Eastwood school celebrates top award for excellence in geography

Lawrence View Primary School on Walker Street has achieved the Gold Award for the Primary Geography Quality Mark from the Geographical Association – the highest accolade a school can achieve.

The award ran from September 2021 through to July 2022 and saw the whole school focus on geography to raise standards and outcomes for pupils in the subject.

Annie Ratcliffe, year five teacher and geography and eco-lead at Lawrence View Primary, said: “A large focus of the year was that all children had regular opportunities to engage in fieldwork and enrichment activities, which took learning outside of the classroom.

“This meant that many geography trips occurred throughout the year both in the local area of Eastwood and further afield such as Cleethorpes beach.

“The school also funded two trips to the Peak District for year four to complete a river study and for year six pupils to learn how the landscape in the UK differs using OS maps.

“In early years foundation stage and year one, the extensive school grounds were also used to support with early map reading skills.”

The award also aimed to widen children’s cultural diversity through a range of projects and experiences.

Annie added: “Children in year five hosted a ‘Rio Carnival Day’ and learned to dance the samba, while children in year three had the chance to taste Greek food.

“We also had a visit from James Ketchell, an explorer who has climbed Everest and completed many amazing challenges across the globe and all children took part in an African Drum Workshop led by a musician from Ghana.

“Both visits really inspired the children and created a buzz about geography throughout the whole school.”

Since achieving this accreditation, all staff at Lawrence View have pledged to continue the momentum and progress in geography.

Annie added: “We are looking forward to another year of exciting fieldwork opportunities and providing even better outcomes for the children’s learning.”