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Geography

Geography at Dulwich equips students with the knowledge and skills to explore the most pressing contemporary environmental and social problems. 

The department prides itself on offering excellent teaching that is academically stimulating, forward-looking and innovative.

Many teachers in the department are engaged in their own academic projects and students are taught by genuine subject experts. The department has strong links with top UK universities and is at the forefront of training new geography teachers into the profession.

Our approach to teaching encourages students to think way beyond the exam syllabuses and explore issues that do not have straightforward answers. To this end, our thriving subject societies in the Lower School and Upper School encourage students to develop their own geographical interests. These societies are excellent preparation for Oxbridge, and other top universities, as well as enabling pupils to cultivate a genuine love for the discipline and a curiously about the world.

Fieldwork is also key to our departmental heritage and contemporary approach and we ensure pupils have the opportunity to conduct fieldwork. 

  • Year 10 pupils go to Brighton and the Olympic Park in Stratford as a compulsory part of the GCSE course 

  • Students choosing Geography in the Upper School visit Leeson House in Dorset

The department expects many A Level students to continue to study Geography at university. For those students not choosing to study Geography at university, the discipline is highly regarded for conferring a wealth of transferable skills.

Year 7- 9 Geography

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum is designed to offer contemporary insights into the human and natural world. Units have been designed by Dulwich teachers to offer a high level of challenge and enjoyment. The table below shows the units covered and the italics show the method of assessment for each topic. Assessment is typically project-based to test a variety of skills.

 

Michaelmas

Lent

Summer

Year 7

1) Our Changing Planet
Poster on a region at risk  

2) Problem Plastics
Team PowerPoint presentation on what is being done to reduce plastic pollution  

3) Mapping Political geography
Map skills test    

4) Living sustainably in Dulwich
Mental map showing different aspects of sustainability in Dulwich
Year 8

1) Development and Inequality
End of unit test

2) Weather and Climate change
Presentation to COP on responses to climate change  
3) Geographies of food
End of topic test
Year 9 1) Conflict in the Middle East
Middle East Country Profile
2) Tectonics
End of unit test (MS form)
3) Geographies of Empire
British Empire Essay

Topics studied at GCSE (AQA, 8035) include:

  • Coastal landscapes
  • Glacial landscapes
  • Cold environments
  • Ecosystems and rainforests
  • Urban issues and challenges
  • The UK in the changing economic world
  • Natural hazards and climate change
  • Resource management

Topics at A Level (Cambridge International, 9696) include:

  • Population
  • Migration
  • Settlement dynamics
  • Hydrology and fluvial geomorphology
  • Atmosphere and weather
  • Rocks and weathering
  • Economic transition
  • Global interdependence
  • Coastal environments
  • Arid environments

Discover More

Dr Cyrus Golding MA, MSc, DPhil

Head of Geography
goldingc@dulwich.org.uk