The north-south divide
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can evaluate strategies that attempt to resolve regional differences in the UK.
Key learning points
- Regional differences exist in the UK between the north and the south.
- Social and economic indicators can be used to identify a north-south divide in the UK.
- There are strategies for resolving regional differences.
Keywords
Regional inequality - differences in the standard of living and wealth between two areas of the same country
Core - the economic centre of a country or region; in the UK, this is London
Periphery - the area of a country or region that serves the core and therefore has a weaker economy
Common misconception
Everyone living in a particular region will have a similar lived experience of a place.
Though in general the north and south of the UK show evidence of economic inequality, there are lots of pockets of very high levels of wealth in the north and areas of extreme poverty in the south.
Teacher tip
Students can look at current ONS data for areas in the north and south and evaluate if these have been successful in reducing regional inequality.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What regions make up the United Kingdom?
Q2.What is an economy?
Q3.Match the type of industry with its definition.
Q4.Match the key words with their definitions.
Q5.Which of the following is a key cause of economic change in the UK during the Industrial Revolution?
Q6.How do historical events impact regions?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Geographers think about the north-south divide as an example of a (the south) and a periphery (the north).
Q2.There is some disagreement over where the north-south divide actually sits. Most geographers agree that the north has:
Q3.To understand the causes of the north-south divide geographers look at the regional history. The correct sequence of events in the north of the UK that led to the current divide is ...
Q4.Enterprise zones are areas with ...
Q5.The ‘Northern ’ was an initiative to try to boost industrial growth specifically in the north of England.
To help you plan your 11 geography lesson on: The north-south divide, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 geography lesson on: The north-south divide, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 geography lessons from the Economic futures in the UK unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.