Geography

Educational Goals

The Neston High School Geography curriculum is designed around key human and physical themes. This is to develop an awareness of the characteristics and processes linked to a range of environments, at both a local and global scale. Each theme is sequenced to give a sense of scale and progression, which will act as a foundation for exploring in greater detail in Key Stage 4 and 5. This will build students schema and help understand complexity at different scales, whilst providing links between themes. We aim to foster a critical understanding of and the ability to apply geographical concepts and theoretical frameworks through which the world is perceived and understood. Our curriculum focuses on skill and application of knowledge. Each theme will allow a student to master the ability to interpret, analyse data and apply this knowledge to a given scenario.

The department aims to give each pupil a sense of place and understanding of his or her place in their locality, their nation and the world. We aim to promote SMSC and encourage students to develop a sensitivity to and an understanding of different communities, cultures and economic systems at different scales, together with an awareness of the opportunities and constraints people face in different environments. We want our students leave Neston with intellectual skills, the understanding and ability to interpret information to arrive at an informed decision.

Curriculum Intent

Knowledge & Skills

Each theme is based on an enquiry question to engage students in the learning process, developing not just content knowledge, but also critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent learning skills. This allows our students to connect new ideas to prior knowledge and develop their conceptual understanding. Our themes are very topical, we shape our curriculum around the world issues, current global events and use social media as a source of information to enhance understanding of the world around them and to spark a thirst for knowledge. We aim to do this through the development of case studies, for example, Year 7 students will explore local and global settlement. Understanding the differences between Neston and Mumbai, India. We use locations as case studies/ stories; to build understanding and component knowledge to support making connections.

Real-World Application

Geography at Neston High school teaches our students about the world around them. Our topical, up to date curriculum sparks conversations outside of the classroom about the current global issues. It challenges stereotypes and misconceptions linked to themes such as climate change, migration and conflict. We want our students to leave Neston equipped with a powerful mix of knowledge, skill and values which are essential in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)

~~Our enquiry-based approach~~

Key Stage	Key Stage 3 at Neston High School
Component knowledge	Place and Locational knowledge. Deepen spatial awareness of world countries such as Africa, Russia, Asia and Middle East. Students can understand geographical similarities and differences between human and physical geography. Understanding of the physical world- How rivers and coasts shape the landscape, geological timescales, weather and climate. Understanding of population, development, sectors of industry and resources.
Attitudes	Environmental challenges associated with human interactions- Begin to understand the role of geo-political in decision making – COP and energy mix changes. Geography in the NEWS
Key Skills	Knowledge of globes, maps and atlases. Interpreting Cartographic Maps, OS Maps, Satellite Images, GIS projections. Understand basic fieldwork within the school grounds and how to collect data.

~~How do we sequence Key Stage 3?~~

Year	Year 7	Year 8	Year 9
Term 1	Geographical Skills – What is my place and space?	Who controls development dynamics?	Global Biomes- Why are they valuable?
Term 2	Settlement – How do we manage settlement growth?	Tectonics – is the world becoming more hazardous?	Which global forests are under threat?
Term 3	Raging Rivers- how to rivers change our landscape? FWK	A Globalised world’- Who are the winners & losers	What is the energy crisis?
Term 4	Wild Weather- Are storms the norm?	Climate change- who will suffer most?	What are the world population problems?
Term 5	Cold Environments – Should we develop the poles?	India – why is this the fastest growing economy in the world?	Fascinating people and places – Cultural focus

How is progression planned at Key stage 3?

Skills are revisited.
Retrieval is embedded.
Good habits are established early.

Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)

GCSE Exam Board: Eduqas A (WJEC – English Specification)

Full specification can be found here: GCSE A Geography | Eduqas

Key Stage		Key Stage 4
Component Knowledge	Locational knowledge and contextual knowledge of the world’s continents, countries, regions and their respected physical and human landscapes. Appreciation for different spatial, cultural and political contexts. Recognise the links and inter-relationships between local and global contexts through the use of case studies. (Eduqas A Specification) Understand the link between Geomorphic processes, changing weather systems, climate and global ecosystems. Understand the role of economic development and how this feeds into urban society and resource decisions and management.
Attitudes	How humans interact in the physical world. How humans can manage their impact in the physical world. Evaluate the success of projects and how this affects stakeholders / players involved
Key Skills	Interpreting and identifying trends/ patterns, analysis of data (mean, median, mode, range, IQ range) Use of maps (all) interpretation of basic statistical data- Mean, Median, Mode, Inter-Quartile Range, Standard deviation. Identify a line of enquiry- collect fieldwork, evaluate methodologies and assess the success of data collection.

Assessment Methods - Key Stage 4

~~Assessment~~

The Geography course consists of three externally assessed exam papers, all at the end of Year 11.

Paper 1: 1 hour 30 minutes.  Changing physical and human landscapes
35% of the GCSE qualification.
88 marks.

Paper 2: 1 hour 30 minutes. Environment and Developmental Issues
35% of the GCSE qualification.
88 marks.

Paper 3: 1 hour 30 minutes.  Applied Fieldwork- Skill based
30% of the GCSE qualification.
76 marks.

Paper 1
Changing Physical and Human Landscapes

Paper 2
Environment and Developmental Issues

Paper 3
Applied Fieldwork – Skill

Q1: Landscapes and Physical Processes

Q2: Rural Urban Links

Choice element:

Q3: Tectonic Hazards

Q4: Coastal Hazards (Blank)

Q1: Weather, Climate and Ecosystems

Q2: Development

Choice element:

Q3: Social Development (Blank)

Q4: Environmental Issues

Each year is given a select theme. 2026 theme:

Section A & B:

Qualitative Surveys

Cycles and Flows

Section C: Application to UK theme.

Key Stage 5 (Years 12-13)

GCSE Exam Board: Edexcel

Full specification can be found here: Edexcel A level Geography (2016) | Pearson qualifications

Key Stage	Key Stage 5
Component Knowledge	Core content to include the exploration of human and physical systems. The inter-dependence between fragile systems such as the water cycle and carbon cycle. Issues with hazard management and the use of technology to mitigate risk. Understanding the changing urban landscape and how this will affect both rural and city locations. Global systems and Global governance and how the decision making of leaders affects the physical systems and long term development of nations.
Attitudes	To what extent do humans manage the impact they have on the physical world? How do relationships between countries have a long-term impact on development? Role of players/ Stakeholders
Key Skills	Use of qualitative and quantitative data. Spatial data and analysis of changes over time Undertake informed and critical questioning of data Understand ethical constraints of data of fieldwork Collect independent fieldwork for NEA Apply statistical tests to Geographical data sets- Spearman’s Rank, Chi2, T-test and Mann Whitney. Understand geospatial data such a the use of GIS

Assessment Methods - Key Stage 5

The A Level Geography course consists of three components:
Paper 1: Physical Geography
Paper 2: Human Geography
Paper 3: Decision Making Paper- Synoptic themes.
Paper 4: Non-examined assessment. Independent investigation.

Component 1
Physical Geography

Component 2
Human Geography

Component 3
Decision Making - Synoptic

Content:

Tectonic Hazards

Glacial Landscapes

Water Insecurity

Carbon and Energy Security

Globalisation

Diverse Places

Superpower Nations

Health and Human Rights

This paper can be based on any theme across Paper 1 and 2.

Assessment: Paper 1, 2 and 3 are exam assessed. Paper 4 is a coursework – NEA

Fieldwork (4 days) - There is a 3-day residential to North Wales in the spring term of Year 12.

The final compulsory fieldwork day takes place in Liverpool in the summer term of Year 12.

Paper 1: 2 hours 15 and 105 marks.

Section A: students must answer all questions.

Section B: students answer either Question 2 (Glaciated Landscapes and Change) or Question 3 (Coastal Landscapes and Change)

Section C: students must answer all questions.

The paper may include short open, open response, calculations and resource-linked questions. The examination includes 12-mark and 20-mark extended writing questions. Calculators must be used in the examination.

Paper 2: 2 hours 15 and 105 marks.

Section A: students must answer all questions.

Section B: students must answer all questions.

Section C: students answer either Question 3 (Regenerating Places) or Question 4 (Diverse Places).

Section D: students answer either Question 5 (Health, Human Rights and Intervention) or Question 6 (Migration, Identity and Sovereignty).

Paper 3: 2 hours 15. 70 marks.

Synoptic paper: includes themes from both Paper 1 and 2.

Paper 4: is a non-exam assessment (NEA). This consists of a minimum of 4,000-word independent investigation and makes up the final 20% of the course.

Careers & Further Education Pathways

Studying Geography at Neston High School opens a wide range of opportunities for further education and diverse career pathways.

Where are our Geography students now? In the last 5 years our students have secured jobs in the following careers:

Architects, Pilots, Renewable Engineers, Railway Engineers, Town Planning departments, Ecologists, Ministry of Defence, Teachers, Animal Behaviourists, Conservationists.

~~University Degrees~~

Geography can be studies as a science or an art.

Some of our students choose to study:

Geography – combined human and physical

Physical Geography, Environmental Geography, Geology

Human Geography

Studying geography at University helps you understand the world by combining science and social studies. It develops skills like critical thinking, data analysis, and using mapping technologies. Geography tackles real-world issues such as climate change, urban growth, and sustainability. Graduates have diverse career options in fields like environmental management, planning, GIS, and international development. It prepares you to make a positive impact locally and globally while adapting to a rapidly changing world.

~~Career Prospects~~

Due to the nature of the subject, Geography can link with many career options. Our students leave Neston High School being competent at interpreting a range of data sources, critical thinkers and problem solvers. Some career options may include…Urban and Regional Planner, Environmental Consultant, GIS Specialist/Analyst, Cartographer, Climate Scientist/Meteorologist, Conservation Officer, Environmentalist, Conservationist, Agronomist, Farmer, Wind Farm Engineer, Renewable Energy Advisor, Disaster Risk Manager, International Development Worker, Transport and Logistics Manager, Teacher or Academic Researcher.

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