12 September 2002

Maps point the way back to school for Welsh pupils

Schools prepare for massive delivery

More than 42,000 children at 270 schools across Wales are taking delivery of a free Ordnance Survey map during the new school term beginning now.

The maps, valued at around £300,000, are part of a huge education initiative giving all 11-year-olds in Britain the chance to have and keep their very own Ordnance Survey Explorer map.

It follows research at six pilot schools showing that children still enjoy the traditional delights of unfolding and reading a paper map, even in today’s computer-driven world.

The maps are being delivered directly to each school – providing vital help in geography, environmental studies, citizenship, local history and other studies – but they will belong to the children so they can take them home and use them with their families or carers.

“The pupils in our pilot study were genuinely fascinated by maps,” says Vanessa Lawrence, Ordnance Survey’s Director General and Chief Executive. “However, our research showed that even if there were maps in the house, access to them is often controlled by an adult and it can be difficult for children to appreciate how useful they really are. What better way to get round this than to give the children their own maps to keep?”

Rob Wilson, geography teacher at Llanishen High School in Cardiff, says: “This is a fantastic opportunity for pupils and staff to explore their local environment through the exciting medium of maps.”

The initiative was launched at the Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show in March this year. A nationwide mail-out invited Year 7 teachers to sign up online through a specially created section of Ordnance Survey’s website, www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/education.

Since registrations finished in May, a team from Ordnance Survey has been trawling through the vast database of requests – for 740,000 pupils at 6,200 schools across Britain – before printing the maps, batching them up, and preparing to send them out. Teachers specified their preferred delivery date from now through to October.

The move reflects the importance of maps and geographical information in developing key life skills such as decision making and problem solving. Knowing how to use maps and computerised map data helps emergency services to save lives, businesses to reach their markets, and governments to target essential resources on healthcare, education and crime prevention.

Along with their map, each pupil will receive an explanatory leaflet on map reading. Interactive homework help will be added during the autumn to the range of free resources on Ordnance Survey’s website for children, www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone  

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