Today the spotlight is on the geography department and their Changing Places project. Skills learnt in A level geography are readily transferable to other subjects and provide a good basis for higher education and future employment. The syllabus covers the linear A level across the two years and combines both human and physical geography topics.
Changing places, one of the human geography modules, looks at cultural aspects of geography that have not previously been covered in GCSE geography. This includes how and why people experience places differently, how they are represented and perceived, building on the work of famous cultural geographer Doreen Massey.
Students focused on the Lake District how it is represented. They studied poetry from Defoe, paintings of Buttermere Lake and Wordsworth's Daffodils. They analysed and contrasted these with contemporary representations, such as tourist guides, regional plans and news stories.
To understand the process behind representations, students were tasked with creating one on a place that is meaningful to them. They were given the choice of how to display their representation and the completed projects were judged. The whole year group entered and the department, along with Aidan Hamilton, Director of Faculty, were overwhelmed with the student's work. Aidan said, "I was really impressed with the way that students engaged with this task so wholeheartedly. Deciding on winners was not an easy task as there was such a range of thoughtful and creative material in response to the brief. I must give credit to all the students for their active involvement and also for the commitment of the geography team who set up such an innovative project. Well done to all!"
It was an excellent opportunity for students to think beyond the exam and be creative. Four winners and six runners up were chosen, all receiving a prize.
The winners were
Sophie Ayling, who created an insightful video representation of London
Alice Elliott, who produced a beautiful large booklet on the Watercress Line
Sam Karavis, who wrote a moving account of a balancing pool near his home
Freddie Seversway, who wrote an engaging account of a local park and his connection to it
The runners up were
Josie Howlett, who wrote a thoughtful poem about the Isle of Arran
Ollie Hall, who decorated a cricket bat with his family connections to a local club
Hanna James, who wrote a vivid account of her connection to the Rose Bowl cricket ground
Caroline Thomas, who produced a stunning photographic booklet of Bracklesham Bay
Tyra Hurley, who created a fantastic South African flag, which folds out with pictures and text
Malachi Gair, who made an entertaining Monopoly board of Hartley Wintney
If this has inspired you to look into studying geography and you would like to learn more about the linear A level course we offer, please click here.
