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Early Years & Primary Phase Committee
The Early Years and Primary Phase Committee seeks to support and promote primary school geography and welcomes your contributions and comments.
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The EY&PPC works proactively on behalf of primary geography. Committee members are involved in a variety of activities, conferences, CPD, consultations, and steering groups, both as members of the Committee and as a result of different members' 'day jobs'. We are passionate about primary geography and the skills, knowledge, understanding, excitement and fun it can offer, but we are also realists and understand the pressures of time on primary teachers. We have nine primary teachers on the Committee who regularly give their time voluntarily - as do the rest of the Committee - meeting at least once a term to discuss regular matters such as conferences, and upon matters affecting the national curriculum in the primary sphere.
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At the 2008 GA Annual Conference in Guildford there was the usual strong contribution by Committee members presenting workshops, seminars, lectures and face to face discussions. The Primary Reception was well attended including current and future presidents and was used to develop ideas for the coming conference in Manchester in 2009. These have developed into research lectures, workshops and lectures concerned with curriculum development and fieldwork with the children taking major decisions in the planning of their learning activites.
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On 1 November 2008 a joint Conference with the Historical Association was held in Leeds, timed to coincide with The Primary Review - download Conference materials from the GA HA Conference page. Much time and email exchange has taken place in putting together responses to the consultations for The Primary Review and the QCA consultations on behalf of the Government Independent Primary Review (Director Sir Jim Rose) See the Curriculum Review page for full reports and pronouncements by each review. The consultations are ongoing - please make your voice heard - individual replies count more than group responses. The review page now includes a report of a meeting with Mick Waters(QCA) and the initial response to the Interim Rose Review.
Research ideas and developments are continued through the Charney Manor Conference organised by Simon Catling and co-ordinated through the Register of Research, a central database of action and investigative research, led by Rachel Bowles. The Register publications cover all aspects of teaching and learning in the classroom and outdoors. The work covers the outcomes of different strategies used for geography and cross-curricular work (with e.g. literacy, numeracy, citizenship, sustainability, creativity and environmental education). Visit the Research Register section which has been updated and includes links to national research pages.
The Action Plan for Geography is now in Stage Two and is well represented at QCA and other high level meetings by Helen Martin who is Chair designate for April 2009. We are well supported by Dr Paula Owens and Wendy North, Curriculum Developmont Leaders (Primary) who give their time to attending our meetings and help to focus our ideas in these changing times. In particular the committee has benefited from involvement of the members in the Living Geography CPD events, not only the Vice Chair, Anthony Barlow but producing a new member, Ruth Potts whom we welcomed at the April 2008 meeting.
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Various members of the Committee have been involved with The National Year of Reading and the Committee Secretary, Emily Richardson, has helped set up a Facebook Group for Barnaby Bear.
Links with RGS-IBG continue with the development of the resources and exhibitions held there, including activities suitable for primary children and with the GIS projects. The Primary Geography Quality Mark has been actively promoted by EY&PPC both as moderators and as attainers of the award.
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Strong links continue to be developed with schools overseas both through visiting, maintaining electronic links and altogether establishing true educational links rather than charitable links. Citizenship and Sustainability continue to be strong themes in the extra curricular work of several Committee members often disseminated through writing for Primary Geographer, TES, texts for ITT, GA books for non-specialist teachers, programmes for Teachers TV and attending reciprocal meetings.
The coming year will be concentrated upon the development of the changes in the Primary Curriculum. To this end the Committee were joined by members of the Education Committee to hear about and discuss with Mick Waters (Director of Curriculum at QCA) the potential changes and how best the GA could help the QCA in its deliberations. You are requested to respond to the tasks QCA is initiating this autumn. Visit the QCA website to be sure of getting the curriculum you would like. The GA has already sent, as requested of every subject by QCA, Three Key Messages for Primary Geography. We hope this will allow geographers, specialist and non-specialist alike, to present a united front on children's geographical needs and development.
The Committee has a breadth of enthusiastic experience which they are happy to share with the primary community. This has been made even easier through the Geographical Association Network. Join the Early Years and Primary Practitioners Group to get involved in discussions, share your ideas, photos and videos, find out about forthcoming events, and leave messages for other network members. We are particularly keen to gather your comments on the Interim Rose Review via the discussion forums - these will be collated in mid January for a final reponse to QCA. You might also be interested in the ongoing discussion about teaching distant places - download this discussion document to find out more.
Rachel Bowles
Chair EY&PPC
December 2008
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