Geography Award
Our Geography Department has received the Secondary Quality Geography Mark (SGQM) – a prestigious award that recognises quality and progress in geography leadership, curriculum development and teaching and learning.
Following a rigorous moderation process, South Hampstead was one of only nine global schools – and the only London school – to gain the coveted Centre of Excellence status in 2018. The SGQM recognises student attainment, progress and achievement in geographical knowledge, understanding, values and skills, and sets expectations about the quality of teaching in geography as well as promoting effective subject leadership. The award recognises a school’s contribution to disseminating quality approaches to the teaching of geography, global learning and fieldwork.
Mrs Liston, who has worked at South Hampstead as a Geography teacher since 2007 and became Head of Department in 2014, said: “Going through the SGQM process has been a hugely rewarding form of continuing professional development for the department. To be recognised as a Centre of Excellence is testament to the intellect, creativity and passion of all my Geography teaching colleagues, as well as the hard work and enthusiasm of our pupils and the degree to which they throw themselves wholeheartedly into the tasks we set them.” Mrs Liston is now stepping down to a part-time role as Mr Morgan joins us from The Henrietta Barnett School as our new Head of Geography.
More exciting events coming up include the annual Geography Week in November, when the Geography Department welcome an array of experts: a volcanologist; an analyst in geographical information systems (GIS), who set up the platform Gatherhub.org; and a day of geography enrichment for Year 9 with undergraduate ambassadors from the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). The theme of this year’s Geography Week is Plastic Pollution, as the department actively support Eco-Schools in trying to reduce plastic pollution in school; their first aim is to get all students to pledge to use refillable water bottles and phase out the use of disposable plastic cups in the canteen. Read more about the initiative here.
The Geography Department is also pleased to announce the school results of the Young Geographer of the Year Competition. Each year the RGS run a national competition for students; at South Hampstead, Year 8 and 9 pupils submitted entries on the topic ‘What makes the Arctic Unique?’ Of the 170 entries submitted, the top 10% will go through to the national competition. Congratulations to ‘best in school’: Sharon, Lydia, Olivia and Erin in Year 9 and well done to all those commended: Lily C-F, Theodora, Katie, Janella and Nicola in Year 8 and Nikita, Annalise, Zoya, Melita, Izzy, Molly, Isadora and Amelia in Year 9.