Geography
The Geography course at the Prep School is constructed to make the subject matter relevant to the lives of the children and is primarily based on human interaction with the world and the environment.

In year 3 Geography emphasis is placed on understanding the concerns over rubbish, pollution and environmental and ecological issues. Children are encouraged to think about their personal impact on the environment through analysis of their favourite leisure activities and day-to-day actions.

Outside ecological concepts topics like sea defences, tides and coastal erosion,
settlements, life in India, water supply and its uses and comparing climates are all features of the early curriculum. By the end of year 4 the children will be using dedicated programs in IT to build reports and presentations culminating in the exciting topic of Earthquakes and Volcanoes. The Prep School utilises the Espresso program, an approved online learning resource, that brings video, photos, factual geography, quizzes, newspaper reports and a host of other links to the classroom as teaching aides.

By Year 5 the children have developed a good understanding of Geographical concepts and can conduct surveys, gather information and apply their knowledge to problem solving tasks. Themes like traffic movement, transport types and their uses, coasts, tides and waves feature on the curriculum but now include aspects of economy and incorporate the ideas of resources and settlement building covered in earlier years.

Once again children are encouraged to think about renewable and alternative energy sources and this part of the curriculum includes a section on wind power and its uses.

Year 6 pupils examine river case studies, the process of river movement and features of the wildlife and environment of water ways. Once again the impact of human activity is also encompassed as the children examine human uses of water and the potential impact on the wildlife and environment.

The geography department utilises a variety of programmes designed to bring the world to the desktop, and work in IT is used to reinforce topics being covered in other aspects of the curriculum. For instance our Castle project is a truly cross curricular topic including elements of IT, Geography and History, in which pupils learn where, and how best to build their castle before designing, labelling and printing their drawings and diagrams for display in the school.