“The basic aim of Geography has always been to understand how the world works” Briggs and Smithson
Why do we teach Geography at Brambletye?
The aims of Geography at Brambletye are:
to instil in the children a knowledge and understanding of the physical world around them and the way in which humans interact with it.;
to encourage them to be open-minded and inquisitive about these interactions and
to give them the skills and abilities required to understand them;
to instil a healthy enthusiasm in the subject so that they wish to continue studying the subject throughout their academic career.
Brambletye from above
Geography is taught as an independent subject from Year 3 upwards and by a subject specialist in the top three years. Pupils have two lessons of Geography a week up to Year 6 and then, in preparation for Common Entrance and Scholarship in Years 7 and 8, they receive three lessons a week and one half-hour prep.
Enquiry is at the core of good geography and pupils carry out fieldwork outside the classroom as much as is possible within the constraints of the busy Brambletye timetable. A lot of this fieldwork is done within the extensive grounds of the school and there are some local trips as well.
Global location, knowing where places are in the world, is still a key element of Geography at Brambletye. Pupils location knowledge expands outwards in scale from local, to national, to continental to global as they progress through the school. Ordnance Survey mapwork and atlas skills are still seen as important tools for the young geographer in addition to digital mapping.
Nik Miller Head of Geography IAPS Subject Leader
Measuring the slope of the Neville Bank
Mapping the new Blencowe Centre using unusual units of measurements!
Measuring the school microclimate
