Why do we teach Geography?

Geography means the world to us! Our vision is to make the world a better place for our students, our community and our distant neighbours in the global village by nurturing, supporting, inspiring and challenging one another so that we may achieve success, lead fulfilling lives and be empowered to make a difference in the world. Our mission is to share this passion for the world and open our students’ eyes to the great beauty, diversity, wonder, power and dynamism of planet Earth. We aim to broaden the knowledge, deepen the understanding and improve the skills of students and staff alike as we embark together on a learning journey that starts here and now but will last for a lifetime and could take us anywhere. We want to spark the curiosity of our students, inspire a love of learning, open minds and widen horizons. Our values are built around respect, endeavour, the pursuit of excellence and the belief that we achieve more when we work together. You know where you are with geography!

Geography is the study of the world – our subject matter is almost without limit, so what defines us as geographers is our approach to study and learning. Geographers see the world differently. We are interested in what makes places unique and what makes them interdependent; we are interested in the issues that threaten people, environments and landscapes and what alternative futures might look like. We seek to make sense of the world around us by looking for patterns and connections, studying processes and relationships, evaluating problems and solutions in a world that can appear messy and confused.

In our curriculum we set out to broaden our students’ horizons and open our students’ eyes to the wonder, beauty, power, dynamism and diversity of our planet; and we expect them to reflect on their own sense of place and place in the world.

We set out to convey the relevance, significance and topicality of Geography to our students’ lives and the lives of people they will never meet; and we expect them to develop a concern for the local and global environment and empathy with people around the world.

We set out to spark our students’ curiosity about the world around them; and we expect them to critically question and systematically investigate, becoming increasingly confident about researching their own questions.

We set out to challenge our students’ thinking and attitudes; and we expect them to develop their own views and values about issues that affect our changing world and be able to make informed decisions.

We set out to instill in our students the importance of knowledge and understanding of people and places, patterns and processes, challenges and change; and we expect them to pursue their learning with purpose and commitment to achieve excellence, accuracy and rigour.

We set out to prepare our students for their future by helping them to develop a broad array of skills and enabling them to be effective lifelong learners; and we expect them to take a positive approach to creating a fulfilling future for themselves and a sustainable future for our world.