Geography

KEY STAGE 3 OVERVIEW

In Geography, we look to expose our learners to environments, cultures & ideas dissimilar to their own. We also seek to make learning relevant to our students’ lives. We want our learners to end up with enhanced reading and writing skills and those of problem-solving and synoptic thinking. The latter is needed in view of the many transformations our world will face in the coming years. Having a means to interpret events like climate change, Brexit and job market automation contributes to our learners’ economic and social well-being.

Sequence

At Harrow High School, Geography is taught in a way that balances physical and human geography while also making the important connections between them. The curriculum is carefully sequenced so that students steadily build their knowledge and skills across Years 7, 8, and 9.

Each year begins with two Big Issues in Geography, introducing students to pressing global challenges and encouraging them to think critically about the world around them. This is followed by the study of two contrasting biomes, where students explore different ecosystems and the interactions between people and the environment. From here, they progress to a series of continental and regional case studies, applying their understanding to real-world places and contexts.

Every year includes synoptic topics such as Tourism, Migration, and Geopolitics, which bring together physical and human geography. These units allow students to connect ideas across the curriculum, consider contemporary issues, and develop a broader appreciation of how geography helps us understand global change.

Students are consistently exposed to GCSE-standard material (including Decision Making Exercises from past GCSE papers), helping them to prepare thoroughly if they wish to take Geography as a GCSE subject.

This structured sequence ensures that students not only gain secure geographical knowledge but also develop the ability to think synoptically, linking concepts across topics to see the bigger picture.

Year 7 Learning Journey & Sequencing Rationale

Encouraging student curiosity & wonder and promoting the value of Geography are at the heart of our KS3 Geography Curriculum.

The Year 8 Geography curriculum is designed to deepen students’ understanding of both physical and human geography, while continuing to embed the disciplinary key concepts of place, space, environment, scale, interdependence, sustainability, change, and cultural awareness.

The sequence moves through thematic global challenges (urbanisation, conservation, plastic pollution), regional studies (Europe, Africa, Asia), and geopolitical processes, ensuring students develop a strong awareness of how geographical concepts apply across different scales and contexts

The increased complexity in content, alongside regular review of concepts introduced in Year 7, promotes secure knowledge and clear learner progress as ideas are revisited, extended, and applied to new contexts.

The sequence has been carefully designed to:

Move from global → regional → thematic studies

Students begin with broad global themes such as urbanisation and sustainability before progressing into regional studies of Europe, Africa, and Asia. They then engage with complex global processes in geopolitics and trade. This sequencing reinforces scale and interdependence, while building on the global–national–local structure introduced in Year 7.

Interleave physical and human geography

By alternating between environmental topics (biomes, climate, ecosystems, plastic pollution) and human themes (urbanisation, economies, geopolitics), students recognise the interconnections between natural systems and socio-economic development. This continues the integrated approach established in Year 7, but at a greater depth and complexity.

Embed key concepts throughout

Each unit explicitly develops 2–3 disciplinary concepts, with progression from Year 7 in both breadth and depth:

Place & Space → Regional studies of Europe, Africa, Asia (building on UK and North America in Year 7)
Environment & Sustainability → Biomes, Plastic Pollution, Conservation (developing earlier work on oceans, polar regions, and hazards)
Scale & Interdependence → Global trade, geopolitics, resource management (expanding Year 7’s focus on development and tourism)
Change & Cultural Awareness → Urbanisation, African and Asian diversity, geopolitical shifts (progressing from Brexit, London, and Harrow development in Year 7)

Develop enquiry and critical thinking

Each unit is enquiry-led, framed around big questions such as “What are the pros and cons of urbanisation?” or “How does climate change affect geopolitics?” Assessments require explanation, analysis, and evaluation, ensuring students not only revisit Year 7 skills but apply them to increasingly complex issues, supporting readiness for KS4.

Connect personal to global

While much of the curriculum focuses on global and regional scales, students are encouraged to connect these issues back to their own lives (e.g., the impact of plastic consumption, urbanisation trends, or global trade networks). This ensures geography remains relevant, tangible, and empowering.

KS3 GEOGRAPHY LEARNER JOURNEY

Learning Journey Learning Journey (KS3 Geography)

Links to YEAR 7 Geography Booklets

Year 7 Unit 1a Worldwide Disasters I

Year 7 Unit 1b Worldwide Disasters II

Year 7 Unit 2a Global Development I

Year 7 Unit 2b Global Development II

Year 7 Unit 3a Geography of the UK I

Year 7 Unit 3b Geography of the UK II

Unit overview - autumn term

Topics: Big Issues in Geography (1), Biomes (1) and Geography of the UK
Skills	The resources develop a broad set of geographical skills. Students practise enquiry-based learning, asking and answering geographical questions such as “What is Geography?”, “Why is development uneven?”, or “How has Brexit changed the UK?” . They gain data analysis skills through interpreting graphs, census data, trade figures, and development indices like GDP and HDI. Map and atlas work is embedded, requiring students to locate, compare, and describe global and national patterns. Fieldwork skills are introduced early, with planning tasks on rivers, land use, and traffic surveys to build confidence in observation, measurement, and evaluation . Students also develop extended writing skills, learning to deconstruct command words, plan arguments, and use geographical terminology accurately to explain patterns, causes, and consequences.
Knowledge	Throughout these units, learners will gain knowledge on: Core disciplinary knowledge: what geography is, the distinction between physical and human geography, and the role of fieldwork . Global issues: development inequality, poverty reduction, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals Physical geography: biomes, ecosystems, and their climatic and environmental characteristics Human geography: population, settlement, trade, and urban change, particularly through UK and London case studies Contemporary challenges: Brexit’s impact on trade, migration, and sovereignty; climate change; and sustainability debates This knowledge base blends factual content (case studies, data, definitions) with conceptual understanding (interdependence, scale, cultural diversity, sustainability).
Rationale	Year 7 Term 1 Geography curriculum is carefully structured to provide students with the foundational knowledge, skills, and concepts that will underpin their progress throughout KS3 and into KS4 and KS5. Each topic introduces essential disciplinary ideas in accessible contexts, while deliberately setting up the knowledge base required for more complex study later. Big Issues in Geography establishes the disciplinary identity of geography, introducing the differences between physical and human geography, the importance of fieldwork, and global challenges such as inequality. These ideas reappear at greater depth in KS3 and are core to GCSE themes such as development, urban issues, and sustainability. Biomes introduces global ecosystems, climate, and adaptations — laying the groundwork for later studies of tropical rainforests, deserts, and cold environments at GCSE, and for deeper evaluation of sustainability and resource management. The UK builds knowledge of the students’ own national context, covering diversity, economy, and political change (e.g., Brexit). These themes provide stepping-stones into GCSE units on UK physical landscapes, economic change, and urban challenges, while also reinforcing concepts of place and cultural awareness.

Unit overview - spring term

Topics: Tourism and North & Central America

Skills

These units continue to develop core geographical enquiry and analytical skills. Students interpret global distribution maps, graphs, and flow diagrams showing tourist patterns and economic data, and they analyse comparative case studies such as UK tourism, the USA, and the Panama Canal. Skills include cause-and-effect reasoning (e.g., why people travel, barriers to tourism, and the consequences of development), decision-making (evaluating sustainable tourism strategies), and critical analysis (assessing impacts on environments and communities). Students also practise extended writing, constructing balanced arguments on sustainability and development, while strengthening numeracy and data handling through tourism statistics and economic information.

Knowledge

Throughout these units, learners will gain knowledge on:

Students acquire a wide-ranging knowledge base that connects human and physical geography:

● Tourism: definitions, motivations for travel, global patterns, barriers (economic, social, environmental), and the impacts of tourism on people, places, and environments. UK tourism provides a national context, while sustainability introduces future-oriented thinking.

● North & Central America: location, scale, and significance; physical geography (landscapes, rivers, climate); diversity of peoples and cultures; and economic variation across the region.

● Case studies: the USA (as a global superpower with wide-ranging economic and cultural influence) and the Panama Canal (a vital link in global trade and interdependence).

This knowledge reinforces the disciplinary concepts of place (understanding unique destinations and regions), space (tourism flows and trade routes), scale (local → global impacts), interdependence (tourism, trade, globalisation), sustainability (tourism management), and cultural awareness (diversity in North & Central America).

Rationale

Year 7 Term 1 Geography curriculum is carefully structured to provide students with the foundational knowledge, skills, and concepts that will underpin their progress throughout KS3 and into KS4 and KS5. Each topic introduces essential disciplinary ideas in accessible contexts, while deliberately setting up the knowledge base required for more complex study later. Tourism offers an early thematic study of one of the world’s fastest-growing industries, interweaving physical and human processes. By learning about motivations, impacts, and sustainability, students are prepared for GCSE topics on economic development, resource management, and the balance between growth and sustainability. North & Central America develops regional knowledge beyond Europe, introducing case studies of the USA and Panama Canal. This reinforces scale, interdependence, and diversity, while directly preparing students for later regional studies at GCSE (e.g., Nigeria, UK, and global ecosystems).

Unit overview - summer term

Topic: Geography of the UK + Map Skills
Skills	These units build a wide range of geographical skills. In Natural Hazards, students develop data interpretation skills through hazard maps, climate graphs, and case study statistics. They also strengthen cause-and-effect reasoning by linking tectonic and atmospheric processes with human vulnerability. In Harrow, enquiry and fieldwork-style skills are prioritised — analysing local geological history, physical features, land use, and socio-economic development. Students practise evaluating change over time in their own community. Map Skills explicitly targets cartographic competence, including grid references, scale, direction, contour interpretation, and use of thematic maps. Collectively, these units sharpen critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving, preparing students for GCSE exam skills and independent fieldwork enquiry.
Knowledge	Throughout these units, learners will gain knowledge on: The three units embed core physical, human, and geographical skills knowledge: Natural Hazards: definitions of hazards, processes behind tectonic (earthquakes, volcanoes) and atmospheric (storms, extreme weather) hazards, and the science and politics of climate change. Case studies give real-world examples of impacts and responses. Harrow: students learn about the geological history of North London, the physical geography of rivers, soils, and landscapes, and the human geography of population, housing, and economic change. Development and regeneration in Harrow provide a local case study of geographical change. Map Skills: consolidation of core geographical knowledge of maps, including OS symbols, choropleth maps, and topographic interpretation. Students also learn how to link map data with fieldwork and wider geographical enquiry.
Rationale	Year 7 Term 1 Geography curriculum is carefully structured to provide students with the foundational knowledge, skills, and concepts that will underpin their progress throughout KS3 and into KS4 and KS5. Each topic introduces essential disciplinary ideas in accessible contexts, while deliberately setting up the knowledge base required for more complex study later. Natural Hazards consolidates KS3 physical geography by covering tectonic and atmospheric hazards and climate change. This unit mirrors GCSE Paper 1 structure and ensures that by the time students revisit hazards at KS4, they already have a conceptual and factual grounding. Harrow provides a local case study, making abstract geographical concepts tangible. By exploring geological history, land use, and socio-economic development in their own community, students learn how to apply enquiry skills in real-world contexts — vital preparation for GCSE fieldwork and urban studies. Map Skills are embedded throughout the year but explicitly revisited to ensure all students develop competence in cartographic techniques, data interpretation, and geographical enquiry methods. These transferable skills are essential not only for GCSE fieldwork and exam questions but also for KS5 independent investigations.

Knowledge OrganiserS

A knowledge organiser is an important document that lists the important facts that learners should know by the end of a unit of work. It is important that learners can recall these facts easily, so that when they are answering challenging questions in their assessments and GCSE and A-Level exams, they are not wasting precious time in exams focusing on remembering simple facts, but making complex arguments and calculations.

We encourage all pupils to use them by doing the following:

Quiz themselves at home, using the read, write, cover, check method.
Practise spelling key vocabulary
Further researching people, events and processes are most relevant to the unit.