Key Stage 3 Geography
A three-year, enquiry-led programme exploring the physical and human geography of the world — from rivers, coasts and plate tectonics to economies, populations and climate change — through regional studies of Russia, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Following the Progress in Geography course, our curriculum develops the three aspects of achievement in the National Curriculum aims: contextual world knowledge of locations, places and geographical features; understanding of the conditions, processes and interactions that explain geographical features, patterns and change over time and space; and competence in geographical enquiry — observing, collecting, analysing, evaluating and communicating geographical information. Each unit is framed around a big question, and every year includes a student-led fieldwork enquiry.
Year 7
| Term | unit knowledge & skills |
|---|---|
| Autumn 1 |
What is a Geographer? Students locate the world’s continents, oceans and countries, learn to use latitude and longitude, OS maps, scale and grid references, discover how our understanding of the planet has evolved through exploration and discovery, and conduct their first fieldwork in a locality. |
| Autumn 2 |
Natural Resources How do we use our planet as a natural resource? From geological time and the three types of rock to soils and biomes, students explore the Earth’s interconnected spheres, identify how people use rocks, soil, water and oil, weigh up renewable and non-renewable energy — and meet a key geographical concept: sustainability. |
| Spring 1 |
Economies: Local to Global What is an economy? Students explore trade, ports, globalisation and containerisation, classify jobs into economic sectors, chart how the UK economy has evolved, study the growth of manufacturing in China, and make decisions like a geographer — locating a factory, a car plant and a port, and justifying their choices. |
| Spring 2 |
Weather & Climate What is the difference between weather and climate? Students learn how depressions and anticyclones shape the UK’s weather and how the Met Office measures, records and forecasts it — using the synoptic code, weather charts and satellites, drawing and interpreting climate graphs, and conducting an enquiry into a week of local weather. |
| Summer 1 |
Russia Is the geography of Russia a curse or a benefit? Exploring the world’s largest country, students investigate its continental climate, taiga and tundra biomes, and the distribution of its natural resources and population — discovering how sheer size and extreme cold shape people’s lives and economic growth, with the help of atlases, GIS and Google Earth. |
| Summer 2 |
Fieldwork Students vote for their fieldwork enquiry from a selection of nine Felixstowe-based topics — from cycle safety and flooding vulnerability to café sustainability and attitudes to climate change — then collect data through surveys and questionnaires, present findings in charts, graphs and maps, interpret patterns and trends, and evaluate their investigation. |
Year 8
| Term | unit knowledge & skills |
|---|---|
| Autumn 1 |
Rivers Why are rivers important? Following the water cycle through drainage basins, students discover how erosion, transportation and deposition create river landscapes, why rivers flood and how flooding can be managed — using OS maps, valley cross-sections and ArcGIS to investigate the River Tees, and conducting a river fieldwork enquiry. |
| Autumn 2 |
Development What is development — and why does it happen at different rates? From regional inequality in the UK to development priorities in Bolivia and Nepal, students investigate the causes of poverty, including gender inequality, the organisations working to support development, and the Sustainable Development Goals — using choropleth maps, statistics and the Development Compass Rose. |
| Spring 1 |
Population One planet, many people: how are populations changing? Students investigate population distribution, growth, migration and urbanisation, apply the Demographic Transition Model, compare population control strategies in Russia and China, and use population pyramids, density maps and historical OS maps to trace how settlements change over time. |
| Spring 2 |
Coasts What happens where the sea meets the land? On the fast-eroding Holderness coast, students discover how erosion, deposition and geology create and change coastal landforms, weigh up the need for — and impact of — coastal management strategies, and justify decisions between different viewpoints. |
| Summer 1 |
Asia Diverse and dynamic: how is Asia being transformed? Students explore the monsoon climate and the causes and impacts of flooding, compare the population structures of Asian countries, investigate how urbanisation is changing Karnataka in India, and consider the reasons for China’s economic growth and Asia’s growing importance in world trade. |
| Summer 2 |
Fieldwork A second year of student-led enquiry: classes vote for one of nine Felixstowe-based topics, develop their background knowledge, collect data through surveys and questionnaires, present findings in charts, graphs, tables and maps, interpret patterns, trends and unusual results, and evaluate what went well and what could be improved. |
Year 9
| Term | unit knowledge & skills |
|---|---|
| Autumn 1 |
Earthquakes & Volcanoes Will we ever know enough about earthquakes and volcanoes to live safely? Students trace the evolving science of continental drift and plate tectonics, locate the world’s plate boundaries, and investigate natural disasters in Guatemala, Turkey and Nepal — exploring how people respond to tectonic hazards and manage risk in vulnerable, urbanising countries. |
| Autumn 2 |
Africa What are the challenges and opportunities facing Africa? Challenging stereotypical views of the continent, students explore Africa’s climate zones and savanna biome, the causes of and solutions to desertification in the Sahel, the effects of colonialism on present-day Africa, changing patterns of development and urbanisation — and the reasons for China’s investment in African countries. |
| Spring 1 |
Glaciers How does ice change the world? Students track the changing global distribution of ice sheets and glaciers, discover how glacial erosion, transportation and deposition sculpt landscapes from Helvellyn and Snowdon to Geiranger in Norway, and use OS maps, cross-sections and scientific evidence to describe how — and why — the world’s glaciers are changing. |
| Spring 2 |
Fieldwork The final fieldwork enquiry: students vote for one of nine Felixstowe-based topics, plan their investigation, collect and present data, interpret patterns, trends and unusual results, and evaluate their methods — enquiry skills that lead directly into GCSE fieldwork. |
| Summer 1 |
The Middle East Why is the Middle East an important world region? Students compare desert and Mediterranean climates, investigate water scarcity, the importance of oil to the region and the world, and the contrasting development of the UAE and Yemen — before applying their understanding of migration to the causes and consequences of the war in Syria, thinking critically about different viewpoints. |
| Summer 2 |
The Future for the Planet What is the future for the planet? The course culminates in a geographer’s view of climate change: the role of greenhouse gases, the contributions of energy, economic growth and population change, and how the UK is managing risks such as flooding. Students weigh evidence, detect bias, debate three options for the future — and consider their own actions as geographers. |