Teach Secondary Issue 14.7

which Bangladesh has reduced its exposure to cyclones. 50 years ago, more than 300,000 people were killed when a cyclone hit Bangladesh’s coast. Cyclones continued to be responsible for high levels of fatalities into the 1980s and 1990s, but there was a markedly different impact when Cyclone Amphan struck Bangladesh’s coast in 2020. This was a category 5 cyclone – the strongest type of cyclone, with wind speeds reaching 160mph/260kph in the Bay of Bengal – yet the number of subsequent fatalities were far lower, with only 26 deaths recorded. This reduction had been achieved through the use of improved cyclone detection and early warning systems, the construction of 12,000 shelters and more effective community preparedness and response plans – including the successful evacuation of over 2 million people. A further consideration for geography teachers is how their study of natural hazards might represent different locations around the world. For example, it’s not uncommon for Haiti to feature only once on a geography scheme of work, and then only in relation to its experience of the 2010 earthquake. This characterisation of places solely in relation to high profile disasters runs the risk of leaving pupils with very partial views of certain countries. Ofsted has picked up on this, noting in its 2023 geography subject report that the tendency “ Was most common in schools where leaders had not considered the dangers of teaching single stories about places in their curriculum .” (see tinyurl.com/ts147-G3 ) Direct exposure Nor should we be blind to misconceptions that might pertain to comparatively prosperous countries. For example, according to the government’s Environment Agency, 6.1 million British people currently live in areas that are exposed to flood risk, amounting to roughly 10% of the country’s population. Over the next 25 years, as a result of climate change, this is set to rise to 8 million people – at which point, 1 in 4 English properties will be located in areas of flood risk. (see tinyurl.com/ts147-G4) Yet when people are asked about this risk, many will discount their own direct exposure. When surveyed in 2023/24, around half of the respondents who were currently living in a flood risk area did not believe that flooding would happen to them. Flooding is just one of the natural hazards to be found in the UK. An up-to-date overview of them all can be found in the National Risk Register (see tinyurl.com/ts147-G6) , which considers a range of natural and environmental hazards including wildfires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, storms, high temperatures and heatwaves, low temperatures and snow – as well as flooding, drought and air quality. Each risk is analysed in terms of its likelihood and possible impact. The likelihood of an earthquake occurring in the UK, for instance, is low, and any that did would be unlikely to cause severe damage. Conversely, the National Risk Register identifies air quality as “ The largest environmental risk to UK public health and linked with reduced lifespans ”. To this, we can add peoples’ differing levels of vulnerability to such risks. As noted by Professor Danny Dorling, it’s predominately Black British children living in high rise buildings on estates without greenery who will typically be exposed to the highest levels of air pollution (see tinyurl.com/ ts147-G7). Your pupils could therefore be studying natural hazards that affect populations in distant localities, or ones they may soon be faced with on their own doorsteps, such as local air quality or flood risk. By exploring those issues of vulnerability, risk, human agency and progress, pupils can assess for themselves whether there really is anything ‘natural’ about a so-called ‘natural disaster’. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Steve Brace is chief executive of the Geographical Association; for more information, visit geography.org.uk COULDYOUR SCHOOL BE AT RISKOF FLOODING? The DfE and The Environment Agency have co-produced a resource that lets schools enter their postcode to check whether they may be exposed to flood risk – and if so, sign up for flood warnings. The guidance also encourages school leaders to incorporate flood risk into their emergency planning, and to consider appropriate actions in relation to flood preparations, insurance, potential responses, best practice and recovery. The level of risk is higher than you might expect, with the guidelines stating that, “ Nearly half of English schools (10,710) [are] at risk of flooding… this is expected to increase to at least 13,662 by the 2050s, or 16,394 at worst .” The full guidance and postcode tool can be accessed via tinyurl.com/ts147-G8 57 teachwire.net/secondary G E O G R A P H Y