KEY STAGE 3 GEOGRAPHY
Stratford and the 2012 Olympics
Enquiry question: Who are the winners and losers from the 2012 Olympics?
Learning objectives
Knowledge and understanding
- There are changes in east London from the legacy of the 2012 Olympics
- Benefits from these changes are not equally shared and may have created winners and losers
Geographical skills
- Carry out an environmental quality survey
- Carry out a questionnaire about the Olympic legacy
- Complete a map of the Olympic Park
- Draw an annotated field sketch
Learning outcomes
Most students will be able to:
- Compare the environmental quality of two neighbourhoods
- Assess opinions about the Olympic legacy among different groups of people
- Identify changes in land use in the Olympic Park since 2007 from maps and photos
- Consider the changes in Stratford from different peoples’ viewpoints
- Identify the winners and losers from the 2012 Olympics
Pre-visit recommendation
Students read about the promises made for the legacy of the 2012 Olympics. They study a map of the Olympic Park site in 2007 to identify the main land uses.
Resources
Sheet 1: 2012 Olympic legacy
Sheet 2: Olympic Park site 2007
Introduction
Meet at Stratford station. Ask the students for their first impressions of Stratford. Explain that one intended legacy of the Olympics was to improve life in east London. What evidence can they see of this legacy? Who is likely to benefit
Students work in groups of four. They each choose a different character. They will represent this character through the day, to consider the impact of the Olympic legacy on them.
Resources
Sheet 3: Stratford character profiles
Fieldwork
Location 1: Carpenters Estate Walk around the neighbourhood, built during the 1960’s, including high-rise blocks, primary school and community centre. Students carry out an environmental quality survey. Mention plans for the estate to change in the future.
Location 2: Stratford town centre Split the class into two groups to carry out a questionnaire. One group will do this in centre where they will meet mainly local shoppers. The other group will do it outside the centre where they will meet mainly visitors and workers.
Location 3: Olympic Park Walk through the Olympic Park. Students complete a map to locate the key features of the park. They look at an old photo taken before 2007 and draw a field sketch at the same location to highlight the changes. They could continue the questionnaire with visitors in the park.
Location 4: East Village East Village. Walk around the neighbourhood, built as the Athletes Village for 2012, including Chobham Academy, health centre and Victory Park. Students carry out an environmental quality survey. They could continue the questionnaire with residents in the village.
Resources
Sheet 4: Environmental quality survey 1
Sheet 5: Olympic legacy questionnaire
Sheet 6: Olympic Park map
Sheet 7: Olympic Park field sketch
Sheet 8: Environmental quality survey 2
Plenary
Students feedback their findings from the locations. How does environmental quality at East Village compare with the Carpenters Estate? What changes have happened at the Olympic Park site? From the questionnaire, who has benefited most from the Olympic legacy? Finally, thinking about their characters, who are the winners and losers from the 2012 Olympics? They complete a summary sheet.
Resources
Sheet 9: Olympic winners and losers
