Geography Silver Award

We are delighted to have been awarded the Geography Quality Mark Silver Award, recognising the strength and quality of geography teaching and learning across Oakwood Junior School.

The award highlighted our clear and ambitious vision for geography, which helps pupils develop a deep understanding of both their local area and the wider world. Inspectors praised the strong progression throughout the curriculum, with learning carefully sequenced to build pupils' knowledge and skills from Year 3 to Year 6.

A particular strength identified was our focus on developing pupils as young geographers. Through enquiry-based learning, children investigate real-world questions, analyse evidence, consider different viewpoints and draw informed conclusions. Geography learning is brought to life through meaningful studies of local and global issues, helping pupils develop critical thinking and geographical reasoning skills.

The award also recognised our effective use of the local area, including fieldwork opportunities linked to Alvaston, Derby and the surrounding environment. Experiences such as Forest School, local visits, river studies and environmental investigations help pupils develop a strong sense of place and deepen their understanding of the world around them.

In addition, the assessors praised our commitment to sustainability and global citizenship. Through projects exploring climate change, conservation, recycling, energy use and environmental responsibility, pupils gain a greater understanding of how human actions affect the planet and how they can make a positive difference.

We are extremely proud that this award acknowledges the high-quality geography curriculum and enriching experiences we provide for our pupils.