Geography

"Geography is about understanding the world we live in, how and why it is changing, and how we manage that as a society. For enquiring souls, that dynamic process is exciting. Geography is the one holistic discipline that can deal with the issues our generation has to tackle"

Andrew Lycett, The Sunday Times

News and Events

Year 12 Residential fieldtrip to Slapton, Devon – January 2008

We carried on the long tradition of the Year 12 Geographers’ annual residential visit to the Slapton Ley Field Study Centre in South Devon between the 25th and 29th of January. It was such a valuable experience for all the girls.

  

There were four main aspects of the fieldtrip:

• Examining soil profiles and determining the infiltration rates of various land uses. This was inevitably accompanied by the girls trying their hands at face-painting with the rich brown earth soil.
Examining river variables of the River Harbourne, which has its source on Dartmoor. Waterproofs and wellies were pushed to the limit and there were certainly a few very soggy socks by the end of the day!
• Looking at the effects of coastal erosion, especially at the ruined village of South Hallsands which has all but been claimed by the sea. The girls were able to really get to grips with constructive and destructive waves (see picture). They had the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of a number of coastal management schemes, and were even treated to seeing a recurved seawall under construction.
• Plant succession on a shingle ridge.

  
Determining the texture of the         Using a theodolite to measure gradient
brown earth soil                                                                

  
      View of the ruined village                 Human waves! An innovative way of
      South Hallsands and Start Point        learning about the impact of destructive
                                                          and constructive waves on Beesands

The weather was absolutely stunning throughout the fieldtrip, which put everyone in very high spirits and the girls were never short of energy. During the evening sessions, there was the opportunity to collate all their data, discuss their hypotheses and draw conclusions from their results. The group gathered useful case study examples and gained information that will reinforce both their AS and A2 work during this year and next.

 

Geography trip to Iceland

The day after GCSE results were out a group of 24 Geographers from Years 11, 12 and 13 along with Ms Yeo, Miss Lane and Mrs Stone headed off for the cooler climes of southern and eastern Iceland. The purpose was to witness first hand the forces of nature and their effects on some of the most spectacular landscapes. There are few other places where one can experience such a diversity of environments and landforms within relative proximity to each other.

    

We scrambled and slid our way up Solheimajokull and Skeioararjokull glaciers, got soaked by the powerful spray from massive waterfalls like Gullfoss and Seljalandsfoss, crossed lava deserts in our 4x4 coach, clambered into the Kerio volcanic crater, ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ at the exciting geyser eruptions,  were in awe of the impressive basalt cliffs and columns and coastal formations.

    

Other highpoints were soaking in the hot pools of the Blue Lagoon, seeing Minke whales on a whale watching cruise, spotting puffins and seals and cruising through blue icebergs on Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. An unexpected bonus came with the Northern Lights – well worth staying up/waking up to see!

We all had an amazing time enjoying a geographically and culturally special place. We have many hundreds of photos to prove it!

We hope to return to Iceland in 2009.

Ordnance Survey Mapping the Future of Britain Competition

Lower school pupils have been turning their attentions to the future and imagining what Britain will look like in 2050. They have been questioning whether our coastline will have the same recognisable shape, whether urban sprawl will overtake the countryside, if our climate will be different and if our countryside will be full of sunflowers, vineyards and olive trees? They are producing A4 or A3 images using a variety of media, including montage and paints and will submit them for the Ordnance Survey 2007 competition. We look forward to the results. One thing is certain – they will all be highly imaginative, creative and thought-provoking.

Iceland – August 2007

During the summer break 24 intrepid students from Years 10, 11 and 12 and 3 teachers will be venturing to South Iceland to experience this spectacular and unspoilt landscape. They will visit glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, volcanic craters, the wild rugged coastline and lava deserts to see the effects of extreme forces of nature. We are all very excited and cannot wait to bathe in natural geothermal pools and stand with one foot on the North American Plate and the other on the Eurasian Plate over the rift!

      

Goodbye and Good Luck to Year 11s

It is with sad hearts that Ms Yeo and Miss Lane had their last lessons with their Year 11 Geographers before they went on study leave. We wish them the best of luck in their GCSE exams. However this is merely adieu as many of them are continuing to study Geography in Year 12 and several are coming with us to Iceland in August.

    

Shotover Country Park

On a rather damp and grey day, Wednesday 9th May, Year 10 set out to visit Shotover Country Park in Oxford, to explore the uses and management of the park and gain valuable fieldwork experience before they begin planning their own coursework study. Despite the rain the day was successful in providing students with an opportunity to devise a data collection programme which they were able to put into action. Having written up their results, thoughts are now turning to their own coursework.

Year 7 River Walk

Year 7 have just completed their river walks. After the unfortunate cancellation of this trip earlier in the year because of flooding, the weather was finally suitable for studying a section of the River Thames. This fieldtrip allowed pupils to discover what was being done to manage flooding and river flow between Folly Bridge and Osney Island in Oxford. The weather was kind and the sun shone on two of the three days for 7O and 7H, with only 7S getting slightly damp on the final day. The walks were a great success with pupils learning a great deal about this stretch of their local river. They were also rewarded by sights of some of the spring wildlife, including some incredibly cute ducklings.

    

    

    

Year 11 Lulworth Cove and Studland Visit

On Monday 19th March Year 11 Geographers braved the elements to visit Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole. Despite the weather warnings, the sun shone and, although the wind was rather strong, the girls were able to investigate the geology of this Jurassic coastline without the risk of snow showers. After consuming a very large lunch whilst trying to soak up some of the sunshine, we travelled east to Studland. Here, after a much needed warming hot chocolate (or ice creams as consumed by some of the braver members of the Year), the group split in two and each went on a guided walk through this sensitive area by members of the National Trust education centre. This gave the girls an opportunity to study the conflicts between visitor groups and the management of the area. After a long day, we were treated to a return journey that incorporated a ferry ride over Poole Harbour and some wild snow showers on the A34. All returned safely, tired but rosy cheeked, having had an enjoyable and productive visit that reinforced the work studied on coasts in lessons.

    

    

    

Year 9 Rainforest Games

Year 9 have made fantastic rainforest games again this year. The girls were asked to produce a game in groups that would teach others about exploitation of the rainforest. In order to do this, pupils had to undertake their own research and to consider how to present their ideas in a unique way. The games were finished to a very high standard. Once again Ms Yeo and Miss Lane were impressed by the novel ideas demonstrated and thoroughly enjoyed playing and marking them! The games were displayed in the library for two days giving other members of the school a chance to see the results of several weeks’ hard work. Below are some of the wonderful results.

        

        

Climate Change Talk

On Thursday 1st March a contingent of Year 11-13 students, Ms Yeo and Miss Lane visited St Edward’s School to hear Professor Andrew Goudie talk on the subject of Climate Change. The event was hosted by the Oxfordshire branch of the Geographical Association. The talk was extremely enlightening and certainly has broadened the girls’ views about this topical issue.

AS Slapton Field Course

The 26th January saw a return to Slapton for this year’s AS Geographers for their residential field course. The stunningly beautiful nature reserve of Slapton Ley, the varied and exciting coastline and wilds of Dartmoor provided the setting for a successful series of study days. We were fortunate to have clear, dry but cold weather and with a multitude of layers, hats and boots saw the area at its winter best. Memorable sights included the disappearing village of Hallsands, woodland brown earth soil being used as war paint and testing waterproofs to their limit in the River Harbourne and the mud alongside it. Great fun was had by all as the group gained valuable experience and case studies which they will use both this year and next.

    

    

        

        

Year 10 Geography Field Trip to Gloucester

On 7th January Year 10 Geographers battled against near gale force winds and squally showers to visit Gloucester in order to conduct fieldwork into different areas of the city. The pupils studied the characteristics of 5 zones within Gloucester, the Central Business District, the old Dock area, the Inner City area of Barton Street, the Suburban area of Abbeydale and the Rural Urban Fringe around Gloucester’s Business Park. The aim of this fieldtrip is to support the work pupils have done in lessons on Models of Urban Morphology and the characteristics of a British City. The fieldwork techniques will provide pupils with valuable skills when conducting their own individual fieldwork projects in the summer and this project may be incorporated into their final coursework piece. The girls worked extremely hard, despite the cold, wind and rain. Pupils are now working hard to complete the analysis of the data that they collected and the final presentation of their project due in at half term.

    

    

The Department

Staff:
Ms Katharine Yeo
Miss Mary Gandell

Geography is a popular subject at Oxford High School. Modern Geography provides a varied and multifaceted approach to learning. We aim to provide inspiring and stimulating lessons that challenge pupils’ perceptions of the world around us.

We have achieved consistently high results, with 78% of our students in 2005 and 76% in 2006 achieving A*s at GCSE (96% of pupils achieved an A* or an A in 2006). Our AS and A2 students also achieved extremely high results with the majority achieving grade As. We received particular success in 2005 when one of our pupils was named as achieving one of the top 5 marks for Geography at A2 in the country. We also offer the new Advanced Extension Award to our most able students, with two students achieved a Distinction and a Merit in 2005, and two students achieving Merits in 2006. A high percentage of our A2 Geographers go on to study the subject at a number of the country’s top universities, with others reading a broad range of subjects from Medicine to Modern Languages.

At OHS, Geography offers a varied and exciting curriculum from Year 7 to Year 13. We use an enquiry-led approach to all our work. We believe that good geographers should be asking questions and looking for explanations. Practical investigations play a vital part in teaching and learning at OHS. A structured programme of fieldwork involves each year group from Year 7 to Year 13. Detailed analysis of the data collected completes the exercise.

Year 7 undertake a fieldtrip to Summertown where they investigate the shopping area of Summertown and a half day River walk along the River Thames in Oxford.

Year 8 visit Rushall Farm, to look at the various systems and land uses at this organic farm along side their study of agriculture.

In Year 9 the pupils work on plate tectonics, volcanoes and earthquakes, and ecosystems is complemented with an activity based trip to a number of exhibits at the Natural History Museum.

GCSEs: We follow the AQA specification A syllabus, and undertake several practise coursework days to prepare pupils for the independent research which is carried out in the Summer of Year 10. This includes a trip to Gloucester to study the characteristics of the Central Business District, Inner City and Suburbs of the city. Pupils also visit Shotover Park, on the edge of Oxford to investigate the impacts of people in a recreational area. In the summer term of year 10 pupils plan and prepare their individual coursework. They receive support and advice from their teachers, but their ideas are original and individual to each student. Each year pupils consistently achieve outstanding marks for this area of the syllabus.

At AS and A2 we follow the AQA specification B syllabus. We do not conduct coursework in the sixth form. Pupils instead sit practical papers on the investigations that they carry out during Year 12. This includes a trip to study the regeneration and redevelopment of London’s Docklands area. The pupils also take part in a four day residential trip to Slapton Ley, Devon, where they conduct detailed fieldwork involving evaluating coastal management schemes, assessing flooding potential, examining water quality and sampling soil types. The pupils conduct fieldwork during the day and analyse their data in the evenings. These two fieldtrips provide pupils with all the information needed to answer questions on fieldwork techniques.