Years 7, 8 and 9 have an average of 1 ½ hrs of Geography per week (6% of curriculum time). This constitutes 3 lessons spread over the 2 weekly timetable, ideally with 1 lesson in 1 week and 2 in the following week although this is not always possible.

The revised KS3 curriculum has been designed to allow for the following points:

• Revisiting of concepts such as conflict and sustainable development
• Breadth of geographical coverage in terms of places and themes, as not all students continue with Geography in Key Stage 4
• A thematic approach with a people-environment emphasis. However countries are dealt with as separate units so that pupils can investigate the relationships between physical/human processes within a clearly defined spatial context
• Relevant geographical questions to form the starting points for study
• Tourism has been retained as a key people-environment theme which is revisited in a number of different contexts: France, Chilterns, Brazil, a likely aspect of students’ Independent Enquiry research, National Parks and the Lake District, Coasts
• Coasts have been selected instead of rivers in Year 9, as students Study Rivers in KS2 and also KS4 and we did not wish to risk the “we’ve done it before” syndrome. Also the SCAA material on coastlines provide excellent assessment opportunities
• Each year has at least one major piece of fieldwork/practical work
• The scheme returns to some important, and difficult concepts, on a number of occasions in order to help pupils understand them, eg sustainable development is considered at least once in every year. (Introduced with footpath erosion in Year 7, and developed in Year 8 in the context of shifting cultivation, deforestation, and exploitation within rainforests, plus issues such as soil erosion. In Year 9 concepts such as care of coastlines, renewable sources of energy, minimising the effects of acid rain and global warming, and the need for fair terms of trade to help enable sustainable development are all considered)
• Earthquakes and volcanoes are taught early on because it is an exciting topic in the middle of Year 7, enabling individual research and use of ICT, therefore presenting opportunities for differentiated learning. Also, it can be revisited via events in the news (topicality) as and when earthquakes and volcanoes actually happen
• In addition to tourism, farming is the chosen economic activity studied. This theme is divided between place studies (Brazil, France, Lake District), enabling coverage of shifting cultivation, plantations, transhumance, vineyards and hill sheep farming)
• The plan includes the coverage of Coasts and Development Issues early in Y9, before options are chosen, as they are relatively short units (allowing variety early on) and particularly enjoyed by the students, partially as a result of the opportunity to use games and role play as effective teaching and learning strategies. This is with the intention of encouraging uptake at GCSE. Japan is delivered at a time when there is likely to be greatest disruption to lessons as it lends itself to pupil-centred and ICT based activities not insisting upon as greater continuity. Population and Migration is the final topic as it is felt that pupils need background knowledge and maturity to fully appreciate the issues discussed, and that it is less effectively delivered when there is disruption from exams.
• Opportunities for ICT, GIS and cross-curricular themes.