Thinking Quality Geography ~ what does it look like?

1. Thinking Quality Geography ~what does it look like? ‘...quality geography engages pupil interest, captures imagination and stimulates enthusiasm for learning...’

2. Do your pupils participate in ‘Living Geography’ that? • Embraces young people’s geography and experiences • Is current and future oriented • Is local but set in wider (global) contexts • Raises questions of change in environments • Encourages a critical understanding of a range of ideas such as ‘sustainable development http://www.geography.org.uk/resources/adifferentview/A Different View

3. The Secondary Geography Quality Mark aims to: • Identify and celebrate a quality geography curriculum • Provide a framework for subject leaders to analyse the curriculum and engage in curriculum making • Provide a framework and a tool to help geography teachers clarify their own CPD needs • Improve for all pupils the quality of the educational experience through geography • And...

4. Promote and support the development of a modernised curriculum for geography • Raise and recognise the professionalism of geography teaching • Enthuse young people with the relevance of geography to everyday life, employment and Citizenship • Raise the profile of geography • Link with the Global Learning Programme.

5. Reflection • What kind of geographical learning do we want for our pupils? • What do our pupils need and want? What are their personal geographies and how can we use them? • What kind of curriculum do we want to make? • What will our pupils make of it? • Where are we? • What are our department’s strengths and interests? The SGQM provides a framework for Geography departments to consider and respond to these questions, leading to the recognition and celebration of ‘quality geography’

6. Evaluation • Undertaking the Quality Mark engages all staff in the department in a process of reflection about how well the department is achieving its aims and where its priorities lie. Because the template is based on the Ofsted framework, this will also tie in with schools’ Self-Evaluation process.

7. The Quality Mark and the Global Learning Programme • Achieving the Secondary Geography Quality Mark will also enable you to join the Global Learning Programme as a GLP Partner School • The SGQM criteria are designed to show strengths and areas for development in global learning • This will provide a strong starting point for schools wishing to become a GLP Expert Centre.

8. How to plan, prepare and apply for the award • Join the GA http://www.geography.org.uk/login_join.asp • Subject leader and department complete self- evaluation to establish the level which best describes the quality of geography in school • Identify areas for development • Register by the annual deadline 31 Dec and pay the appropriate fee • Provide a commentary for each section of the statement table • Select TWO pieces of evidence • for each of the nine sections • of the SGQM Application Form. • 7. Submit evidence in June

9. What might count as evidence to support a SGQM application? • Examples of pupil work • Schemes of work • Teaching resources • Department handbooks • Department websites • Photographs of displays • Published resources • Pupil comments • Photographs of fieldwork • Ofsted reports • Lesson observations • Data • Witness statement/testimonials • Documentation of collaboration with other schools or organisations • Organisation of geography competition • Planning and hosting a CPD event for colleagues • Guiding another school through the Quality Mark process

10. Comments from schools • ‘…..We have always had an open mind as to what we teach and how we teach, preferring innovation and change to stagnation and repetition. So when we had the chance to pilot SGQM we knew we were undertaking a process of national importance – a sense of setting off into the unknown.’ • ‘Personal and professional challenge combined at a time of great change in what and how we were teaching. …….. A thorough overhaul of our lessons was needed and SGQM came at just the right time to establish whether the department was on the right tracks.’

11. Comments from schools ‘I personally feel the award has really lifted so many of us including the students, The students are so proud of this award especially since were the first school in Warrington - whilst on the fieldtrip one student said to me after another school passed us – I bet they don’t have a quality mark! (this made me feel so proud).’

12. SGQM – celebrating quality