Geography not in decline at Merchiston

The media was filled with headlines today saying that Geography was 'in decline' and that the number of pupils taking Geography on to GCSE and A level was falling. Many schools do not complete any fieldwork because of Health and Safety concerns and this means that many pupils are missing out on an essential part of their education.

However, we are delighted to report that Geography at Merchiston seems to be ‘bucking the trend’ and, indeed, we are seeing an increase in the numbers taking Geography to a higher level. Results are improving every year and we are going on more fieldtrips now than ever before!

Articles such as the one on the BBC website are gloomy about the future of Geography teaching. It talks about the need for ‘greater focus on global issues’. At Merchiston we study climate change at all levels of the school, from I form to U6, and the new AS and A2 syllabus being introduced in September 2008 is heavily weighted, not only towards climate change, but also other, just as critical, global issues such as poverty, water shortages, biodiversity loss and the geography of diseases such as AIDS and SARS.

The article is especially critical of teaching at the lower end of schools. At Merchiston our junior curriculum is the most innovative we have! We have pioneered the use of online assessment and interactive whiteboards with software specifically linked to the course we follow. The Heinemann Geography 360° course offers an excellent grounding in the study of global issues and it also develops skills so vital in all subjects – of analysis, data presentation and debate.

The numbers taking Geography at Merchiston continue to grow. It was the third most popular GCSE choice (behind Biology and Physics) in 2006–2007, with 65% of boys achieving A or A*. In the current year there has been an 80% increase in the numbers taking the subject at A level following 89% gaining A or B grades in 2006–2007.

In many primary and secondary schools the amount of fieldwork being conducted has fallen away dramatically. Inspectors found that ‘teachers were concerned about Health and Safety, time, expertise and budgets’. At Merchiston we are also concerned about all these things, but we are also now conducting more fieldwork than ever before! At a junior level the boys will be conducting both a river and a coast based trip during the summer term. The IV form is offered a trip to see the magnificent natural wonders of Iceland (photo left - in front a glacier, 2007). The GCSE course requires the boys to conduct a detailed individual piece of fieldwork. In the VI form residential trips run to Arran, Lake District and the Cairngorms, with hydrology and urban studies run more locally. Fieldwork is an integral part of the study of Geography at Merchiston.

The report concludes:

‘…there is no more relevant subject than geography … if the aspiration of schools is to create pupils who are active and well-rounded citizens’

We feel that Geography at Merchiston is achieving exactly this.