Hello and Welcome,

I am very happy to see that you have chosen to study Geography A level. You have made an excellent choice (in my opinion), Geography is an amazing subject and one of the top subjects employers and universities like to see (Department of Trade and Industry 2001).

As part of A level study at Newstead Wood we like you to prepare for this course by undertaking some tasks to brush up on your research and communication skills and begin to widen your reading across this vast subject.

Residential Fieldtrip

I would like you to read through the fieldtrip letter here. We are running a residential fieldtrip  to Devon in November so that you can start to work on your Geography NEA (coursework). This is an essential trip and so please make sure a parent or guardian reads this letter so that it doesn't come as a shock in September.

Bridging Units

Bridging Units are a pre-study task to prepare you for something you are going to study in detail at the beginning of your A level. At Newstead you will be learning two or more aspects of Geography at the same time by attending lessons with different teachers. For the start of the A level, Miss Garswood will be teaching you coastal geography and Mr Burn will be studying regeneration. Therefore we have each prepared a bridging unit for you to work on:

The Regeneration unit concentrates on one of two major case study locations we will use in this topic, London Docklands. The work you do in this unit will make it much easier for you to get to grips with this location and learn faster and at a greater depth.

The Coastal unit is an opportunity to reinforce your coastal geography from GCSE and consolidate your knowledge around a place. A key skill for developing this topic at A level.

Wider Reading

Geography is a massive subject (it includes everything on the Planet Earth!) so there is lot to learn about. However, as a geographer you will probably find yourself with certain areas that you are especially keen on. We would encourage you to read around the subject, both in the topic areas we cover and in any area you are interested in. Reading can include books, journals, blogs and  websites. Equally great documentaries, lectures, TED talks and films can all be a great source of knowledge and understanding. The Reading LIsts page contains just a few recommendations from the teachers but the list is endless. 

If you have any queries about anything please feel free to email your teacher or (if you don't know their email) email the school and they will forward it on.

Thank you for your interest and dedication. We look forward to teaching you in September.

Mr Burn

Head of Geography