Download the KS2 QCA British Isles map www.centremaps.co.ukimagesks2brit.pdf. Mark on the route of the A1, your home settlement and two or three major cities near to the A1. Ask a range of questions depending on the age of the children, eg which place on the A1 is nearest to where we live? Draw and label onto a map some of the different types of settlement and contrasting landscapes found along the A1. Try out some of the Department for Transport’s ideas at www.databases.dft.gov.ukprimary.

KS3

Find, and mark onto a map, places on the A1 for as many letters of the alphabet as possible. Give pupils a list of word endings that indicate periods of settlement, eg - chester (Roman), - ing (Saxon) and ask them to find examples of these on the route of the A1. With a road atlas ask pupils to prepare a detailed plan for a journey from London to Edinburgh and include specific requirements, eg a visit to a place of historic interest.

KS4

On the BBC News website http:news.bbc.co.uk search for “A1 upgrade”.

Read a selection of the articles and make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of upgrading sections of the A1. Follow the course of the A1 in an atlas. Describe and explain how its route is affected by physical geography. Is the A1 the best way to get from London to Edinburgh? Consider this question from different perspectives eg travel time and environmental impact.