In our multi-award-winning Geography department, we set the very highest standards in our teaching and our teachers are experienced specialists.

We are recognised as a Centre of Excellence in GIS (computer mapping) Education. We are also a Geographical Association Centre of Excellence in the teaching of geography. Raphael Heath, our Head of Geography was presented with the Ordnance Survey Award for Excellence in Secondary Education by the Royal Geographical Society in June 2015 and was awarded a Pearson Teaching Award in October 2016.

We focus on making Geography a dynamic and relevant subject by teaching topical issues using the latest technology and techniques to bring the subject to life. We teach students a broad range of physical and human geography topics. Our teaching is underpinned by exploring concepts of sustainable development and environmental issues. Students have the option to take the subject for GCSE and we follow the AQA GCSE course.

Students undertake fieldwork experiences in all year groups. For example, our Year 10 geographers attend a residential trip in North Exmoor where they study fluvial hydrology. We also run numerous optional field trips throughout the year, such as to Iceland, Italy or Morocco. These are fantastic opportunities for our students to study some unusual geography up close. They get to experience new cultures and landscapes which are very different to those in the UK.

We regularly use iPads or laptops in lessons so students can easily access stimulating and complex information to develop their understanding. For example, we get students to look at live earthquake data patterns, engage with simulations such as planning for a hurricane or to experience immersive virtual reality and augmented reality such as exploring river landscapes.

We also run a geography club where students can explore geographical issues beyond the curriculum. In these clubs, we also give students the opportunity to enter national competitions. We have great success in these. In the last few years, our students have won the Trinity College Cambridge essay prize, the Royal Geographical Society Young Geography of the Year, The Geographical Association Post 16 competition, a bronze medal at the International Geographical Olympiad, and GDST essay Geography competitions.

We have also run global mapping events, which schools from around the world have participated in. These included a quality of life study and a hazard risk mapping activity. In total, over 28,000 students from all around the world have participated in these activities. We were presented Esri UK’s Best Community Project Award for these events.