Geography is taught by eight specialists in extremely well equipped rooms and is a very popular option with regularly over 100 pupils taking GCSE and over 80 in the sixth form. Exam results have been consistently high for several years. Many students progress to university to read Geography, Geology, Environmental Studies, Urban Planning or Oceanography.
The department runs a number of fieldtrips at home and abroad. A student studying Geography in the Sixth Form may have the opportunity of taking part in fieldtrips to, Ashridge and Aylesbury in year 12 , the Isle of Purbeck, and Lille (by Eurostar) in Year 13. All sixth form students get the opportunity to visit Iceland which has proved to be one of the most popular and successful trips in the school calendar.
For GCSE, pupils study both human and physical geography and, in addition to lessons which encourage the use of skills in geographical investigation, they participate in fieldwork.
At AS a mixture of Human and Physical Geography is taught and pupils sit three structured answer papers on The Physical Environment, The Human Environment and Geographical Investigation. At A2, examination is mainly by essay and the topics studied include coastal environments, tourism, urban problems and hazardous environments, in addition to a geographical investigation.
Members of the department contribute to the development of the subject outside the classroom. The Head of Department, Alison Doggett is co-author of 'The Chilterns' a highly regarded landscape history of the region and Michael Thum has written several articles for periodicals. Several members of the department are also involved in examining. The local branch of the Geographical Association is run from the school with a programme of lectures each year that includes explorers and university lecturers - all part of widening horizons that is, after all, the essence of Geography.
