Pupils in Year 5 set out to learn about the City of Chichester. For some children at the school, even those who live in Chichester, the city is not a place they know in great detail, especially in a geographical context. So Geography teacher, Mrs Pollock, and History teacher, Mr Sutcliffe, set off with Year 5 to explore the city from inside to out.
Using a model of different zones in a city, our pupils visited and observed the various areas starting at the Central Business District, with its stunning Elizabethan and Georgian buildings and central Cathedral; the inner city, with its quieter residential housing; the inner suburbs, with many types of industry and the outer suburbs, with its incredible and wide-ranging views over Chichester, the South Downs, the Sussex coast and the Isle of Wight.
In the inner city, pupils had the opportunity to ask lifestyle questions of a local resident, such as ‘Do you walk into Chichester often?’ and ‘Is it a quiet area?’.
Mr Sutcliffe said: “This is a fantastic trip because the children learn a huge amount in a very short period of time."
Mrs Pollock added: “By the end, pupils can see how lucky we are to live so close to such a wide variety of geographical settings with the coast, nature, wildlife, industry and a beautiful city all at our fingertips."
Isaac commented afterwards: “I enjoyed the trip so much. I liked seeing how the city had grown over time and visiting the inner suburbs.”
We saw Chichester with new eyes. It is fun that we can apply what we learnt to other cities and towns. I live in Midhurst and haven’t been to Chichester much. I found it interesting to learn about the history of Chichester such as there used to be farm animals sold in the centre.
Dom
