“As a young man, my fondest dream was to become a geographer. However, whilst working in the customs office I thought deeply about the matter and decided that it was too difficult a subject. With some reluctance I then turned to Physics as a substitute” attributed to Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

At Warminster School, we try to make our Geography lessons accessible to all our students, from the novice year 7 learning basic map skills to the experienced IB or A Level student analysing complex processes. Yet, we would agree with Albert Einstein’s sentiment; Geography could be classed as a difficult subject simply because it encompasses the past, present and future, the local and the global and the known and the unknown world. Few subjects have such a broad remit (and perhaps such a broad appeal). Our students will be part of an increasingly globalised world community, and it is vital that they have a clear understanding of the places and processes operating within it. Whether they enjoy learning about physical or human processes, we hope that we have designed a course that will appeal to our students.

The department has recently moved to a prime location in College, with easier access to the IT rooms and library. The 3 specialist teaching rooms are well equipped, each with a projector and one with an interactive whiteboard. Lessons are supported by a good range of resources, ranging from the traditional (a broad but ever expanding range of textbooks, OS maps, journals and fieldwork equipment) to the more innovative (what other Geography Department has it’s own rainforest ecosystem?!).

Year 7 and 8 are taught using Geog.2 and 3, complementing the work done in year 6 at the preparatory school using Geog.1. This provides continuity between the schools, and also allows year 9 to investigate ‘Fantastic Places’ and ‘London 2012’, as well as developing their skills ready for GCSE via a range of projects and activities.

Year 10 and 11 study for the AQA A GCSE, with coursework on tourism in Swanage. Continuity is ensured with the AQA A level, and the GCSE course also complements the IB syllabus. The year 12 students visit Nettlecombe field studies Centre in Devon to take part in a residential fieldwork, enhancing their fieldwork skills and helping to build a good team spirit amongst the students.

Further information can be gained by visiting the relevant sections of this website, or by contacting the Head of Geography, Miss Sarah Matthews via smatthews@warminsterschool.org.uk

In 2009 the IB released a new and extremely innovative Geography course, meshing human and physical geography. The new ‘core’ encourages the student to synthesise their understanding of the human and physical worlds, seeing them as a more rounded whole. The IB student guide and student checklists can tell you more about the content of this course:

[ Download/View IB_introductory_booklet.pdf ]

[ Download/View Hazards.pdf ]

[ Download/View Core-_disparities_in_wealth_and_development.pdf ]

[ Download/View Core-_patterns_in_resource_consumption.pdf ]

[ Download/View Freshwater.pdf ]

[ Download/View Oceans.pdf ]

[ Download/View Core_syllabus_and_checklist_for_girls.pdf ]

[ Download/View Globalisation.pdf ]

[ Download/View Core-_patterns_in_EQ_and_sust.pdf ]

Our students study the AQA AS and A Level, and more information can be found in our introductory guide (insert ‘Introduction to A Level Geog)

Students may also find these checklists useful:

[ Download/View A2-_World_cities.pdf ]

We chose AQA A for our GCSE students because it lays an excellent mix of traditional content and skills, whilst incorporating many exciting contemporary case studies. It provides and interesting and topical course, whilst preparing our students for the additional rigours of A Level or IB Geography. Information can be found here (insert link to power point introducing GCSE)

Further information on the content of the course can be found via the student check lists below;

[ Download/View Population_Change.pdf ]