Putney High School

Geography

'Geography is both science and art' - H.C. Darby, 1962

Geography is a subject that provides a link between the sciences and the arts and is a key contributor to environmental education, education for citizenship and for sustainable development. We aim to develop a sound knowledge and understanding of the complex relationships between people and the environment with a varied programme of lessons and fieldwork, both locally and overseas (previous destinations include Iceland and Morocco).

Geography is well-established here, with a high uptake at GCSE, a significant number continuing at AS and A2 level, and a popular subject for study at University, including Oxbridge. The department’s results have been consistently high, with 2006 being our best year ever for A level results: all girls achieved an A grade, with 4 gaining full marks on at least one paper. At GCSE level 100% gained A* or A.

Fieldwork:

There is a large emphasis on fieldwork which helps students to identify the relationship between the human and physical landscapes. All year groups have at least one field visit during the academic year:

• Year 7: School land use mapping and trip to France.
• Year 8: Cuckmere Haven, Seven Sisters Country Park – River and Coastal environments. Cross curricular residential visit to the West Midlands and the Black Country Museum.
• Year 9: Putney traffic survey – environmental issues. Kew Gardens – ecosystems and plant adaptation.
• Year 10: Three day residential trip to Juniper Hall, field studies council.
• Year 11: Fieldwork for coursework where girls collect data and formulate an investigation based on an area of their choice.
• Year 12 & 13: Field trip to Spitalfields, East London. Morocco and Iceland. In Y12 we also visit Flatford Mill Field Centre in Suffolk for a three day residential trip.

Key Stage 3

• Year 7: Land use and places, Tourism, settlements, geomorphological processes.
• Year 8: Coastal processes and landforms, primary industry, tectonic activity, agriculture and changing economic activities (industry).
• Year 9: Development issues, Ecosystems, Environmental concerns and Population.

GCSE

To prepare the students for AS level we follow the GCSE AQA Specification A 

• Year 10: Rivers, Rocks and Landscapes, Settlement, Tectonic activity. 3 day residential field trip
• Year 11: Coursework, Industry, Mock examinations, Managing Resources and Tourism.

AS and A2 Level

We follow the AQA syllabus for AS level and the AQA spec A at A2 (this year only). 

Year 12 (2008 onwards):

• Physical Geography: (1) Hot Desert Environments and their Margins (2) Rivers, Floods and Management.
• Human Geography: (1) Population Change & (2) Food Supply Issues.

Year 13 (2009 onwards):

• Physical Geography Options: (1) Plate tectonics & Associated Hazards (2) Weather and Climate and Associated Hazards (3) Ecosystems: Change & Challenge
• Human Geography Options: (1) World Cities (2) Development and Globalisation (3) Contemporary Conflicts & Challenges

Coursework has been replaced by a fieldwork investigation unit. The geographical skills developed at Flatford Mill Field Studies Centre (field trip in Y12) are examined as part of the AS course, and these are extended further at A2 as part of unit 4A.

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