Our curriculum intent applies to all our young people, regardless of background, gender, sexual orientation, or ability. As a school, and as a department, we are absolutely committed to providing opportunities that ensure that each student can reach and exceed their potential.  

At Washington Academy our young people become global citizens and Geographers, inspiring them to ask questions about the world they live in and their role within it. All students are, without exception, entitled to a world-class geographical education that is holistic, ambitious, and aspirational. Our young people develop a life-long love of learning through the study of places at a variety of different scales (local, national, and international), by looking at the human and physical processes that shape and change them. Geographical skills are developed to enhance and deepen geographical thinking, enabling learners to analyse and form conclusions about a range of issues and processes that affect people, the environment, and the natural landscape. It is through this that students will engender the passion for geography that allows students to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values, and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ. Students will draw upon their own experiences of life in modern Britain and the wider world to consider the social, moral, cultural, and ethical issues associated with their actions and the impacts that these have over space and time. Our geographers will utilise a range of geographical skills to interpret and communicate their findings to deepen their understanding and knowledge. 

Students follow a programme of study that is developed using the National Curriculum for Geography at KS3. Supplementary to this, to ensure a broad and rich curriculum is delivered, students are provided with the opportunity to deepen their geographical understanding through the exploration of key themes and issues. It is our aim to ensure all students across key stage 3 embed key terms, concepts, and skills that they have previously studied across other units delivered that are driven from the National Curriculum for Geography. Literacy, numeracy, and geographical enquiry skills are fed through our curriculum, allowing pupils to focus on the precise technical language and skills needed to make sense and interact with the numerous case studies we study.   

Upon entry to Key Stage 4, students deepen their knowledge of Physical and Human Geography (AQA Geography) allowing students to develop an understanding of; the challenges of natural hazards, the living world, physical landscapes in the UK, urban issues, and challenges, changing economic world, challenges of resource management and geographical applications and skills.  

We are responsible for ensuring our young people are confident to pursue ambitious next steps in geographical education, employment or training which will support their future careers through introducing careers related to geography, the importance of the wide range of transferable skills that are used in geography and how these can be used by young people in their future learning or career. 

 

Curriculum Overview:

Year 7 

• Unit A: Where is my place in the world? 
• Unit B: How have the UK’s landscapes formed? 
• Unit C: Why do people visit the Lake District? 
• Unit D: Are resources destroying our planet?
• Unit E: Who is responsible for Climate Change?

Year 8 

• Unit A: How extreme is weather?
• Unit B: 8 Billion and Counting? 
• Unit C: What ecosystems make up our planet? 
• Unit D: How influential is the Middle East? 
• Unit E: How dangerous is Earth?

Year 9 

• Unit A: How diverse is Russia? 
• Unit B: What is globalisation?
• Unit C: How influential is Africa?
• Unit D: What is the geography of disease?
• Unit E: How powerful are borders?

Year 10 

• Unit A: Resource Management
• Unit B: Climate Change
• Unit C: UK Economic World
• Unit D: The Development Gap
• Unit E: River Landscapes
• Unit F: Urban Change in a HIC (Newcastle)
• Unit G: Coastal Landscapes
• Unit H: Tropical Rainforests
• Unit I: Human and Physical Fieldwork

Year 11 

• Unit A: Urban Change in an NEE (Rio)
• Unit B: Weather Hazards
• Unit C: Economic World (Nigeria)
• Unit D: Tectonic Hazards
• Unit E: Hot Deserts
• Unit F: Pre-Released Material
• Unit G: Revision and run up to exams