A Suffolk independent school is celebrating after retaining its quality status with the Geographical Association.
The Royal Hospital School (RHS) near Ipswich has, for the second time, received both the association’s Centre of Excellence Award for Fieldwork and the Secondary Quality Mark.
The latter – only bestowed after the accumulation of a year’s worth of evidence – will remain valid for another three years, having first been awarded to RHS in 2019.
Founded in 1893, the Geographical Association is a charity which aims to improve the public’s knowledge of the subject via the promotion of geographical education.
It praised the development planning and responsiveness of RHS’ geography department, reserving particular praise for one display’s “innovative” deployment of QR codes.
“We were also pleased to see how resources and activities have been updated to ensure that curriculum content is current and engaging, such as exploring the Beijing Winter Olympics and Birmingham Commonwealth Games,” the association told the school.
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“Despite Covid restrictions and impacts, fieldwork remains a vital part of the geography curriculum and effective use has been made of technology to be able to undertake virtual fieldwork as part of this,” it added.
“Further to this, wider experiences are offered within the school, such as a workshop led by Alton Water and the ‘more plastic than fish’ open morning. Pupils’ feedback is used constructively to support student-teacher relations and create a positive ethos within the school.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the breadth of resources you use to support the delivery of high-quality geography and look forward to seeing this evolve further in future submissions.”
The charity’s findings “delighted” RHS’ head of geography, Harriet Izod Millar.
“To be re-awarded by the Geographical Association in two categories is a huge honour. We are delighted that the continuous efforts of the geography team to provide a stimulating and modern curriculum have been recognised.
“We particularly enjoy embracing new approaches and topical themes in our curriculum to make it more inspiring and relevant for our young geographers.”
