Geography is the ‘must have A Level, in a world that increasingly values people who can work across the physical and social sciences, geography’s all the rage ’ (The Guardian Newspaper). To excel at Geography you need to be flexible in your abilities, able to write coherently and passionately in essays, analyse data and graphs and people able to express your opinions with evidence to back them up. There is a lot of material to cover so organisation is essential. The key attribute is an interest in the world and how it is changing. The A Level Geography course will cover both the physical and human environments and the complex interaction of processes that shape our world. It will also, importantly, show the applied side of the subject – how human intervention affects the environment and how people adapt and mitigate the effects of processes on their environment. This is complex and dynamic and varies from place to place depending on people’s resources, technology and culture. There is plenty of room for discussion and extended research, which will help pupils become independent thinkers and learners. By the time pupils reach their exams, they will be able to show an understanding of a range of opinions and be able to illustrate answers with case studies from local, national and international examples.
All students wishing to study in the Sixth Form at St Catherine’s are expected to have achieved six GCSEs at grades 6-9, including a grade 4 in Maths and English. They generally gain a grade 7 in the subjects they wish to study at A Level; however, if a student is close to this level and shows aptitude and willingness in other ways, entry can be discussed with the Headmistress.
Year 12 covers some new topics in Human Geography such as the concept of ‘place’ and what makes every location unique. We also again return to Urban Issues and spend more time focusing on issues of regeneration, housing and the urban environment. In Physical Geography, we look again at Natural Hazards but look more at the differences in people’s responses to natural events such as wildfires and link these to climate change. Lastly, we introduce the framework of the ‘Systems approach’ which is a way we can understand natural and human processes. In Year 13 we study political and economic Geography with the study of global trade and development as well as the concept of a ‘global governance’ process whereby countries work together to manage global issues such as the management of Antarctica. Finally, we look at coasts again from different perspectives. Fieldwork is completed as a group on two trips to the coast in Sussex and the Olympic site in Stratford, East London. Students then complete independent research for two days which is then written up as coursework at the start of Year 13.
About Education Provider
| Region | London |
| Local Authority | Richmond upon Thames |
| Ofsted Rating | |
| Gender Type | Girls |
| ISI Report | View Report |
| Boarding Fee | Unknown |
| Sixth Form Fee | Unknown |
| Address | Cross Deep, Twickenham, UK, TW1 4QJ |
Geography is the ‘must have A Level, in a world that increasingly values people who can work across the physical and social sciences, geography’s all the rage ’ (The Guardian Newspaper). To excel at Geography you need to be flexible in your abilities, able to write coherently and passionately in essays, analyse data and graphs and people able to express your opinions with evidence to back them up. There is a lot of material to cover so organisation is essential. The key attribute is an interest in the world and how it is changing. The A Level Geography course will cover both the physical and human environments and the complex interaction of processes that shape our world. It will also, importantly, show the applied side of the subject – how human intervention affects the environment and how people adapt and mitigate the effects of processes on their environment. This is complex and dynamic and varies from place to place depending on people’s resources, technology and culture. There is plenty of room for discussion and extended research, which will help pupils become independent thinkers and learners. By the time pupils reach their exams, they will be able to show an understanding of a range of opinions and be able to illustrate answers with case studies from local, national and international examples.
All students wishing to study in the Sixth Form at St Catherine’s are expected to have achieved six GCSEs at grades 6-9, including a grade 4 in Maths and English. They generally gain a grade 7 in the subjects they wish to study at A Level; however, if a student is close to this level and shows aptitude and willingness in other ways, entry can be discussed with the Headmistress.
Year 12 covers some new topics in Human Geography such as the concept of ‘place’ and what makes every location unique. We also again return to Urban Issues and spend more time focusing on issues of regeneration, housing and the urban environment. In Physical Geography, we look again at Natural Hazards but look more at the differences in people’s responses to natural events such as wildfires and link these to climate change. Lastly, we introduce the framework of the ‘Systems approach’ which is a way we can understand natural and human processes. In Year 13 we study political and economic Geography with the study of global trade and development as well as the concept of a ‘global governance’ process whereby countries work together to manage global issues such as the management of Antarctica. Finally, we look at coasts again from different perspectives. Fieldwork is completed as a group on two trips to the coast in Sussex and the Olympic site in Stratford, East London. Students then complete independent research for two days which is then written up as coursework at the start of Year 13.
