Post-16 & HE Phase Committee
GEOGRAPHY
MATTERS
Volume 10
Number 1
Spring 2007
Climate Change for A Level
This years’ Conference edition of our newsletter, Geography Matters, is focused on
fieldwork, the new A levels, and students’ entry to Higher Education. Antony Allchin has
carried out a detailed analysis of HE entry requirements since 2002 and presents a summary
of his findings, while Alan Marriott has been investigating the student and staff experience of
the transition from the sixth form to Higher Education. While coursework has been virtually
banished from forthcoming GCSE and GCE geography specifications, fieldwork will remain
an essential geographical skill. David Weight reports on his successful field excursion to
look at the regeneration scheme at Holbeck urban village in Leeds and his next trip is
planned for Autumn (see page 12 for details), and Helen Hore sounds the cry for fieldwork
from behind the waterfall! See also page 13 for details of Alan Marriott’s trip in May looking
at industrial development on the south Humber bank.
Contents
Page
Chair’s notes, Mick Dawson
2
Editorial: The future for A levels, Viv Pointon
2
An analysis of change in A level grade requirements for HE between 2002 and 2007,
Antony Allchin
4
The transition from A level to degree geography: Discussions with staff and students
at selected universities, Alan Marriott
4
Behind the waterfall: Why do fieldwork? Helen Hore
9
Report on the GA Post-16 & HE Holbeck Urban Village field excursion, October 2006,
David Weight
11
Geography Matters is now accessible online at www.geography.org.uk/post16, reducing the
need to produce this environmentally-hostile version – please recycle appropriately!
Geography Matters is the newsletter of the Geographical Association (GA) Post-16 and HE Phase
Committee and the University & College Union (UCU) Geography Section. The views expressed are
those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the GA or UCU.
Geography Matters is edited by Dr Viv Pointon: vivpointon@hotmail.com
The GA is based at 160 Solly Street, Sheffield S1 4BF. Website: http://www.geography.org.uk.
-1-
Geography Matters
Chair’s notes
Welcome to the Spring 2007 edition of Geography Matters and many thanks to Viv Pointon
for putting it together in time for Conference. Geography is now occupying a more central
stage position and the Post-16 and Higher Education Phase Committee congratulates David
Lambert and the rest of the G-team for helping to make this high profile possible (hope you
all heard The Today Programme G-Spot broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on New Year’s Day).
However, there is still much to do. The Post-16 and HE Phase Committee has been working
with the Secondary Phase Committee and the GA's Education Committee to influence the
new A Level and GCSE specifications to protect and enhance fieldwork and geographical
enquiry. Conference gives us all a further opportunity to have an influence on this and we
hope you will participate in the appropriate sessions.
We also hope that more new members will join the Committee at our AGM (please see the
advert later on). If you are interested in becoming a member then please join us at 12.45 on
Friday 13th April at our stand at the exhibition for a drink and talk to members of the
Committee.
This is a good point to say a formal thank you to Sheila Morris who has worked so hard for
the Committee and the GA over the years. We are so pleased that, at the Awards
Presentation on Thursday evening at Conference, Sheila will be awarded Honorary
Membership in recognition of her work for geography.
Finally, members of the Post-16 & HE Phase Committee are either organising or presenting
some of the sessions at the Conference so thank you to them and I hope you will give them
your support.
Hope to see you there.
Mick Dawson
Chair, Geographical Association Post-16 & HE Phase Committee
mdawson@brooklands.ac.uk
Editorial: The future for A levels et al
The revision of the GCE AS and A Level specifications is almost complete and the awarding
bodies await their accreditation by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). By
September, the new specifications will be available to all centres ready for first teaching in
September 2008 and first AS examinations in 2009 (with the first A2 examinations in 2010).
In the last year, the Geographical Association has actively sought to encourage the
examination boards to be more adventurous in the rewriting of their specifications. They
have not disappointed us. In truth, responding to the Government’s request to reduce the
number of syllabuses on offer (effectively from eight to five) has forced some radical
rethinking by their authors and there are some exciting and innovative new elements in all
the specifications. A much greater place for climate change is one common theme, some
have made it a central topic for AS.
One board has opted almost to abandon
geomorphology, while another has increased its coverage. This is as it should be: a real
chance for teachers to choose that which best suits their students.
-2-
Post-16 & HE Phase Committee
If climate change is the new rainforest, then globalisation is the new sustainable
development. New approaches to human geography in particular will bring A levels much
closer to the nature of the subject as it is taught at degree level. We welcome the inclusion
of cultural and political geographies appearing in various guises: social inequalities and
deprivation, health and welfare, crime, food, energy and water issues – the idea of conflict is
tackled in various contexts. At last, the old shackles of population, settlement and economic
activity have been broken and A level human geography is meeting the twenty–first century
head on!
In addition, the Cambridge Pre-U Diploma, in which I must declare an interest having
contributed to its development, awaits approval from the QCA. The geography syllabus,
which should be available as a stand-alone certificate, contains some innovative elements
such as options on housing, crime, pollution, and water environments (oceans rather than
coasts and rivers). There is also a radically different form of coursework (QCA permitting)
which may be submitted in electronic form or by way of an oral presentation. At the very
least we may hope that such new ideas may feed into the mainstream. At present the Pre-U
has been welcomed by some universities but it is only available to public schools. This
situation is untenable, of course; sixth-form students must be able to compete equally; the
existence of a qualification that is available only to the privileged few is unacceptable.
Meanwhile, the Government is encouraging wider access to the International Baccalaureate
with targeted funding. So, from September 2008, there will be fewer A level specifications
from which to choose but possibly two alternatives to A level. The topic range within the
specifications will provide a greater contrast than previously, thus expanding choice. The
loss of coursework may be compensated by some new forms of assessment. So the climate
is changing in sixth-form geography and the future is looking very exciting – let’s embrace it!
Viv Pointon
Freelance Geographer,
vivpointon@hotmail.com
The Post-16 and HE Phase at
The GA Post-16 and HE Phase Committee
& UCU Geography Section AGM
Friday 13th April 2007 at 12.45
CONFERENCE
PROGRAM
Conference
delegates from school sixth forms, sixth-form,
tertiary and FE colleges, HE colleges and universities
are invited to the Post-16 & HE Committee’s AGM
adjacent to our stand at the Conference.
Wine and light refreshments will be provided.
-3-
Geography Matters
An analysis of change in A level Geography grade requirements for
HE between 2002 and 2007
Table 1 (page 5) is a summary of the data which have been taken from the stated entry
requirements on the UCAS website for entry in 2002, 2004 and 2007. The grades have been
converted to points (E=40, D=60, C=80, B=100, A=120) and the ranges have been averaged
(e.g. a stated requirement of 180-220 points becomes 200). There were 55 single honours
courses offered in geography but the sample does not include all the institutions which offer
degree-level geography because
 Some do not offer single honours geography;
 Some did not offer geography in all three years, 2002, 2004 and 2007 (changes of
name may have affected this);
 Some data is or was missing on the UCAS website.
The average entry demand for students applying to study geography at university has
increased by 22 UCAS points – the equivalent of just above one A level grade. Only four
(7%) of the universities showed a decrease in their offer, 14 (25%) stayed the same, and 37
(67%) increased. Of the increases, 22 represent more than one grade: 16 by approximately
two grades, three increasing by three grades, and three by more than three grades. The
highest increase was shared by Coventry and Derby; Coventry’s offer has increased from
200 to 280 points (say from CDD to BBC), and Derby’s from 120-140 to 180-240.
The interim 2004 offers have also been considered. These show that most of the change
has taken place over the last three years. Between 2002 and 2004 the average offer
increased by only six points, with nearly half (26) of the 55 universities unchanged, whereas
between 2004 and 2007 the average increase was 16 UCAS points.
Antony Allchin
Head of Geography, Worthing College
The transition from A level to degree geography:
Discussions with staff and students at selected universities
A version of this report appeared in Teaching Geography, Volume 32, Number 1, Spring 2007
1. Method
1.1. Open-ended interviews were conducted with academic staff and students at three
universities (Cambridge, Hull and Sheffield) between 28th October 2005 and 6th March 2006.
At one university two interviews were conducted, one with a member of staff and one with
four first year students (all male); at another a single discussion was held with two members
of staff and two students (both female, one second year, one final year); at the third there
were three separate discussions, one with a member of staff, one with five students (two final
year females, and two first year females and one male), and one with a single student (male,
second year). Several interviewees made additional comments by e-mail. Emails were also
received from a lecturer at Derby University.
1.2. No attempt was made to select a representative sample of universities, staff or students.
In particular it should be noted that practically all the students were volunteers identified by
the staff interviewees and the selection process may well have missed disaffected
individuals.
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Post-16 & HE Phase Committee
Table 1: Points and grades requirement by University
UNIVERSITY
Aberdeen
Wales (Aberystwyth)
Bath Spa
Birmingham
Brighton
Bristol
West of England (Bristol)
Cambridge
Canterbury
Central Lancashire
Chester
Coventry
Derby
Dundee
Durham
Edge Hill College
Edinburgh
Exeter
Glamorgan
Greenwich
Hertfordshire
Hull
Kings
Kingston
Lancaster
Leeds
Leicester
Liverpool
Liverpool John Moores
LSE
Loughborough
Manchester
Manchester Metropolitan
Newcastle
Northampton
Northumbria
Nottingham
Oxford
Plymouth
Portsmouth
QMC
Royal Holloway
Sheffield
St Martins Lancaster
Southampton
St Mary's College
Staffordshire
Sunderland
Sussex
Swansea
Ulster
UCL
Westminster
Wolverhampton
Worcester
GEOGRAPHY
REQUIREMENT
2007
200-240
ABB-BBB
AAA-AAB
200-280
AAA
CC
200-240
260
180-240
AAB
BBB
160-240
200-280
240-300
BBB
ABB-BBB
ABB
260-320
180-240
BBB
AAB-ABB
ABB
180-220
240
AAA-AAB
AAA-AAB
260-280
280-320
ABB-Abbb
AAB-ABB
160-200
160-240
160-360
BBB
AABe-ABBe
CCC
160-220
AVERAGE POINT
SCORE 2007
240
300
220
310
240
350
240
360
160
220
260
280
210
240
340
180
300
300
200
240
220
270
300
240
310
320
290
320
210
300
300
330
200
320
200
240
350
350
270
280
300
320
320
200
330
180
200
260
300
300
220
350
240
190
140
-5-
POINTS
CHANGE
2004-7
40
30
60
10
0
20
0
20
0
40
40
40
50
10
0
0
0
-10
40
20
20
10
30
20
30
20
0
20
0
0
20
20
0
20
20
20
20
0
10
60
30
20
20
40
-40
30
-40
-40
10
30
-40
50
0
0
60
POINTS
CHANGE
2002-7
40
30
80
0
0
30
10
20
0
40
60
80
80
40
20
60
20
20
40
20
0
10
0
20
30
20
0
20
0
0
-10
40
-5
40
0
10
20
0
10
40
30
40
0
40
-20
40
-40
0
40
30
20
30
0
0
60
Geography Matters
2. The Nature of the Transition from A level to University: development or
discontinuity?
2.1. Although there has been a good deal of discussion and comment on the problems of
transition from A level to degree geography the precise nature of the problem has not been
clearly identified. (There is also, of course, a similar, if less intense, debate about problems
of transition from GCSE to A level.) Steady progress in knowledge and skill development is
the desirable objective but there is a danger that the analysis is complicated by the
terminology used. For example, ‘repetition’ is bad, but ‘consolidation’ good.
2.2. Geography at degree level study needs to be demonstrably the same subject as at A
level so there needs to be a substantial amount of continuity with similar problems and
issues examined with a similar factual base using similar analytical concepts. It is also a
truism that degree level study must offer something over and above A level. Students should
be exposed to new knowledge and skills, they should consider new problems using concepts
that are new to them.
3. The subject matter gap/overlap
3.1. Students and staff appeared to be more or less equally aware of contrasts and
overlapping in subject matter. In general physical geography seemed more similar pre- and
post-A level and human geography more different. Some students had experienced some
repetition of topics from A level, e.g. glaciation/cryosphere, but this was not regarded as a
problem. From the perspectives of some lecturers what was more of a problem was the
difficulty of some students in approaching issues in an appropriate style, e.g. looking for
more scientific explanations in physical geography and adopting a more challenging,
discursive approach in human geography. Many students have difficulty making the
intellectual step from an appreciation of physical geography issues to processes. At A level
the impact on human activity of, say, flooding receives as much emphasis as the causes of
flooding, “but it’s sold to them as ‘physical’ geography” (lecturer).
3.2. Both staff and students agreed that the bigger contrasts in terms of content were in
human geography topics and especially in cultural and social geography. Not only is the
content of these courses new to most A level students, the style is sharply different from A
level, with vigorous debate and an inquisitorial approach being the norm. Two detailed
comments were:
Human geography is a drastic change as at A level you are doing more
statistical based work and looking at patterns (e.g. urbanisation and counter
urbanisation). At degree level it’s more of a mixture of history and other subjects
that are not necessarily number based (first year student);
and:
Human geog, far more vast compared to A level (concerned with central place
theory, population, settlement studies) whereas at degree there is a focus . . .
on a ‘critical’ approach of looking deeper into studies and asking questions of
factors and processes, not accepting that historical influences ‘just happened’
(first year student).
4. The skills gap
4.1. Academic staff clearly perceived skills as a more important discontinuity than subject
content. In particular students were seen as weak in essay writing skills, skills of organising
and developing their ideas in continuous prose. Students whose A level courses had not
fostered essay writing skills, especially students who had followed science complementary A
levels, found the challenge a significant one. Even those with some experience of essay
writing found the changed expectations a challenge.
-6-
Post-16 & HE Phase Committee
4.2. Probably many university academics do not appreciate the extent to which essay writing
has disappeared from the A level geography curriculum. One suggested, only partly in jest,
that the department would do better to recruit students with an A level in English because of
their ability to structure an essay. And at another university efforts were made to anticipate
the problem during recruitment and applicants were asked to bring an essay they had
written, not necessarily in geography, with them to interview.
4.3. Students felt even more challenged by the whole ethos of learning at university. There is
a sharp difference between ‘spoon feeding’ (a student’s term) at A level and independent
learning at university.
The biggest change was the amount of independent learning… Getting to grips
with being entirely self-motivated was the biggest jump for me although support is
available (final year student);
and
I think learning style was the largest change, particularly learning how to use
reading lists and realising that it is impossible to cover everything you might want
in one essay… Moving from a classroom [with] an interactive environment to a
lecture hall presents challenges, such as the need for people to understand
without asking questions (second year student)
4.4. A student’s comment about assessment, points to another difference that independent
learning entails. This student suggested that the refusal of university lecturers to read
coursework before submission for assessment is a very significant difference from practice at
A level.
4.5. One lecturer had noticed that a high proportion, about half, of the students did not make
notes during lectures. In discussion students suggested that the absence of this specific
learning skill may be related to the more teacher-directed type of learning typical at A level
where teachers provide much more specific guidance on what should be learned including
handouts.
4.6. Whether there could be a link with student attitudes to learning in general and the
subject in particular is not clear. One lecturer thought that
lack of general, non-examined work, and other (school) factors have led to
students being overly focussed on ‘exam-passing’ at the expense of an interest
in the subject of geography.
And a student reported a case of a lecturer’s style being criticised
because (s)he was throwing ideas and theories at people, which required
listening to and thinking about (student),
i.e. the lecturer was being too demanding.
5. Discussion
5.1. The students interviewed did not seem to regard progression from A level to degree
level study a serious problem. They recognised the newness of cultural and social geography
which differs sharply in content and method from anything at A level. But all accepted the
stimulus and many welcomed it. In general students considered the sharp change in
learning/teaching styles the most challenging change from A level.
5.2. University lecturing staff are aware of the newness of the intellectual experience that
cultural geography brings students but regard that as an appropriate demand to put on the
students. Generally their main concern is with the skills with which new students approach
the course, especially essay-writing skills. There is no ready solution to this mismatch.
Disadvantaging students whose A levels had not developed these skills would be unfair.
-7-
Geography Matters
5.3. There seems to be a strong association between the choices made by students at A
level and the specialisms later in their degree courses. Students who had followed arts and
social science A levels tend to specialise in human geography, while students who had
studied science A levels specialise in physical geography. A level choice affects the
readiness with which students engage with different elements on their course. For example:
I did four ‘arts’ A levels and found that while I adapted to writing longer and
more in-depth essays, I struggled with more advanced nature of physical
geography. This was particularly the case with the parts of the course which
used maths to a higher level than I had ever been taught. The stats practical
module... is a good example (second year student);
and:
Having done a range of AS and A levels (geography, environmental science,
English, biology, sociology and French) helped to deal with the broad range of
subjects you cover in your degree… However, having not really concentrated
on science or numerical subjects I have tended to stay away from purely
physical subjects involving a lot of mathematical or scientific equation work
(final year student).
5.4. Discussion of the students’ A level background emphasises that it is not just the content
of the geography syllabuses but the whole portfolio of courses at A level that is relevant since
students have a wide range of complementary subjects at A level. This implies that a more
closely defined A level curriculum may have only a marginal impact on the preparedness of
students for their degree course. In truth the breadth and eclecticism of geography makes
unusually wide range of skills potentially desirable at degree level (depending on areas of
specialisation).
5.5. The formal structures that define the nature of geography at degree and A level are the
QAA Benchmarks and QCA Criteria. But it should be noted that not all students join
geography courses with an A level in geography. An International Baccalaureate style
course would enable students to join their degree courses with similar experiences at 16-19.
But that is a separate discussion. In any case, at some universities an increasing proportion
joins as mature students and with unconventional qualifications.
5.6. Perhaps ‘progression’ in geography is a tenuous concept. Not many topics dealt with in
a degree course depend on prior learning (in contrast with physics or maths). In geography
progression is associated with the developing intellectual capabilities of the students rather
than content which directly builds on prior learning.
5.7. Ultimately geography must continue to aim for quality provision for both A level and
degree students. One student spoke of the inspiring A level teacher who generated
enthusiasm for the subject and not just for passing the examination:
he took particular themes and taught to a level beyond what was needed for the
course (second year student).
And it seems that the quality of teaching provision was good in the university where:
[although] no one checks if you are in lectures or not… Geography has a high
lecture attendance compared with some subjects where very few people go to
lectures as they do not see them as useful. Very few lectures are irrelevant or
unhelpful and so most people make an effort to attend as many as possible if
not all. (final year student).
These comments suggest that the biggest challenge for geography is to offer courses that
are well-designed and well taught to attract students at all levels.
Alan Marriott
Member, P16 & HE Committee
-8-
Post-16 & HE Phase Committee
Behind the waterfall: Why do fieldwork?
We all face an increasing barrage of pressures in planning and conducting fieldwork with
students: risk assessment for each activity, the fear of accidents, increasing costs, obtaining
time out from school or college, student behaviour. Now that field-based coursework will be
removed from the AS and A2 specifications from 2008, what is the incentive to take students
out on fieldtrips?
The primary aim of fieldwork is to provide insight and understanding into aspects of
geography, both physical and human, which will enable the student to understand more
deeply what is going on in the world around them. That understanding might be seeing how
a process operates, such as onshore winds blowing sand from a wide sandy beach to collect
as dunes, which are then stabilised by marram grass with its extensive root system. Or it
might be seeing the impacts of urban renewal in a city centre and the role of global firms in
this process, before hearing the impact on different communities. Experiential learning can
be the most profound because it attacks our senses and emotions and it takes place in a real
world setting. What makes fieldwork memorable are the feelings of cold or heat, the need to
be sure of our location, the sound of the water rushing underground and the desperation in
people’s voices when they explain how closing rural services will affect their day to day lives
and it demands a response from the students!
Fieldwork in geography has a number of important objectives:



It develops a knowledge and understanding of place, both in the local area and
in visiting contrasting environments.
It offers students the chance to examine the present-day impacts of change and
solutions to actual problems, rather than past ones, described in text books.
It enables students to develop their geographical skills – map reading and
interpretation, data collection and recording, mathematical skills, sketching, and
above all the skill of analysis, or to put in into ordinary language, ‘thinking and
linking’!
Opportunities for the use and application of new technologies are a further reason for
insisting on fieldwork experience. Digital photographs can be analysed as a whole class
activity on an interactive whiteboard and linked to the use of packages such as memory map,
with its 3D graphics. Students can be introduced to GPS systems along with map reading to
appreciate the need for accurate location in route finding as well as in surveying and
geological prospecting. This demonstrates real-world application and improves safety.
At Central Sussex College, we run a 4 –day residential field course to South Wales early on
during the first term of the AS year. This enables us to develop experience of fieldwork and
to build up knowledge of case study material which we can build on during the year, such as
river features, a study of limestone features and cave formations, settlement patterns and
processes in the Rhondda valleys. This visit enables us to develop the concept of the region
of South Wales as a distinct unit, through a linked study of the geology and how it led to coal
mining and metal smelting and how global processes now influence the type of jobs and
investment patterns. Using the thinking behind the ‘learning cycle’, we can reflect on the
fieldwork experiences to develop generalisations and apply them in studying other examples
from different places.
The visual interpretation of landscape is a useful initial tool in dissecting the ‘layers’ of the
palimpsest. The present-day landscape of South Wales bears the imprints of a range of
human activities on top of the recent and past physical processes. Students improve their
observational skills by unravelling these layers and use ideas from doing this to set up
hypotheses for more detailed investigations.
-9-
Geography Matters
Students gain experience of a contrasting environment from the one in which they live. They
have an opportunity to talk to people and hear how economic changes affect their lives
directly. This adventure provides an opportunity for teamwork and develops cohesion
amongst the year group. Students are given opportunities to work together in groups, to
show initiative and to develop confidence. They get to know their peers and teachers better
and there is more time to reflect on learning and have fun! The waterfalls along the Afon
Mellte and Afon Hepste in the Millstone Grit Series, provide a feast for the senses and
reaching the Scwd yr Eira Falls (Fig. 1) is often a test of map reading skills! Waterfalls are
accessible and spectacular features which require geographical analysis and never fail to
please.
Fig 1 Behind the waterfall – an experience not to be missed!
A residential visit requires suitable accommodation, ideally with classroom facilities and
resources. The Dare Valley Country Park on the outskirts of Aberdare, offers an ideal venue
for secondary and sixth form students. It is well placed to examine the impacts of industry on
the landscape and to experience the grandeur of the Brecon Beacons. The small museum
and the local knowledge of staff provide invaluable resources. Later in the year, students will
take part in fieldwork which involves hypothesis-testing, data collection and statistical
analysis, and also have the opportunity to attend a study tour abroad.
Fieldwork matters! Take your students to different and inspiring locations. It is vital that
fieldwork and residential visits remain part of the learning experience in geography in spite of
the additional pressures which this gives us.
References
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/experience.htm - the learning cycle of Kolb and
Honey and Mumford.
http://www.cynonvalley.co.uk/dvcp2/ - Dare Valley Country Park.
Hudson, B. J. Waterfalls, Tourism and Landscape, 2006,(Spring Edition) Geography.
Helen Hore
Subject Leader for Geography and Geology, Haywards Heath Sixth Form Centre, Central
Sussex College.
- 10 -
Post-16 & HE Phase Committee
Report on the GA Post-16 & HE Holbeck Urban Village field
excursion, October 2006
For the second year, the GA’s Post-16 & HE urban field excursion in Leeds was blessed with
a bright and crisp October morning. A dozen or so Yorkshire-based Post-16 & HE teachers
gathered at Leeds Central Station and meandered around inner city Holbeck, site of an
urban village regeneration project. The walking tour considered the industrial development of
Leeds and the impacts of deindustrialisation on the former industrial heart of the city.
Holbeck has some 33 listed buildings in its urban village boundary and there are exciting
redevelopment projects based around this rich industrial heritage. The excursion provided
plenty of opportunity for colleagues to discuss the current and proposed regeneration
scheme, and it was generally agreed that a follow-up trip would be worthwhile in October
2008 to evaluate progress. In the meantime, there will be a field excursion around the Leeds
Waterfront on Saturday 6th October 2007 (contact Post-16 & HE Phase Committee member
Dave Weight for details: daw@harrogatehigh.co.uk).
Situated a few hundred metres
from Leeds CBD, the Holbeck
Urban Village redevelopment
project is expected to create
investment of £800 million and
5,000 jobs.
Marshall’s Mill, built between
1791-92, used water drawn from
the nearby Hol Beck to steampower nearly 7,000 spindles.
Now the mill has been converted
to tertiary office-based use.
Fieldwork and clipboards. There
is always plenty of lively
discussion, as well as notetaking, as colleagues consider
the merits and pitfalls of
sustainable urban development.
Opened in 1864, Colonel
Harding’s Tower Works still boast
its impressive Italianate
chimneys. The site is now
designated as a flagship project
for Holbeck Urban Village.
David Weight
Head of Geography, Harrogate High School
- 11 -
Geography Matters
The Geographical Association
Post-16 and Higher Education Phase Committee
& UCU Geography Section
Leeds Waterfront Urban Regeneration
Fieldtrip
A walking tour of the regeneration of the Leeds Waterfront.
The fieldtrip will consider the role of geographical factors in the
changing fortunes of the city’s central riverside zone.
Saturday 6th October 2007
11.00 am – 1.00 pm
Meeting points:
Leeds Central Railway Station (WH Smiths concourse) at 10.45am or
Granary Wharf (River Aire bridge in the ‘Dark Arches’) at 10.55am.
Full set of handouts for all participants.
No charge!
For further details and to book a place please contact:
Dave Weight
Harrogate High School
Ainsty Road
Harrogate HG1 4AP
Tel 01423 548800
Email: daw@harrogatehigh.co.uk
- 12 -
Post-16 & HE Phase Committee
The Geographical Association
Post-16 and Higher Education Phase Committee
& UCU Geography Section
Industrial Development
on the South Humber Bank
A field trip led by Alan Marriott
Saturday 19th May 2007
10.30 am to 2.30/3.00 pm
Industrial development began in the late 1940s with major chemical
plants. Chemical industries remain the distinguishing characteristic of the
area’s industry but there are also oil refineries from the 1960s and gas
power stations from the1980s, and various other activities.
The visit will start and end at Grimsby and will include the pioneer
chemical factories in their urban and port context, the effect of changing
waste disposal standards and the SSSI in the Humber mud flats, oil and
gas developments at Immingham and Killingholme, and the contrasting
smaller scale activities at Killingholme Haven.
Cost: £4
GA or UCU members: £3
Due to transport difficulties
Places are limited
so please book early
by e-mail to
am@atmarriott.fsnet.co.uk
or telephone
01472 359048
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Geography Matters
The Geographical Association
Post-16 and Higher Education Phase Committee
& UCU Geography Section
Events at the Derby Conference, April 2007
Friday 13th April
11.30-12.20
WORKSHOP 9: Approaching the new specifications
Viv Pointon
Freelance Geographer
Saturday 14th April
LECTURE 9:
10.10-11.00
Housing in crisis
Alan Marvell
Senior Lecturer in Geography
Bath Spa University
Why not join us!
The Post-16 and Higher Education Phase Committee
promotes and safeguards the study and teaching
of post-compulsory sector Geography.
If you work in a school sixth-form, college or university
and would like to join the Committee,
please contact us at Conference or by email.
NQTs and student teacher are especially welcome.
To find out more about the work and activities of the Committee,
visit our stand at Conference
or see the Post-16 and HE area of the GA’s website,
www.geography.org.uk
or contact the Committee Chair, Mick Dawson,
mdawson@brooklands.ac.uk
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