Geography

Subject Leader - Miss H Swales

e-mail: heatherswales@pleckgate.blackburn.sch.uk

The Geography Department at Pleckgate is a thriving, dynamic environment with a clear aim to enthuse students about the world in which they live. The Department is currently staffed by five full time teachers and one part time teacher, all of whom are subject specialists and are heavily involved in departmental decision making and hold various curriculum related responsibilities, as well as commitments within the broader life of the school. All the teachers of the department also teach GCSE (Applied) Leisure and Tourism. The Geography Department is located in a suite of four classrooms in D block.

The Department holds a Geographical Association School and Royal Geographical Society membership and has recently been awarded the Secondary Geography Quality Mark, the first school in the Borough to gain this prestigious award, there are only 56 schools holding the Quality Mark nationwide. In addition the department is a member of The Prince of Wales' Teaching Institute.

Curriculum - Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9)

During the first three years pupils follow the National Curriculum. Geography at Key Stage 3 which covers a variety of topics, building on personal learning and thinking skills and includes up to date case studies, for example Flooding in the Lake District and Boscastle in Year 7, Haiti Earthquake in Year 8 and the Global Warming and Climate Change Challenges in Year 9. Fieldwork studies of the local area also take place in the summer term.

There are assessments at the end of each topic, usually half termly, to monitor pupil's progress and an end of year exam that provides a National Curriculum Level.

Curriculum - Key Stage 4 (Years 10 & 11)

The Geography Department runs a range of courses to meet pupils' needs at Key Stage 4, including GCSE and entry level. Students in Yrs 10 & 11 follow the new Edexcel syllabus A GCSE specification or Edexcel Entry level specification. There is a residential field trip in Year 10 to enable pupils to gather data for their Controlled Assessment.

The GCSE Geography Course
The GCSE syllabus of work focuses on four units of work:
- Geography Skills and Challenges - examined June, Year 11.
- The Natural Environment - examined June, Year 10
- The Human Environment - examined June, Year 11
- Investigating Geography - submitted June, Year 11

The possible outcomes from the GCSE are A* to G and there are two levels of papers, foundation and higher.

The Entry Level Certificate Course
This level is designed for learners who are not yet ready to achieve Grade G at GCSE but who wish to receive recognition for their skills and abilities. It extends beyond Key Stage 3 of the National Curriculum Order for Geography, and provides a foundation for those who wish to progress to further qualifications at Entry level and level 1 of the National Qualifications Framework.

Candidates compile a portfolio of work. This portfolio has three components:
- One coursework activity (25%)
A Residential Stream Study from the Drainage Basin Theme will be completed for this unit of work.

- Three externally set module tests (50%)
The titles of the themes taken for these tests are Changing populations, Earthquakes and Volcanoes and where people live.

- Teacher devised assessment (25%)
These projects or pieces of work will cover work from the Resource Exploitation and Farming and the Environment themes.

There are three tiers at the end of the Entry Level Certificate that can be awarded, providing the pupil has met all the necessary requirements to 'pass' and these can be used to apply for College courses. The equivalent points are shown below.

Entry 3    GCSE points equivalent 14
Entry 2    GCSE points equivalent 12
Entry 1    GCSE points equivalent 10

In addition to the department offering GCSE Geography and Entry Level Geography there is also the vocational GCSE (Applied) Leisure and Tourism that is available as an option in Year 9.