West Hill Park School

Geography is taught at West Hill Park in the knowledge that it is a subject which is increasing in relevance to everyday life and is consequently very interesting to pupils of Preparatory School age.

The topics and case study examples are constantly updated to ensure that the material taught is relevant and of current topical interest. At each level, the pupils are encouraged to think for themselves and solve problems using information (especially on maps, graphs and diagrams), displayed in textbooks, periodicals, videos, computer programmes and the atlas.

Extensive use is made of technology in the department, with most lessons being taught using an interactive whiteboard. Close links are fostered with the ICT department, and the children get the opportunity to express their geographical knowledge whilst making films, slide shows and more recently MP3 podcasts.

The Scheme of Work is designed within the framework of the National Curriculum, with success at Scholarship and Common Entrance in mind. The key to successful teaching in this subject is to stimulate interest by providing a wide variety of tasks to perform: interpretation and production of maps and diagrams, interpretation of statistics and prose (comprehension), learning facts from notes, collecting information from secondary sources (video, internet, newspapers, etc.) and practical fieldwork.

The study of Geography plays a very important role in education, at all levels, as it prompts pupils to take a look at the world in which they live. It provides pupils with an opportunity to investigate the physical and human characteristics of the world and understand the close links between the human population and the natural environment. Geography encourages pupils to think on a wider scale and opens their minds to new and exciting ideas.

As a result, the National Curriculum for Geography at Key Stages 2 and 3 focuses on teaching the children to enquire about the world around them and to develop the skills needed to research and understand key issues in the world today.

In addition, it allows them to develop ways to express their own views and reactions and to draw conclusions from their studies. It also encourages them to use the appropriate terminology and to make use of the relevant instruments, resources, equipment and mediums, especially ICT, that will facilitate this process.

Inevitably, in this ecologically aware world in which we all now live, the National Curriculum concentrates on the effect that we have on the local and global environment and encourages the children to consider how to improve and better manage their impact on the natural world.

During each year that pupils study Geography they will acquire and develop many geographical skills, including map work and fieldwork. They will also be encouraged to extend their knowledge of locations and investigate patterns and processes within the human world, through the study of such topics as globalisation, settlement, industry, urban development and the differing environments that humans have created and inhabit.

Alongside this, pupils will discover the forces and patterns within the natural world through the study of such topics as weather and climate, the water cycle, rocks, earthquakes, volcanoes and flooding. They will be encouraged to take a look at how humans affect these natural environments and processes and are affected by the outcomes.

As well as studying on a global scale, our own area of Fareham will also feature in these studies, as it is clearly as important to understand the immediate vicinity in which we live, as it is to know about the world outside.