We are investing £2 million over the next two years to promote geography in schools. Our action plan for geography, which includes new resources and training for schools and chartered status for excellent geography teachers, was launched earlier this year. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is also launching the education outside the classroom manifesto next week, which will be of particular importance to geography.
I am, of course, grateful to the Minister for that helpful reply. But is it acceptable, at a time when citizenship is at the heart of the Government’s agenda, that one in five pupils was unable to locate the United Kingdom on a world atlas, while one in 10 was unable to mention a single continent, according to a survey of 1,000 six to 14-year-olds for the new magazine National Geographic Kids? In addition, thousands of children from London were unaware that they lived in the United Kingdom’s capital city. I learned about the oceans, seas, mountains, capitals of countries and major rivers of the world—
And Macclesfield.
Yes, and Macclesfield. Should we not get back to some of the fundamentals of geography education in our schools?
I am always slightly wary of surveys connected with the launch of magazines encouraging parents to ensure that children learn more geography, but, speaking as a geography graduate, I am very keen for them to learn more geography.
The hon. Gentleman will be interested to know that we are piloting a new geography GCSE in some areas, so that pupils can learn not just about the joys of Macclesfield—about how the settlement developed in response to the copper mines and silk mills, and about the magnificent citizens of the town—but about some of the key issues that we face in the House, such as uneven development in different regions and countries, globalisation, sustainability, futures and interdependence. In fact, I think that the new geography GCSE would be an excellent qualification for us all to obtain.
Speaking as a former geography teacher, may I suggest that we would have more confidence in the Government’s policies on geography if a Department for Transport consultation on the location of London’s airports had not sited the Isle of Wight just off the south coast of Portland Bill?
As the Member representing Portland, I can say that while I can see the Isle of Wight from my constituency when I am in Swanage, it is a very clear day when I can see it from Portland. Perhaps I will refer my friends at the Department for Transport to the new GCSE and see whether they are interested in it as well.
My hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton) was right to mention the survey by National Geographic Kids, which highlights some serious issues in our schools. The Minister will be aware that the number of pupils taking GCSEs in geography has dropped by a staggering 40,000. Does he share our concern about the drift away from the study of core academic subjects? The number of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs graded A* to C in English, maths, science and modern languages has fallen from 30 per cent. five years ago to just 25 per cent. last year.
Geography remains the fourth most popular GCSE, behind English literature, French and history, which are all serious, traditional academic subjects, so I do not entirely recognise the picture that the hon. Gentleman paints. The number is certainly falling, but it is falling in the context of more choice. I think that the Conservative party believes in choice in education, as we do.
We can all play around with statistics, but the hon. Gentleman is well aware that by any measure—including that employed by the chief inspector of schools, who yesterday said unambiguously that schools were continuing to improve alongside the public’s expectations—and according to any analysis of results at 16, 18, 11 or any other stage of education, things are improving radically and rapidly in our schools.