The Geographical Association (GA) is delighted to announce the Primary Geography Quality Mark (PGQM) awardees September 2017.

• Gold award schools ‘lead the way in providing excellent and innovative geography’
• Silver award schools ‘engage in  whole school approaches that support high quality geography’
• Bronze award schools ‘foster lively and effective geographical learning’

  The Primary Geography Quality Mark is seen as a key strategy for raising the quality of geography in primary schools and has been driving school improvement in geography since 2006. This year a total of 67 primary schools have achieved the Geographical Association’s Primary Geography Quality Mark (PGQM) at either Gold, Silver or Bronze Level.

  In 2017 the PGQM was awarded to:

Gold Level

Alwoodley Primary School, West Yorkshire Bassett House School, London Curwen Primary School, London High View Primary School, Devon Kingmoor Nursery and Infant School Cumbria Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School, Kent South Farnham Primary School, Surrey Tanglin Trust School, Singapore

Silver Level

Ashmount Primary School, London

Bishopgate School, Surrey

Blowers Green Primary School, West Midlands

Camelsdale Primary School, Surrey

Clatford Church of Elngland Primary School, Hampshire

Colgrave Primary School, London

Devonshire House Prep School, London

Driffield Junior School, East Yorkshire

Felsted Prep School, Essex

Field Studies Council, Somerset

Hawkinge Primary School, Kent

Haydn Primary School, Nottingham

Heygreen Community Primary School, Liverpool

Higher Openshaw Community School, Manchester

Huish County Primary School, Somerset

Kensington Primary School, London

Kitebrook Prep School, Gloucestershire

Manor Road Primary School, Lancashire

Mosborough Primary School, South Yorkshire

Newton Primary School, Cambridgeshire

Oakington Manor Primary School, Middlesex

Quarry Hill Academy, Essex

St Austins Roman Catholic Primary School, Merseyside

St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Lancashire

St John's Catholic Primary School, Lancashire

St Lukes CEVA Primary & Nursery School, London

Sutherland Primary Academy, Staffordshire

The Ryde School, Hertfordshire

Windsor CP School, Liverpool

Bronze Level

Avonmore Primary School, London

Barnes Infant Academy, Tyne & Wear

Barton Hill Academy, Devon

Beacon Hill Catholic Primary School, Surrey

Burlington Junior School, Surrey

Callands Primary School, Cheshire

Chancel Primary School, Staffordshire

Devonshire Road Primary School, Greater Manchester

Edgebury Primary School, Kent

Hannah More Primary School, Bristol

Harold Court Primary School, Essex

Heather Avenue Infant School, Norfolk

Kingsholme Church of England Primary School, Gloucestershire

Lister Junior School, Merseyside

Newdale Primary School, Shropshire

Queenborough School & Nursery, Kent

St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Surrey

St Chad's Primary School, North Yorkshire

St Lewis Catholic Primary School, Lancashire

St Lukes Church of England School, Greater Manchester

St Ursula's E-Act Academy, Bristol

St Vincents Primary School, Cheshire

Star Primary School, London

Swallowfield Lower School, Bickinghamshire

Thatto Heath CP School, Merseyside

The Berkeley Academy, Cheshire

The Raglan Schools, London

Thelwall Junior School, Cheshire

Western Primary School, North Yorkshire

Westfield CP School, West Midlands

The teachers in these schools ensure policies impact on pupil learning and are not afraid to take risks, innovate and challenge to achieve progress in geography. Key threads through the curriculum are inter-cultural understanding, local fieldwork, environmental issues and dilemmas connected with sustainability. These are explored in a variety of places across the world from local to global. The schools use creative approaches to stimulate learning and place a high value on using real-life issues to promote understanding.

In total more than 660 Primary Geography Quality Marks have been achieved since its launch in 2006. This year we have seen a total of 8 schools achieve the Gold level, 29 the Silver level and 30 the Bronze level. This includes four schools who have achieved the Mark four times, Kingmoor Nursery and Infant School, Cumbria; South Farnham Primary School, Surrey; Huish County Primary School, Somerset and St John's Catholic Primary School, Lancashire which the Geographical Association considers to be a significant achievement!

Quotes

Jon Cannell, Primary Curriculum Leader at the GA says:

‘Each year the Geographical Association's National Moderation Team is highly impressed by the quality of the submissions they receive. They are packed with evidence and examples of the learning, assessment and improvement systems that underpin high quality geography. It is heartening to see the extensive range of schools across the UK, and wider afield, who believe that a broad and balanced curriculum matters.  Schools that use geography to drive their curriculum, engage pupils, raise standards and improve the outlook for each pupil. Through the rigorous Quality Mark framework the Geographical Association supports and develops the school’s understanding of the subject whilst being a mainstay in whole school improvement.

Making sense of the complex world around us, even for the most open minded, requires a range of skills, including being able to enquire, interpret, analyse, communicate and problem solve, often instantly and always with possible consequences. All Quality Mark schools demonstrate how they successfully help pupils find relevance and learning from the commonplace and everyday as well as the exceptional and extreme.

The subject leaders have worked extremely hard to stimulate, evidence and importantly demonstrate impact where it matters: on pupils’ learning, understanding and enjoyment of the subject. We congratulate all schools, especially their subject leaders who have worked so hard to achieve this award.’

Alan Kinder, GA Chief Executive:

‘There has never been a more important time for all children and young people to study geography. Growing up in the 21st century means living in an increasingly interconnected world, one facing a growing number of global challenges such as climate change and the need to live our lives sustainably. Geography not only fascinates and inspires young people, it provides them with the knowledge and understanding they need to live in the modern world. Geography is, as we say in the GA’s Manifesto, ‘fundamental to everyone’ and I am delighted that a growing number of primary schools are teaching their students to fully engage with the subject.’