwork).
A level
At A level we do OCR’s Specification (H483). All students are issued with the OCR-recommended textbook and revision guide published by Heinemann.
Scheme of Work
Lower Sixth
Christmas Term: Managing Urban Environments.
Managing Rural Environments.
River Environments.
Coastal Environments.
Easter Term: The Growth of Tourism.
Cold Environments.
Summer Term: Revision and exam preparation.
Modules F761 and 762 exams.
Residential field study on the Isle of Arran for those students who wish to study Geography at A2 in the Upper Sixth.
Upper Sixth
Christmas Term: Climatic Hazards.
Geographical Skills.
Easter Term: Module F764 (Geographical Skills) exam.
Earth Hazards.
Globalisation.
Summer Term: Revision and exam preparation.
F763 exam.
Resources
The Geography Department is at the forefront in using ICT within the school. It has its own intranet from which pupils can access articles, photographs and interactive exercises that are relevant to their courses. Computers, digital projectors and interactive whiteboards are used in classroom teaching. Pupils from Year 7 upwards use GPS (Global Positioning Systems) when collecting fieldwork data and GIS (Geographical Information Systems) in presenting and analysing data.
Geography Field Studies
We undertake a number of field studies each year. A GPS (Global Positioning System) is used, where appropriate, to locate exactly each fieldwork site so that data can later be plotted onto a map using a GIS (Geographic Information System). This enables data to be analysed much more quickly and effectively than in the past.
Year 10 or 11
Full day in Seaham, County Durham
We study the coastal landforms and the processes that have created them, and briefly look at coastal defences. This involves a range of skills: observing, measuring, recording and sketching.
Year 11
Half-day in Durham
The GCSE geographers work in small groups collecting data in the field. This is presented and written up in class as Controlled Assessment, which carries 25% of the GCSE marks.
Years 9-12
Five days in Iceland
Every other year we offer a voluntary field study in Iceland in July. 25 pupils went on the last one and enjoyed some absolutely spectacular sights and experiences: colourful steaming hot springs, an erupting geyser, walking with ice axes, helmets and crampons across a glacier, a trip to Heimaey which last erupted in 1973, huge black glacial outwash plains, a spotlessly clean geothermal power station and a swim in the famous Blue Lagoon.
Year 12
Four days on the Isle of Arran, Scotland
After the AS exams in June, those lower sixth who intend continuing with geography in the upper sixth visit the Loch Ranza Study Centre in Arran. They are taught a variety of sampling techniques and collect data for their A2 Geographical Skills exam.
Humanities
next event
National Schools' Biathlon semi-final
Sunday, 05 February 2012
More forthcoming events.
recent news
Christmas Concert Success
Christmas has officially started
Read more recent news.
photo gallery
See more photos of the senior school in the photo gallery.
Testimonials
"The atmosphere in Pimlico is warm and friendly and there is always someone to give you a hug, tissues or a cup of tea if you're having a bad day. I am glad to be a Pimlico girl and haven't yet got through one day here without giggling!"
Su Choi (Pimlico, Year 11)
