Geography (Senior - Academic Curriculum)

Geography is a highly successful subject in the school. The department is staffed by teachers who have a wide range of experiences both from this country and abroad and so are able to enrich the pupils' learning experiences. The subject is very relevant to a pupil's understanding of current world issues, which can range from global warming to development and sustainable management. Pupils are encouraged to become independent learners and participate in a variety of learning experiences including debates, attending outside lectures and fieldwork, which all contribute to their understanding of the subject and reinforce what has been learnt in the classroom. Wide use is made of the excellent ICT facilities within the school for research and for writing up coursework at GCSE and A level.

The department is housed in its own area of the School and has its own new ICT classroom for the use of research using GIS. This is of particular benefit to GCSE and A Level students.

Pupils have the opportunity to bring the subject alive through fieldwork in a variety of types ranging from the local to the national scale. Fieldtrips include regular visits to the Earth Galleries at the Natural History Museum, River days with the Thames Explorer Trust at Chiswick and Kew to study the Thames and environmental issues, as well as the collection of primary data for urban coursework studies in Ealing. The Sixth Form spend a week at Abergavenny, Wales studying a range of geographical concepts ranging from ecosystems to urban regeneration. Ms Shaw organises international visits which include, on a regular basis, the geography of Iceland and the USA.