Confidence
Quality first teaching
The Geography department is made up of passionate experts who love their subject.
We deliver a well-planned KS3 curriculum; there is a balance between thematic and regional geography. Regions are used to secure understanding of thematic topics, drawing together information and supporting retrieval practise. The regional topics also give context to learning, and support students to make synoptic links between information from a range of lessons
The curriculum is carefully sequenced of at all key stages. At KS3; regional learning helps building on conceptual understanding. The topics are sequenced to allow revisiting of key threshold concepts, for example, population change and development. This is highlighted to students in learning journey. This is similar at KS4 and KS5, where topic sequence and case study choices allow students to develop knowledge over time and make synoptic links.
Feedback
Staff are encouraged to ‘live mark’ in lessons. Coupled with regular self-assessment, students receive regular feedback. At KS3, end of unit tests examine both knowledge and skills acquired. These are marked using Confidence and Ambition feedback, in line with the school policy.
At KS4 and KS5, regular exam questions are set and marked by the class teacher. Marks are recorded and feedback is given to students. Students sit end-of-unit tests made up of past GCSE questions. They also sit a number of formal mock exams throughout the course. All of this information is used by our experienced teachers to produce the predicted grades sent home in data captures.
Closing gaps
The content choices at KS3 is designed to promote social and academic inclusion of Lawnswood’s diverse community. Raising Achievement and Progress meetings are held in the department following data captures for KS4 and KS5 students. Individuals are identified as under-performing in Geography (comparative to other subjects). Timely interventions are put in place.
Actions reviewed at next data capture and modified as necessary.
Knowledge retrieval
Learning swirls for each topic are referred to throughout teaching of topic. Opportunities for retrieval practise are highlighted in each topic
In line with whole school policy, Do Now tasks are using at the beginning of each lesson to support retrieval of key content and vocabularly. This engages students in prior learning and allows students to use prior learning in the current lesson
Interleaving of key content at KS3, mean key threshold concepts are revisited across topics. This is also supported by the sequencing and case study choice at GCSE.
