Geography
The department has four members of staff. They are:
Ms. J. Meehan (Faculty Leader)
Mr. G. Quarton
Mr. K. Geary
Mrs A. Healy
All are well qualified, geography specialists and have many years of experience between them.
Pupils receive 2 hours per week of geography in Year 8 and 1 hour in Year s 7 + 9. At GCSE geography is a very popular choice with approx. 50 pupils in Year 11 and 60 pupils in Year 10.
The Department has a good selection of modern resources and all classrooms are fitted with interactive whiteboards. This has enabled further developments of teaching and learning in the classroom.
GCSE exam results has improved over the years. This year in particular the results were good with 55% achieving a A* - C grade.
Lower School Topics
At Key Stage 3 pupils are taught a wide range of topics are taught. Pupils are given an initial assessment soon after joining Canon Lee in year 7. This enables us to find their initial National Curriculum Level from which we can set realistic targets. During Years 7, 8 and 9 assessments are conducted so that firstly, we have an accurate record of the progress of pupils and secondly, we are aware of what needs to be done so that they achieve their full potential. A variety of teaching styles are used including Assessment for Learning in which pupils themselves become much more aware of what is needed to reach specific National Curriculum levels.
Some of the topics covered are:
Map Skills, World Sport, Farming, Rivers, Floods, The Environment, Italy, Japan and Floods
Upper School Topics
At GCSE level there are three components to the course. 1) coursework, which is an investigation about aspects of the York's city centre. This is roughly 2000 words. Some pupils achieve 100% in their coursework and the school has been praised by the exam board with the type of coursework carried out. There are also 2 written exam papers.
Topics included are:
Population, Coasts, Industry, Ice
Fieldwork
This is a vital aspect of geography and in each Year pupils experience some fieldwork. Some examples are Year 7 - River Ouse (floods), Year 8 - Environmental study, Year 10/11 - Weekend residential.