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Department Reviews

GEOGRAPHY

If you believe what you read in the national press, the popularity of Geography is on the wane. Thankfully this is certainly not the case here at College, where the girls continue to realise how diverse, challenging and relevant the subject is in this ever-changing world. The effects of the credit crunch, the search for new energy sources, the rise of China as an economic superpower and the increasing numbers of people affected by natural hazards are all aspects that will dominate the future in which our girls will live. To be able to study all of these under the guise of one subject is a truly enlightening prospect.

The Geography department continues to thrive and has witnessed exceptional exam results and an increased variety of opportunities for the girls to develop their curiosity and interest in the subject. The highlight of the summer exams was the performance of Sarah Mold in the GCSEs. Sarah achieved the highest mark out of 154,976 entries across Geography and History from the AQA exam board: a truly outstanding achievement for which she deservedly gained a national prize from the Royal Geographical Association. At GCSE, 54 out of the 71 entrants gained an A* grade, whilst 91% gained and an A or A*. At A Level the results were similarly impressive, with 22 out of 26 candidates gaining A grades. Once again, a high number of girls have pursued their interest in the subject at university, with four gaining places to Oxford and Cambridge.

The department has enjoyed a number of new initiatives this year, with the Lower College Geography club being one of the most eye-catching and innovative. The aim of the club is to allow the girls to explore areas of Geography in more depth through some very ‘hands-on’ activities. A highlight of these was a visit from a company called Zoolab, which brought a variety of rainforest animals to the club one Monday afternoon. The thirty or so girls were able to hold or get close to a giant millipede, scorpion, tarantula and corn snake during the session and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Other club activities have included painting ‘Fair Trade’ t-shirts; designing Christmas cards and building erupting volcanoes out of papier-mâché. The volcanoes were spectacularly erupted in the College gardens one September afternoon.

This year has also seen visiting speakers in other contexts. Felicity Aston, an Antarctic explorer, came to relive her experiences with the LC3s one Saturday morning. Her wonderful presentation, which included asking one of the girls to dress up in full Antarctic gear, gave the girls a really interesting and enlightening view of both what it is like to live in the Antarctic and what the main challenges are to keeping it in its current, reasonably untouched, state. The SFC girls were very lucky to have a visit from Andy Palmer, the Edexcel principal examiner, who talked to them about how to turn good marks in the A Level exams into the very highest marks. I am sure that many of the girls who have just sat their exams this summer will have enhanced their performances as a result of his advice and guidance.

At the end of the summer term a group of forty girls and five staff will be travelling to Iceland for a five day geographical experience without comparison. The girls will enjoy the delights of the thermally heated Blue Lagoon, visit the point where the North American and Eurasian plates are diverging, view spectacular waterfalls and experience the delight of watching a geyser erupt. It promises to be a truly spectacular and enthralling experience that can only enhance their interest and understanding of the subject.

News

Vicky Tuck – Telegraph Articles

Vicky Tuck – Telegraph Articles

Please see the links below for the latest telegraph articles written by Vicky Tuck. 28 November 2008, 05 December 2008, 12 December 2008, 19 December ...

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England’s National Under 16 Hockey Squad for 2009

England’s National Under 16 Hockey Squad for 2009

Issy Davies, currently in UC5 at The Cheltenham Ladies' College, has been selected for England's National Under 16 Hockey Squad for 2009. The...

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Gloucestershire Schools’ Debating Competition

Gloucestershire Schools’ Debating Competition

On November 27th Polly Mitchell and Tabitha Ward took part in the Gloucestershire Schools Debating Competition in the Parliament Room in Gloucester Ca...

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Drama Productions

Drama Productions

The Sixth Form production of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play 'The School for Scandal' will be held on 5th and 6th December at 7.30pm in the P...

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