Geography
Geography is challenging, motivating, relevant and it must help us think about our alternative futures. Waldegrave students display empathy towards others and are able to critically think about issues facing the world today, applying them across a range of geographical scales. It is these people that the world needs if we are to build a more socially and environmentally sensitive, informed and responsible society. As Michael Palin puts it: Geographers hold the key to the world’s problems.
At Waldegrave, Year 7-9 Geographers will learn through lessons which are structured using enquiries, allowing pupils to apply concepts to their own everyday norms. Geographers are charged with the task of viewing the world through two lenses; geophysical and socio-economic, and very often how the two can overlap with one another. Topics are widely diverse, including river landscapes, global health patterns, weather systems, emerging nations and urbanisation. There are three formal assessments each year, which often use the ‘Issue Evaluation’ approach, in order to weave such core skills into the fabric of our curriculum. At GCSE level, pupils will enjoy a deeper study of those topics initially introduced in lower school.
We endeavour to foster a lifelong love of the subject through varied activities both inside and outside the classroom. Various field work opportunities present themselves in the form of cityscape analysis, coastal investigations and beyond. We aim to prepare well-rounded students for post-school study and the world after education.