Geography
The Geography Department prides itself on having a very enquiring approach to the study of geography. Throughout Key Stage 3 and 4 the girls are encouraged to always question what is happening in the world around them. Decision making is an integral part of our teaching and we recognise it as a tool that the girls will require in all areas of their lives.
Year 7
Focus on the study of local geography and we start the course with a section on geographical skills in order to ensure they are all at the same standard by the end of the Autumn Term. We also study settlements and do some local field work in Colchester. Spring Term is taken up with the study of UK weather and climate and the girls get to put their newly acquired skills into action by becoming weather forecasters/presenters. In the Summer Term we study coasts and spend a half day at Walton collecting data on such things as longshore drift and beach profiles in order to produce a short investigation.
Year 8
Study energy and the environment in the Autumn Term and look at the issues surrounding resource use and the dilemmas that we will face in the future surrounding this challenging topic. We visit Eco Tech in Swaffham, the only wind turbine in the world that is open for the public to climb up with a viewing platform at the top. Plate Tectonics is our topic for the Spring Term and we visit the Restless Earth and Power Within galleries at the Natural History Museum. Summer Term is spent studying tourism where a decision making exercise is undertaken on the proposed development of a heritage theme park on the Essex/Suffolk border.
Year 9
Focus their attention on the developing world and start off with looking at savanna areas of Africa, they look at the physical and environmental issues affecting this fragile area of the world, they produce a major project that is worth 25% of their end of year mark and also spend a half day with a visiting speaker from Action Aid where they take on the role of aid workers. Spring Term is spent investigating tropical rainforests with a particular focus on the Amazon. There is another major project to complete worth 25%. The final topic looks at the global fashion industry and globalisation.
Year 10 and 11 
Follow the Edexcel A specification for GCSE and Geography has been the most popular option choice for the past 7 years. The course is modular, with 4 units each being worth 25%. There is the option to sit two units in Year 10; however, we only enter our students for one unit. There are numerous opportunities for fieldwork built into the course, for example a day at Walton where we look at coastal processes and management issues. At the start of Year 11 the girls have the opportunity to go on a residential field work weekend in order to gather data for their investigative study, examples of places we have visited are Box Hill, Lake District and Dorset.
