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QE’s Geography department has received a prestigious award in recognition of the excellence of teaching and learning in the subject at the School.

The Geographical Association announced that QE is among a select group of schools from across the country to receive the Secondary Geography Quality Mark (SGQM) for 2018–21.

QE previously won the award in 2015 and had recently submitted detailed evidence in the hope of having it renewed. In response, the association’s Moderator Justin Woolliscroft and the National Moderation Team gave QE’s Geography team a glowing report: “Your students are very fortunate to have access to a rich and varied curriculum allied with such a committed teaching team. It is clear that you are very proactive in a wide range of areas spreading good practice through your activities.

“Geography provision is clearly extremely strong and we are delighted to confirm the SGQM award for a further three years.”

The award recognises quality and progress in Geography leadership, curriculum development and learning and teaching in schools.

QE’s Head of Geography Emily Parry said: “The department are proud to have received this award in recognition of the high-quality geographical education delivered here. We strive to provide an engaging and topical curriculum.”

Rebecca Kitchen, GA Curriculum Manager, said: “The SGQM enables schools to focus critically on what they are doing and why, in order to provide their young people with the knowledge and understanding they need to live in the modern world.”

The moderators’ report singled out a number of areas for special praise: “The need for refreshed and revised curricula for both KS4 [Key Stage 4] and KS5 have understandably been an important focus for the department, and it is good to read that these have been accepted very positively by the students and that the new schemes are now influencing what is offered at Key Stage 3. We like the challenge offered through the extended homework essays which clearly support the students in becoming more independent, so helping them with the demands placed upon them at GCSE and beyond.”

The report also lauded the department’s:

• “Continuing collaborative work” with the University of Hertfordshire and the Prince’s Teaching Institute
• “Important role” in hosting the World Wise quiz for local schools – an annual Geography competition
• Fieldwork, which “remains a strength, with numerous exciting opportunities offered to your students”.

GCSE geographers measured noise levels and annotated photos using ‘apps’ on their smartphones during a field trip to East London.

The Year 10 boys’ main objective was to investigate the question: How socially sustainable is East Village in the Olympic Park, Stratford? However, their day also included a tour of the London Stadium, currently rented by West Ham United FC, where technology was again to the fore, as the boys were each given a small device to watch videos about the facility.

The visit was split into two groups over two days, with each half of the large AQA Geography GCSE cohort spending a full day conducting fieldwork. The boys applied four fieldwork techniques in East Village, a new residential district which was the athletes’ village in the 2012 Olympic Games:

• Environmental Quality Surveys (EQS), which included the recording of decibel levels
• Questionnaires
• Land-use mapping
• Photographs, duly annotated using the Skitch app.

In the afternoon, they had a part-guided, part-multi-media tour of the 60,000-capacity London Stadium (the former Olympic Stadium). The tour looked both at the development of the stadium and at the history of the football club.

Highlights included the panoramic views across the stadium from the stands, exploring the home changing room, visiting the indoor running track and walking down the players’ tunnel.

Year 12 boys got to grips with ethnography – the systematic study of people and cultures – and used modern mobile technology to help their research during a Geography field trip to East London.

The two days were arranged to help the sixth-formers prepare for their A-level independent investigation, which must be based on an issue related to Regenerating Places or Globalisation. The investigation makes up 20% of the A-level qualification.

Head of Geography Emily Parry said: “These two guided fieldwork days are carefully structured to assist the boys in selecting their chosen topic for investigation.”

The first day was spent in Stratford in Newham, where they explored how the area has changed since the 2012 Olympic Games. Day two was led by Kate Amis, Widening Participation Officer at Queen Mary University of London’s School of Geography. It began with a lecture about changes in East London, before the boys went out to conduct fieldwork around Brick Lane and Spitalfields, basing their research on investigating the question, Is life in Tower Hamlets getting better?

It was a lively day, with the boys engaging in discussions about some of Brick Lane’s most famous locations, said Miss Parry. These included “the Cereal Killer Café, a well-known site for anti-gentrification protests, the Old Truman Brewery, the Jamme Masjid Mosque and the two famous beigel shops”. As well as trialling techniques new to them, such as ethnographies, they used apps such as Skitch to help them annotate field sketches.

The previous day in Stratford was led by Carlo Roberts from Urban Geography East London, an organisation offering Geography fieldwork programmes. Comparisons were made between the postcodes of E15 and E20 (the new postcode for East Village, which was the Athletes’ Village during the Olympics). Qualitative fieldwork techniques including environmental quality surveys, questionnaires and land-use mapping were conducted.

“The boys had the opportunity to explore how this area has rapidly changed and consider who has lost out, and who has benefitted, from these changes,” said Miss Parry.

For the independent investigation, A-level students are required to collect fieldwork data and write an independent report which features independent analysis and evaluation of data, the presentation of the data findings and extended writing. The written report must be 3000–4000 words long.

Boys experienced both the awe-inspiring power of nature and the man-made glories of Ancient Rome during a Geography trip to Italy.

Highlights included a walk up Mount Vesuvius – mainland Europe’s only active volcano – and a day in Rome, taking in the Forum and the Colosseum. The four-day visit also included plenty of opportunity for the boys to sample Italian cuisine in the shape of giant ice-creams and equally large helpings of pizza and pasta!

Geography teacher Natasha Cottingham said: “Overall it was a very enjoyable experience for all the boys involved. The weather was fabulous all week, which allowed us to fully appreciate the beauty of the volcanic landscape.”

The trip began with a boat ride to the scenic island of Capri, where many of the rich and famous own holiday homes. (“Unfortunately, we didn’t meet George Clooney,” said Miss Cottingham.) On their walk around the island, the boys had a close-up view of an old sea arch which has risen more than 30m because of tectonic uplift and now stands suspended high above the sea.

The following morning brought an early start as the group set off up Vesuvius before the sun became too hot. The first group of the day to reach the upper slopes, the QE party had the volcano to themselves for a little while. “Our guide showed us the sulphur gas emissions and demonstrated how the volcano is becoming more active,” said Miss Cottingham.

After walking back down, the boys tucked into pizza before heading into Pompeii, where they were given free time to explore. The evening was spent engaging in an entirely modern pursuit – ten-pin bowling.

The third day brought a coach ride to the Temple of Serapis in Pozzuoli and the chance to scramble through the caves beneath nearby Naples – another highlight for many of the boys, Miss Cottingham reports. “Our guide told us about the history of the caves, which were once an ancient Roman aquifer before becoming bomb shelters during World War II. The boys were able to appreciate the utter darkness and how narrow some of the tunnels were.”

They then had free time in the Naples Archaeological Museum, which holds many artefacts from Vesuvius’s past eruptions.

A coach ride on the final day took the group to Rome, where they enjoyed seeing the Forum and walking round the Colosseum before catching their flight home.

Sixth-formers got to grips with some high-tech tools on their mobile phones on a Geography field trip investigating gentrification in south London.

The Year 12 pupils were able to analyse the data they collected using ArcGIS software. Geographic information systems (GIS) enable users to visualise, question and interpret data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends.

The trip gave the QE geographers the opportunity to investigate the question To what extent has Northcote ward undergone the process of gentrification? The 29 boys carried out a range of human geography fieldwork techniques including environmental quality surveys, questionnaires and land-use mapping.

Emily Parry, Head of Geography, said: “As well as collecting data in their fieldwork booklets, boys collected it on their phones using the app, Survey123. It was a particularly valuable exercise as, in their AS Paper 2 examination, they will be asked questions about the fieldwork they have conducted.”

The fieldwork was undertaken in the Northcote ward in the borough of Wandsworth, along two transects (narrow sections through an area) – Wakehurst Road, a residential street, and Northcote Road, which is commercial.

“We chose Wandsworth because it is an inner-city borough that we know, from prior learning, has undergone both socio-economic and physical changes over recent decades. It is also an area that has been named in the press recently as being affected by gentrification and it is therefore a topical area of interest,” said Miss Parry.

“GIS has undoubtedly given the boys new insights and using it is a valuable skill in itself. It is just one example of the extent to which technology is embedded in subjects across the academic programme.”

Many businesses and industries are developing a growing interest in, and awareness of, the economic and strategic value of GIS, according to the Environmental Systems Research Institute.

Having built a successful career in geology, Nicholas Holgate is now devoting himself to spreading the word about the subject among the rising generations.

Since April 2016, Nicholas (OE 1995–2002) has been volunteering as a STEM Ambassador, working with schools, colleges and employers to encourage young people to enjoy and pursue the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Four months later, he became a member of the Young Professionals Committee of PESGB – the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain – for which he co-ordinates the society’s Young Professionals Mentoring Scheme.

And during the 2016 Autumn Term, Nicholas returned to QE as one of 15 old boys who gave an overview of their careers at QE’s annual Careers Convention, which is for Year 11 boys and their parents.

His fascination for geology first took root while he was studying it as part of his Geography GCSE. “Whilst I was studying for my A-levels, I discussed this interest with a number of teachers, who helped me identify ways of exploring the discipline further outside of QE. I took it upon myself, with help from others, to go to local geological societies to explore more about the subject.”

He paid tribute to teacher Malcolm Russell (Head of Chemistry and Head of Science): “Without his guidance and support, I would not be where I am today, and I owe Dr Russell in particular a huge debt of gratitude for everything that he did.”

After leaving School, Nicholas went to Bristol University, where he took an MSci in Geology, graduating in 2006. He also served as secretary to the university’s Geological Society.

He then worked for a coal-mining company based in Australia for a year, before taking an internship with Statoil in Norway. In 2009, Nicholas returned to education to study for a PhD at Imperial College London, which he completed four years later.

Since April 2014, he has been with Shell and is currently working as a London-based Exploration Geoscientist with the energy giant’s Global New Ventures operation. His work for Shell involves conducting exploration through regional geological and geophysical studies to identify new petroleum-bearing territory and guide future investment.

He explained that it is partly because of the support he received from QE teachers and partly because of the efforts he had to make as a teenager to find out about geology beyond the School walls that he is now so keen to help young professionals and students discover more about the discipline and its attendant career options. “I try to highlight and publicise the subject when I can, just in case there is a budding geologist who is fascinated by the subject and wants to know how to get into it as a profession.”