Geography
Senior
The Geography department is staffed by a team of committed and enthusiastic specialists whose love of the subject has helped to inspire many students across the Key Stages.
Working both inside and outside the classroom, our aim is to foster an appreciation and understanding of the diverse world in which we live. Geography teaching, at all levels, is based on themes that investigate physical environments, social and economic activities and the relationships between people and places. In our teaching, these themes are illustrated through studying a variety of places at different scales, from the local to the global.
We aim to engage students by applying their lived experiences of places to the theories and concepts that we are studying. We use a range of case studies, from the amazing landforms of the Jurassic coastline and the extreme environments of the Arctic and Antarctic to the natural hazards that The Philippines, Nepal and New Zealand are exposed to. We explore how the world is now but also how it may look in the future with population growth, food security, disease outbreaks and climate change all shaping how our society will look in the next generation. Through these studies, students are encouraged to develop a holistic understanding of environmental systems, as well as of the importance of sustainability and global responsibility.
Regular fieldwork locations range from the school site to the local Bath and Bristol area, South Wales, the Dorset coast, Exmoor, the Mendips, Iceland and Barcelona. Follow our latest trips and news stories on @kws_geog.
Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3 we have the freedom to explore the Geography of some of the most exciting, inspirational and diverse parts of the planet. Geographers are interested in the interaction between people and natural environments.
The course in Years 7-9 aims to explore a range of contemporary examples of this. Over the three year course, pupils will learn about a range of natural and human environments in different parts of the world. They will study the processes that create major landforms or affect natural systems. They will develop their understanding of how these affect and are affected by human activity.
GCSE
The AQA Geography course divides itself between more traditional Geography associated with physical processes, places and theories that underpin our subject, and an exploration of the contemporary issues and debates that surround our society in the 21st century.
Regarding fieldwork, we have one day testing river theory and processes on the Quantocks in Year 10 and one day out in Year 11 exploring the impacts of regeneration of Bristol Harbourside on the wider area. The processes involved in these, and the skills acquired, will be tested in one of the examination papers. Furthermore, we will be running a Year 12 residential trip to Porlock Bay in October 2019.
A-Level
At A-Level, pupils will follow the OCR specification. Students engage critically with real world issues and places and apply their geographical knowledge, theory and skills to the world around them in topics such as Migration, Power and Borders, Disease Dilemmas and Climate Change. As well as four days of compulsory fieldwork throughout the South West, Year 12 students will embark on an extra-curricular trip overseas.