Geography

This year saw the return of external exams, meaning for the first time since 2019 students were sitting papers set by the exam boards and preparing to answer testing questions across their chosen subjects. Exams are about so much more than answering questions in a test. The ability to ask questions, to enquire, to investigate and to feed one’s curiosity is something must be equally valued and nurtured. In our day-to-day operations as a school this takes place in the classroom but in Geography our subject matter is the physical and human world around us. Therefore, taking the opportunity to explore and investigated in the ‘field’ is vital in developing inquisitiveness.

So, whilst exams returned this year so did a full programme of fieldwork opportunities for KGS geographers. In late June 2021 our Lower Sixth students had blazed a trail in our return to the field when they spent a week in the Lake District and we were delighted to return to Blencathra on the outskirts of Keswick in the summer of 2022.

This A Level residential is a busy yet enjoyable week when our top geographers really do display their curiosity when setting out to collect primary data for their independent coursework. The students need to come up with their own investigation question and, after refining this with their teachers, they plan appropriate methods to gather the data they need. The human geographers head into Keswick whilst the physical geographers get their walking boots on and hike up the Easedale valley to investigate the legacy that the last ice age left on the landscape.

It is not just at the top of the school where students have grasped the chance to develop their fieldwork skills. In May this year, all First Year students headed into Kingston to investigate whether the town is a local or global place, carrying out questionnaires and land use surveys and looking at the services available to gather data and draw their conclusions. Fourth Year students embarked on a GCSE field trip to Bristol where they focused on the impact of regeneration of the city centre. The Fifth Year students, whose chances for fieldwork were the most disrupted by Covid, travelled to the Surrey Hills to investigate changes in a river’s characteristics as it travels from source to mouth.

The Department was also delighted to return to Iceland over the Easter break with 48 Third Year students hiking glaciers, marvelling at waterfalls and much more. There is more on this fantastic geographical experience elsewhere in this edition of Kingstonian.

As we reflect on a busy and successful year, our thoughts turn to the new and exciting opportunities we can add to the curriculum so that students at all stages of their time at KGS get the chance to step outside the classroom and really question, explore and investigate the wonder in the world around them.

Mr A House, Head of Geography