Monday 14 October 2013

GCSE field trip to Norfolk, April 2nd - 4th 2014

Year 10 students should have received a letter about the GCSE fieldtrip to the north Norfolk coast in April 2014. Although some way off, it is essential that reply slips and monies are collected quickly. There is a deadline for deposits (£40) by the 18th October 2013. It would be much appreciated if parents could ensure this money is sent into school by this date. The entire cost of the trip is £140. You may, of course, pay the entire amount in one go if you wish. You may pay in cash, cheque or use the on-line school ParentPay system. Should you require financial assistance, I would urge you to get in touch ASAP.

We have travelled to the Kingswood centre in Overstrand for many years. It is a great place to study coastal environments. The fieldtrip is essential for students as they will use the information collected to write a piece of controlled assessment about how this stretch of coastline is distinctive. As a result of recent changes to the GCSE course, the controlled assessment is now worth 25% of the final grade.  

You can find out more information about the centre by clicking here



Thursday 18 July 2013

Year 8 Geography and History collaborative Local Study

Kenilworth School Geography and History teachers would like to thank all Year 8 students for their efforts on Friday 12th July in Lower School hall, producing brilliant display work for the Local Study. The standard of the work was excellent and judging winners was extremely difficult. However, we came to a decision and will be awarding a first prize to two groups from the morning session (tutor groups C-G) and one group from the afternoon session (tutor groups H-L). There is also a runner up prize for each session. The winning displays will be shown on boards in Lower School hall for the rest of the term. Congratulations to everyone, you all worked hard, showed creativity, teamwork skills and importantly, knowledge of our local area.

Winning students (each will receive a gift vocuher from Amazon - come and collect it at the end of school on Friday)
LUCY JENNINGS (J)
ELLIE TOOTH (J)
MEGAN CASTLE (J)
ABI HIRONS (J)
RUBY DONALDSON (L)

AMY MCGOWAN (K)
EMILY BAULCOMBE (G)
EMILY CARLTON (G)
CECILIA LOPEZ (G)

DANIEL WILLIAMS (C)
LUCY COLE (F)
TANYA KAILEY (G)
JASLEEN HEER (G) BECKY DAVY (F)
PAIGE ROSE (F)

LOUISE EDWARDS (F)


STUDENTS HARD AT WORK ON FRIDAY 12TH JULY IN LOWER SCHOOL HALL – HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY LOCAL STUDY, LOOKING AT IMPACT OF HS2, SHOPPING IN THE AREA, TOURISM AT THE CASTLE, THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION AND THE CASTLE AND THE GROWTH OF THE TOWN










Examples of the quality work produced by students after just two hours

Thursday 11 April 2013

ATTENTION YEAR 11 - important information

You don't have much time before the final exam (Weds 12th June 2013). This exam is worth 50% of your final grade and it is really important that you revise properly for it. You must remember that only 3 out of the 4 topics you have studied will be tested in this exam. In January you sat the SDME exam on the Population & Settlement theme and this will NOT be tested in the final exam - you will only face questions on the following units:
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
RIVERS & COASTS
NATURAL HAZARDS

So, you must revise these topics and the case studies that go with them carefully. This blog has lots of useful revision tips and links (search for them). The Geography dept page on the school VLE aslo has lots of really useful materials on it.
This website, designed by a teacher in another school,  is also an excellent source for revision and you really should visit it

Follow these links to be taken to pages of case studies produced by a Geography teacher called Richard Briggs. They are not the same case studies that you would have studied in your lessons but are good if you have misplaced case study sheets or just some some additional information to revise from.
Rivers and Coasts
Natural Hazards
Economic Development

For those of you who are re-sitting the SDME exam, you should be aware that this time the exam will be on Natural Hazards. The pre-release booklet is available here. Make sure you download a copy and go through it.

GCSE field trip to Norfolk - 29th April to 1st May 2013

We are rapidly approaching the time for the Norfolk Fieldtrip. I will continue to post information up here about the trip as I receive it. At present I cannot tell you about the rooming allocation, but will do so soon. You can prepare by starting conversations with others about who you may wish to share rooms with.
UPDATE: I now have rooming information. Girls need to organise themselves into groups of 4, though there is one room of 6. The Boys dormitories we have been given are quite large this year (ranging from 10 people in a room to 14). If you give me groups of 4-6 I can then put two groups together. Alternatively, if you think you can get enough people together for a whole room then do so and pass either to your class teacher or Mr Spooner as soon as possible, hopefully by the end of the week (19th April)

All food is provided for you, though you will need to have money or a packed lunch for the journey down.

We are due to leave at 9.00am from Upper school on the Monday, so you should be in school at about 8.40am so we can get everything sorted before boarding the bus.

The sort of things you will need to bring are:

Sensible clothing. Layers of clothing are better as they can be taken off or added depending on the weather. The coast can get windy and you should make sure you have enough warm clothing. If you have waterproof clothing that could be useful. Jeans tend not to be the best things to wear as if they get wet they will be uncomfortable.
You will be walking about the coastline, so sensible foootwear is needed. If you have walking boots then bring them.
You should bring toiletries (toothbrush/paste, deodorant, shower gel/soap and a towel etc).
It would be useful if you could take photos, but the school will be providing photos when you return that you can use in your controlled assessment.
If you do take any valuable items then you should be aware that it is at your own risk. The last time we visited the centre there were no locks on dormitory doors.
You should bring pens and pencils.
Remember, that it is vital that you know exactly what is going on during the trip and that you are part of all of the data collection process as you will be examined on these when we return and you will not be given much (if any) help. The 2000 words that you write will be marked and is worth 25% of your final grade.

Ask your teacher if you have any questions.

Saturday 17 November 2012

FIELDTRIPS - Norfolk (GCSE) and Cornwall (AS Level)

AS trip to Cornwall, Constantine Bay
A quick reminder for all Year 10 and Year 12 students and parents - reply slips, payments and medical forms need to be returned need to be returned as soon as possible for these trips.

The final payment for the GCSE trip is 7th December 2012, though earlier payment would be appreciated.
The A-level trip has a deadline of 30th November 2012 for the initial payment.


If you have misplaced your medical form then you can download one by following this link

Year 10 students measuring beach profiles in Norfolk
Both of these trips are essential parts of the course.The data collected on the GCSE trip to Norfolk will be used to write a controlled assessment that is now worth 25% of the final GCSE grade (changes made to the syllabus this year). The information gathered and the experience of different fieldwork techniques for the A-level trip will be helpful when students sit their Unit 2 exam in the summer.

Of course, an additional benefit for both trips is the idea of developing independence and the ability to mix and work with others. Building team skills and confidence is an important part of the fieldtrip experience, as well as learning about Geography.

Monday 22 October 2012

Italian scientists sentenced to prison for failing to predict earthquake accurately!

Six scientists in Italy have been sentenced to prison for manslaughter for failing to properly predict an earthquake that killed 309 people in 2009. Judges in Italy found the men guilty of giving "falsely reassuring" statements before the earthquake. The scientists lawyers insisted that there is no way of accurately predicting earthquakes. The men have been sentenced to 6 years in jail.

It is pretty much impossible to give accurate predictions about earthquakes, so many believe that sentencing the scientists is unfair. It is hoped that the decision will be overturned.

Read the full BBC report here

Can we predict earthquakes?

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Ageing population in China

China has experienced rapid economic growth over the past decade or so, but this is jeopardised by an ageing population. This link will take you to a short BBC video report about what is happening in China and the problems they could experience. In 20 years the number of Chinese aged 60+ will double, meaning there will be more retired people in China than the entire population of Western Europe.

What can be done about ageing population? Are there any solutions? Is an ageing population entirely negative, or can we find positives? Where else in the world do we see an ageing of the population and why is this happening?

Click here to read an in depth BBC report on China's ageing population from Sept 20th 2012.
More details on China's ageing population
The economic time bomb - China growing old before it can grow rich? May 2012

Tuesday 18 September 2012

GCSE fieldtrip to Norfolk - 29th April to 1st May 2013

Year 10 students should, this week, receive a letter about the GCSE fieldtrip to the north Norfolk coast in April 2013. Although some way off, it is essential that reply slips and monies are collected quickly. There is a deadline for deposits (£40) by the 28th September. It would be much appreciated if parents could ensure this money is sent into school by this date. The entire cost of the trip is £140. You may, of course, pay the entire amount in one go if you wish. You may pay in cash, cheque or use the on-line school ParentPay system. Should you require financial assistance, I would urge you to get in touch ASAP.

We have travelled to the Kingswood centre in Overstrand for many years. It is a great place to study coastal environments. The fieldtrip is essential for students as they will use the information collected to write a piece of controlled assessment about how this stretch of coastline is distinctive. As a result of recent changes to the GCSE course, the controlled assessment is now worth 25% of the final grade.  

You can find out more information about the centre by clicking here



AS level Cornwall Fieldtrip, March 2009

Rebranding Cornwall - Year 12 fieldtrip

Year 10 trip to Swanage, Dorset (June 2010)

What's your travel IQ?


This Traveler IQ challenge compares your geographical knowledge against the Web's First Travel Blog's other 4,605,907 travelers who have taken this challenge as of Saturday, October 03, 2009 at 07:25PM GMT. (TravelPod is a member of the TripAdvisor Media Network) 

Hurricane Katrina, August 2005

Listen to an interview with the designer of the floating house.

What is Sustainable development?


Eco Schools!

You may or may not be aware that the government would like all schools to be sustainable by the year 2020 (see the video on sustainability above. There is another video below about practical things we can do to reduce climate change)

You can find out being sustainble means for schools by clicking on this link.

So....what is a sustainable school?

A sustainable school prepares young people for a lifetime of sustainable living, through its teaching and its day-to-day practices. It is guided by a commitment to care:

• For ourselves (out health and well-being)
• For others (across cultures, distances and generations) and
• For the planet (both locally and globally

A Sustainable School puts a high value on the well-being of its pupils and the school environment. We aim to:

• Waste little and recycle, compost or donate anything surplus
• Support local suppliers where possible
• Perhaps collect rainwater for schools ground maintenance and
• Have a zero tolerance approach to litter, graffiti and bullying.
• Save electricity and gas
• Reduce water waste.
• Look at using renewable energy resources.

If making sure the school is sustainable and doing the best it can for the environment is something that interests you then you should join the school eco team. Speak to Mrs Whewell or Mrs Pointon (go to main reception to ask for them) or go to the next meeting of the Eco group

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