Geography

Head of Department: Mr. Tether

 

Department Background
Geography has a unique view of the world.  It is the only subject that looks at how all the elements of the earth interact and interconnect.  Studying Geography will help you see clearly and understand accurately the environment that surrounds you.  Our aim is to provide students with opportunities to evaluate and challenge the way in which their world operates.
 
The Department has enjoyed a wide range of academic and extra-curricular achievements over the last decade.  At GCSE the proportion of students attaining A*/A grades now exceeds 90% (2009), whilst 90% of students at A-level gained an A/B grade last summer (2009).  Aside from impressive examination results, the Department has also established the Latymer World Community Society and Geography Society to provide opportunities for students to further their interest in the subject.

 

Year 7 - 9
 Classes are taught in form groups of approximately 30-31.  Year 7, 8 and 9 have four lessons (40 minutes) each in a two week cycle. There is no banding or setting in Geography.  The majority at the end of key stage 3 are awarded level 6 or 7 (2010).
The Department has written its own course for KS3 and has schemes work in place.  They incorporate a wide range of teaching and learning styles.  Topics covered during this key stage include:

•   Managing fragile environments
•   Weather and climate
•   Tectonics
•   Population and migration
•   Globalisation and development
•   Italy and Brazil

Year 7 conduct an investigation into the existence of microclimates around the school site.  Year 8 visit Epping Forest to take part in rivers fieldwork.   Year 9 come off timetable in half-year groups to compete in the World Trade game in the Great Hall.  The students are divided into groups and trade with each other within the ‘free’ market economy of tariffs, quotas and other sanctions!

Year 10 - 11
 Geography is a popular option; currently 128 out of 180 year 10 students have selected to do GCSE Geography this year (2010).  Students have seven 40 minute lessons each two week cycle.   GCSE Geography is taught in class sizes of approximately 20 -25.
The AQA specification A is taught at Latymer and there are programmes of study in place for GCSE.  Topics covered during the GCSE course include:

•   Ice on the land
•   Changing urban environments
•   The restless earth
•   The living world
•   Changing rural environments
•   Tourism
 
Students carry out one controlled assignment (25%) based on the local environment; this year it was investigating the impacts of regeneration on Stratford.  For the last few years the Geography Department at Latymer has organised and run expeditions to Southern Iceland for students in Years 11 and 12.

 Sixth Form
 The AQA syllabus is taught and we have approximately 50 students studying A-level Geography in both Year 12 and Year 13 (2010).  There are normally 3 - 4 classes in each year group.  Students have 14 40 minute lessons each two week cycle and are normally taught by two members of staff.  A-level Geography is taught in class sizes of approximately 14 - 18.

The AS Geography course units are:

•   Hydrology and rivers
•   Coasts
•   Population issues
•   Health

The topics for the A2 Course are:

•   Conflicts and challenges
•   World Cities
•   Plate Tectonics
•   Managing Ecosystems

Students have one residential field trip to Swanage in Year 12 lasting 4 days and takes place during the spring term.  There is no separate coursework at A-level but students do sit a fieldwork and skills module (Year 12) plus a synoptic paper based on a real world scenario (Year 13).

 Activities and Recent Highlights
 The Department runs an annual trip to southern Iceland, offered to students studying Geography in Year 11. The purpose of the trip is principally to visit areas of tectonic, glacial and geothermal interest, all of which relate to and would enrich topics studied in GCSE Geography.  Southern Iceland has fascinating geography: it offers one of the few environments in the world where such dramatic landforms can be seen in close proximity and the expeditions have been of enormous interest to students who have been in the past.

 Highlights include visits to Thingvellir National Park (the site of the mid-Atlantic plate boundary), the glacial lake at Jokullsarlon, spectacular waterfalls at Gullfoss and Skogafoss, the capital city Reykjavik, Geysir National Park and the ‘Blue Lagoon.’  Previous trips have sometimes incorporated being driven on the Myrdalsjokull glacier in an off-road vehicle, and, given favourable weather conditions of seeing the ‘Northern Lights’. We also visit several of the naturally-heated baths and outdoor swimming pools in Iceland.

Students in Year 9 have recently completed a video on making poverty history and/or filming a tornado warning broadcast.  The assignment is an opportunity for students to incorporate skills developed in ICT with new skills in media studies.