KING’S Ely has been awarded the coveted Centre of Excellence award by the Geographical Association, which is highest accolade a school can receive in the subject.

This prestigious award recognises a department’s contribution to quality geography, both within and beyond the school, and has only been awarded to 40 schools in the country.

Over the past few years, the Geography department at King’s Ely has integrated iPads into the curriculum, built a departmental website and taken students to Iceland and China, as well as establishing the Geography Ambassador group to support those students interested in a geography related career. The school has also played a leading role in supporting geography teachers in local and regional cluster groups through continuous professional development (CPD) training.”

All of the award winners undergo a rigorous moderation process. The assessors were hugely impressed by the manner in which geography is “made relevant to students at King’s Ely”. They went on to say: “Students have a huge range of opportunities to develop their interest and love of the subject and the department has an extremely high impact beyond the school itself.”

Head of Geography, Claire Kyndt, commented: “We are very excited to receive this award, which reflects the enthusiastic, excellent and innovative teaching in the Geography department.”

The school will collect the award at the Geographical Association’s annual awards evening, which takes place at the University of Surrey in April next year.

Principal of King’s Ely, Sue Freestone, commended the staff and students for their various contributions, adding: “Given advances in technology and our growing understanding of our world, 21st century Geography is one of the most exciting subjects any pupil can study. It is very gratifying to have the excellence of the work our geographers are doing recognised by the Geographical Association.”

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