Quality Award and Centre of Excellence Status for Painsley’s Geography Department
Painsley Catholic College is delighted to announce that they have been awarded the Secondary Geography Quality Mark as well as being recognised as a Centre of Excellence for fieldwork by the Geographical Association.
The Secondary Geography Quality Mark is awarded on the basis of the written portfolio evidence including student work, lesson plans, resources and fieldwork. It is a prestigious award that recognises high-quality geography in secondary schools.
The department gained the additional accreditation as a ‘centre for excellence for its extensive fieldwork provision, running trips for all year groups from day trips to Wales to residential trips to Iceland and Italy.
“Out of the classroom experience are core to both our delivery and our ethos. It is another strand which makes our subject so special and important. With the end of Covid restrictions we are looking forward to getting back to some more exciting field trips.” commented Jason Edwards, Head of Geography at Painsley Catholic College.
He continued, “I am so delighted with this recognition for our department. We are a team of experts who have been working together for over twenty years. We remain as relevant, enthusiastic and committed to providing the best geography education we can as we ever have.”
The accreditation process ran for the whole of the last academic year, September to July and the whole of the core department was involved. The school submitted a wide variety of student work – including assessments, creative and reflective pieces from across all year groups. This resulted in the validation of the Painsley curriculum journey including delivery and resourcing, by gaining a tangible ‘accreditation’ recognised in the teaching of geography as the ‘blue riband’ for a geography department to obtain.
The moderation report stated:
“The wealth of evidence provided gave valuable insights into the provision of geography at Painsley Catholic College. One area that was particularly strong was the planning that has gone in to sequencing the curriculum, and the commentary provided articulated this well. It is clear that this planning has considered the national curriculum, the long-term retention of knowledge through the spiral curriculum as well as progression across the learning journey. “
“The department has a rigorous department implementation plan, and this level of self-evaluation certainly aids effective teaching and learning that adapts to the needs of pupils and the department. The resources provided show a range of teaching strategies supporting the needs of different learners, and again, supporting progress.“
