Zachary Elliott, a former pupil of Castle Rushen High School, has been awarded a Royal Geographical Society Excellence Award for achieving the highest mark in the world in his Cambridge International A-Level geography exam in summer 2019.

The RGS Excellence Awards are presented annually to the highest achieving students in GCSE and A-level geography exams.

Teacher Emma Metcalfe said: ’Zachary worked incredibly hard throughout his A-level studies and it is wonderful to see his hard work recognised. A fantastic accomplishment!

’We are all very proud of what Zachary has achieved and what he will no doubt go on to achieve.’

Zachary said: ’I am absolutely honoured to have been awarded an excellence award for my geography A-level results last summer from the Royal Geographical Society. It was really fantastic news to hear following the intensity of A-level revision and exams, and I would like to thank my incredible geography teacher, Emma Metcalfe, and everyone else for their amazing support for my endeavours along the way.’

Following the success of his A-levels, Zachary left Castle Rushen High School last year and went on to study geography at Oxford University.

Zachary’s achievement follows even more success for the CRHS geography department, as Miss Metcalfe, received the Ordnance Survey Award from the Royal Geographical Society in May.

The award, which is for excellence in geography education at secondary level, is presented annually by the Royal Geographical Society in recognition of those who have made outstanding contributions to geography.

Miss Metcalfe, who has been a teacher at CRHS since 2004 and led the geography department as subject team leader since 2006, said: ’I am honoured and delighted to receive this award. Inspired by my own geography teacher, I hope that my enthusiasm for the subject will inspire future geographers. I am grateful to everyone who has supported me and I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Royal Geographical Society.’

Testaments from Miss Metcalfe’s colleagues and former students highlighted how her enthusiasm for the subject and innovative teaching methods brings geography alive in her lessons.

Zachary said: ’It is Miss Metcalfe’s special capacity to ignite young geographers’ curious minds, and her outstanding dedication to the students she teaches, that makes her role in geographical education truly exceptional.’

Keith Winstanley, headteacher at Castle Rushen High School, said, ’I was delighted to hear that Emma had been recognised by the RGS for her outstanding contributions to geographical education. Emma was the driving force behind the school’s secondary geography quality mark from the Geographical Association, an award that recognises excellence in teaching and learning, and that the school has held since 2014.

’Emma is an outstanding classroom practitioner. Her passion for the subject and relentless desire to develop and improve means her students are rewarded with first-class lessons that are energetic and effective.’