Jeremy Krause has been involved with the Geographical Association for many years, and acted as a Trustee of the Association. He worked as an advisory teacher in Cheshire.
Jeremy has published a number of books, including books on Primary Geography in particular (although he was a Secondary teacher by training), and supported the work of the GA in numerous ways, alongside his advisory roles.
His Presidential address in 2001 was entitled: "Tell the world about learning geography" and published in 2003 in 'Geography'.
It ended with this paragraph on his vision for the GA in the future:
"My personal vision for the GA of the future is an association which encourages its members to communicate with each other, by whatever means, to debate what it is to learn geography, what drives them and how we can all be better at delivering meaningful learning. An Association that is a strong voice for the subject as part of a rich and exciting curriculum." This links with Douglas Freshfield's introduction to the first issue of 'The Geographical Teacher'.
The Charney Manor Geography Conference is also an event which Jeremy has been involved with for many years: helping to organise and present sessions.
Jeremy was heavily involved in the 20th Anniversary event in 2017, which I was fortunate to attend, and made some significant contributions to the weekend, which celebrated the immense contribution made to Primary Education by Simon Catling.
Jeremy was kind enough to answer the questions on my Google Form a while back to add to his entry.
Jeremy was involved with the introduction of ‘pathways ‘ at conference, along with the then Hon Conference officer Paul MacDermott.
It also emerged out of the M&PD committee’s work, under chairs Judy Mansell and later Sue Lomas
They were introduced either at the 2001 conference or Jeremy's conference in 2002
This was important as it represented a shift to a more Professional Development orientated organisation. This was on the back of increased performance management mechanisms in school and schools having more control of their budgets.
It was important in an environment like this to ‘badge’ the conferences more overtly as CPD - something which of course continues to this day.
Image: Bryan Ledgard / Geographical Association
He has carried out many additional roles including being on interview panels to select the GA's Chief Executives - a key role in the changing nature of the GA to become a professional association with paid staff, rather than the decades of reliance on volunteers to carry out all roles.
Jeremy has published a number of books, including books on Primary Geography in particular (although he was a Secondary teacher by training), and supported the work of the GA in numerous ways, alongside his advisory roles.
His Presidential address in 2001 was entitled: "Tell the world about learning geography" and published in 2003 in 'Geography'.
It ended with this paragraph on his vision for the GA in the future:
"My personal vision for the GA of the future is an association which encourages its members to communicate with each other, by whatever means, to debate what it is to learn geography, what drives them and how we can all be better at delivering meaningful learning. An Association that is a strong voice for the subject as part of a rich and exciting curriculum." This links with Douglas Freshfield's introduction to the first issue of 'The Geographical Teacher'.
The Charney Manor Geography Conference is also an event which Jeremy has been involved with for many years: helping to organise and present sessions.
Jeremy was heavily involved in the 20th Anniversary event in 2017, which I was fortunate to attend, and made some significant contributions to the weekend, which celebrated the immense contribution made to Primary Education by Simon Catling.
Jeremy was kind enough to answer the questions on my Google Form a while back to add to his entry.
He also shared a great deal of other information in emails and other formats, as we approached his own entry onto the blog, with respect to the Presidents who he knew well and worked with.
I shared some questions with Jeremy, and some memories of the 1990s, which have been the focus for a number of recent blog posts.
I felt that the GA in the late 90s changed considerably as we moved into the 2000s. It went from a charity run very well by members and a supportive administration to a professional body with subject leadership coming from HQ in addition to volunteers. Prior to 2000, the GA was very much the territory of academics this was prior to changes in demands on them to research more and also GA publications and journals weren’t approved by HEFC (so couldn't count towards their research output).
The GA’s nomadic geographical journey from Oxford to Aberystwyth Manchester and finally Sheffield was ‘underwritten’ by these academics.
The professionalising process probably also began with the introduction of Pathways at Conference - all linked to increasing performance management in schools and limited money for CPD eventsI
The GA’s nomadic geographical journey from Oxford to Aberystwyth Manchester and finally Sheffield was ‘underwritten’ by these academics.
The professionalising process probably also began with the introduction of Pathways at Conference - all linked to increasing performance management in schools and limited money for CPD eventsI
Jeremy was involved with the introduction of ‘pathways ‘ at conference, along with the then Hon Conference officer Paul MacDermott.
It also emerged out of the M&PD committee’s work, under chairs Judy Mansell and later Sue Lomas
They were introduced either at the 2001 conference or Jeremy's conference in 2002
This was important as it represented a shift to a more Professional Development orientated organisation. This was on the back of increased performance management mechanisms in school and schools having more control of their budgets.
It was important in an environment like this to ‘badge’ the conferences more overtly as CPD - something which of course continues to this day.
He also took the time to have a number of phone conversations with me during the time when the blog project was taking shape.
The following was written by Jeremy himself and outlines in detail his involvement in the GA for many decades. Jeremy told me:
The process of writing this blog has been both interesting and humbling.
‘Interesting’ because it is revealing to consider what the GA has given me over more than 50 years and what I have tried to do in return.
‘Humbling’ because I’ve recalled the many who helped me ‘get on my way’ and also ‘along the way’. Just as important, are those who I don’t know about directly, but who must have been there!
As someone who has ‘come up through the ranks’ I have always felt strongly about all who serve on Committees and the contributions from the ‘far from ordinary members’.
I hope that I do justice to all who made this possible. Thank you.
When and where were you born?
6th July 1950 – a ‘Metrolander’
Born at home in Pinner Middlesex within the sound of the Metropolitan Railway. (Uxbridge Branch).
Where did you go to school / university?
Cannon Lane Junior Mixed Infant School, Pinner Middlesex 1955 - 1961
Harrow County School for Boys, Harrow (Now Harrow High School) 1961 - 1969
University of Southampton 1969 - 72 BSc Hons Geography
University of Southampton 1972 -73 PGCE
University of Keele 1982 – 84 Part time MEd
What has your career been e.g. teacher / academic / author / other work outside the obvious geography sphere?
Relief Warden YHA North Yorkshire 1972
Geography and Geology Teacher - Branston School and Community College Lincolnshire1973 – 78
Head of Geography Department Adams School Wem Shropshire (now The Thomas Adams School) 1978 – 86
Head of Humanities Croeswylan School Oswestry Shropshire (now The Marches School ) 1986 – 87
Advisory Teacher for Geography 11 – 18 Shropshire LA 1987 – 89 with a focus on introducing the new GCSE courses and examinations and also the Use of ICT in Geography.
From 1987-92 Geography Committee of the Secondary Examinations Council chaired by Tony Thomas and its successor the School Examinations and Assessment Council (SEAC) Chaired by Professor Richard Daugherty
The Shropshire experiences coupled with being a member of SEC and its successor SEAC revealed some of the challenges especially with geographical enquiry and its assessment. Although there was a great spirit of cooperation at the time with a huge commitment to the new syllabuses, some key issues emerged:
• with regard to Values and Attitudes, ‘What was the point of asking pupils for their opinions?’
• how to allocate marks for knowledge, understanding, skills and values?
• how to make the wording of questions accessible to students of all abilities?
• how to set up, mark, moderate and validate students’ Geographical Enquiries?
Senior Adviser for Geography 2- 19 Cheshire LA 1989 – 2002
A responsibility that caused me to develop a deep understanding of Early Years, Primary and Special Education that has stayed with me since and which informed me greatly about how children learn. This was a major turning point in my professional life.
Collaboration
One significant aspect part of my work was with the late Roger Carter in forming the Geography North West Consortium of Geography with colleagues from Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire Staffordshire Shropshire with the University of Liverpool. I am eternally grateful to Alan Waters, Barry Piggott, Roger Carter, the late Kate Campion, Professor Bill Marsden and Jo Hughes.
An important outcome were the ‘20 Day courses’ we ran for five years, with c 150 Early Years and Primary School Teachers per year, as a key part of supporting the development of the National Curriculum for Geography.
A spin off from this were many writing projects for both the GA and NCC/QCA including:
1992 Place - a Practical Guide to teaching about places for The GA
1992 Geography and Economic Understanding at Key Stages 3 and 4
NCC
Cheshire Geography Expeditions.
Prior to my arrival in Cheshire the LA had already run its first Geography Expedition for 6th Formers to Iceland in 1989. I played a key role is setting up expeditions to Iceland in 1991 and 1993 and participated as a leader in the latter. In 1995, 1997 and 1999 the location moved to Arctic Norway. I was able to participate as a leader in 1997 & 1999.
1997 – 1999 Part time PGCE Primary Geography Lecturer University of Manchester
1998 – 2000 Seconded to Cheshire LA Education Policy Adviser post to work with the Director of Education to create the LA’s first Education Development Plan for all maintained schools – over 500 in total.
2000: Palestinian National Authority - The Department for International Development with The British Council East Jerusalem (West Bank and Gaza) - Support programme for Social Studies in Grades 1 – 4
A real eye opener and life changing experience working with bright, optimistic and highly committed teachers in Ramallah, Nablus, Jericho, Bethlehem and Gaza.
2002 – 05: Regional Director for Teaching and Learning in the Foundation Subjects with National Strategies for School Improvement – Yorkshire and the Humber Region
2005 -11: Senior School Improvement Adviser with the National Strategies South West Region with a focus on 50+ underperforming schools
2011-15 Independent Education Consultant including a major School to school improvement programme in Somerset.
2010 – 18 Member of the Governing Body and Chair of Appointments and Standards Committee, Cotham School, Bristol
Charney Manor Primary Geography Conference 1998/9 & 2011 -18 and 2021. Presentations in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018
Author
1988 ‘Ready Steady Go’ Module 3 Shropshire Geography for Young School Leavers –TRIST (TVEI Related In-service training) Project with five other Heads of Department.
1988 Spaceview UK - a teacher’s guide to Landsat
Images in the classroom: Image I Welsh Borderland
1994 ‘Read all about it’: Using Children’s Literature in support of Primary Geography Chapter 11 in Primary School Geography Eds Bill Marsden and Jo Hughes David Fulton
1995 Landmarks Portrait of Europe BBC
1995 Primary Geography a developmental Approach with Prof Alan Blythe Hodder and Stoughton
1996 Using Land Use – UK for a County Wide Initiative Chapter 12 Land Use UK- a survey for the 21st Century Ed Rex Walford Geographical Association
1997
Geography Co-ordinator’s pack BBC Worldwide (Educational Publishing) Jeremy Krause and Wendy Garner
2004 & 2010
Chapter 25 The subject leader in Primary Geography Handbook Ed by Roger Carter 2004 and Stephen Scoffham 2010 (in 2010 with contributions from Jane Millward and Anthony Barlow)
2001 Departmental Visions and Planning for Change with Linda Thompson, Chapter 10 in More Thinking Through Geography Ed Adam Nichols and David Kinninment Chris Kington Publishing
A range of other materials were also authored over the years.
Articles have tended to be either practical guides to teaching and learning or particularly in recent years reflections of the lives of fellow GA Geographers who made a significant difference to me life and career
What was your job when you became President?
Initially Senior Adviser for Geography with Cheshire LA until February 2002, then Regional Director for the Foundation Subjects Key Stage 3 National Strategy from February 2002
What theme did you choose when President, and why did you pick it?
‘Learning Geography for our world – life in the global village’
Two reasons:
First, I was fascinated by the debate about how we learn which was highly influenced by Dylan Wiliam and Paul Black’s ‘Inside the Black Box’ published in 1998 and the development of thinking skills through the work of David Leat. Geographers with their insatiable appetite for learning about places, engaging with environmental issues and for travel and adventure are ideally placed to develop strategies that engage learners with thinking skills.
I also reflected on the need to be clearer about why we select particular aspects of our subject for our pupils to learn. Why do we think they are so important? Do we need to revisit our knowledge. Should we re-examine the skills we use to engage our learners?
This was placed in the context that Manchester, the venue for the 2002 Conference, was hosting the Commonwealth Games later in the year. Not quite the Olympics in terms of international teams but nonetheless highly representative of our global village.
This theme of ‘Life in the Global Village’ was also picked up in ‘Celebrating diversity – life in the British Isles today’ , the excellent programme of activities that formed Geography Action Week 2002 which was led by my good friend from Cheshire days Mark Higginbottom.
(For those paying attention, all the 2002 Conference materials were purple as a nod to inclusivity by showing what happens if you mix the red and blue of the two leading Manchester football teams.)
My conference address was followed in the afternoon by the The Learning Forum:
‘Learning Geography in the Primary school’ led by Wendy Garner, Simon Catling and Stephen Scoffham.
‘Learning Geography in the secondary school’ led by Linda Thompson, Dr John Morgan and Dr David Leat.
The other aspect to my Presidential address and year was my personal vision for the GA. This choice was influenced by a real concern that the GA had to be open to new ideas and adapt to the changing circumstances in schools especially in terms of funding and curriculum development. Also events during my Presidential year also made me concerned for the GA’s future.
My vision of the future was for an association which encourages its members to communicate with each other, by whatever means, to debate what it is to learn geography, what drives them and how we all can all be better at delivering meaningful learning.
I also suggested that we needed to do more than say geography is ‘good’ and educationally important. We must demonstrate why it is good.
There were five strands to this:
• Research and share good practice
• Address inclusion - especially as the membership did not reflect the ethnically diverse population of our country. Still work to do here.
• ‘Geovisions’ – use this forum to raise and debate issues and make proposals about the future of geography
• Links – foster links with other organisations in including the HA and RGS-IBG
• Professional Development - develop professional development programmes which addressed the wide ranging needs of the Association’s membership.
One feature of the whole conference were the Professional Development Pathways developed in Membership & Professional Development Committee, Chaired by Sue Lomas another good friend of mine from Cheshire.
Paul McDermott the GA’s then Honorary Conference Officer played a significant part in their planning and execution. Sarah Clarke & Lucy Oxley at GA HQ also played a major part in the Conference being a great success. I will always be grateful to them all for all they did. My conference address was followed in the afternoon by the Learning Forum:
‘Learning Geography in the Primary school’ led by Wendy Garner, Simon Catling and Stephen Scoffham
‘Learning Geography in the secondary school’ led by Linda Thompson, Dr John Morgan and Dr David Leat.
In the 2002 Conference the Pathways, begun in the previous year, were developed further under four broad headings:
• Leading and managing Geography: Primary, Secondary and Post 16
• Geography and ICT
• Improving your geographical understanding
• Curriculum development for the new Geography teacher
The Presidential Reception was held at Chetham’s School of Music. It was an informal evening of cultural entertainment and cuisine from around the world*, including the presentations of the GA and Frederick Soddy Trust Awards.
*Food and entertainment was provided in three different rooms and all attending were encouraged to move round all three.
My reason for this more informal approach was that I was concerned that the Conference Dinner didn’t attract large numbers and was seen to be a bit exclusive and for many too expensive. 150 attended the Chetham’s Reception and over the 20 years since, the style of this event has become less formal and more inclusive.
As a footnote: GA News Conference Extra Geography April 2002 had a comment that a first glance could be seen as a criticism:
‘In a presentation that any visiting Ofsted inspector would find difficult to fault, GA President Jeremy Krause left his audience in no doubt about his fervour and commitment, for both his subject and the GA’
Too right! If I was waffling on about teaching and learning it would have been deeply ironic to be less than ‘good’. And yes I do still fervently care about the GA.
Why does the GA matter to you? How did you get involved, and what roles have you played within the GA?
I have been involved in the GA for over 54 years. The first twenty years were very much determined by the energy and commitment of others who guided me, advised and taught me. Those who went before me, those who support me and believe in me and helped me on me way, both subtly and directly, creating fertile ground for my growth. Only in recent years through conversations with Roy Avery my Headmaster at Harrow County, my A level geography teacher Phillip Clarke and good friend John Bale have I realised the influence others made on my early involvement with the GA.
In my research for my GA Presidential Address I came across a 1915 article in 'The Geographical Teacher', Vol 8, No 1 (Spring 1915), pp45-53 'Value of Surveying in Teaching Geography' by Ernest Young BSc (The County School Harrow)
A paper was delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Geographical Association, January 7 1915 with the poet and GA President Hillaire Belloc present (an aside - we have no record of his Presidential Address - I tried my best to find it.)
What I liked about this was to discover that only 22 years after the GA was founded curriculum debates about what Geography included were going on. For me, most important of all, it was my school’s first Headmaster writing about Geography. Perhaps this was the first course of bricks in the foundations of the Geography Department from which I benefitted hugely in the 1960s.
I have also discovered that Rex Walford undertook a Teaching Practice at my school before my time and trialled his ‘Geographical Games’ including ‘the Railway Pioneers’ there, after my time.
The greatest debt I owe the Association from these times was through the Harrow and Wembley Branch of the GA. When I was a 6th Former 1967 – 69, the school arranged for us to attend branch activities. I recall a lecture by Professor Eric Brown from UCL. His lecture was about dry valleys on the North Downs. Who could forget ‘The Devil’s Kneading Trough’ near Wye in Kent. I was gripped by the detail of the research detail which went far beyond A level textbooks.
What I didn’t realise then, but do now, was that the Branch had some of the key ‘Geography influencers’ of the day including Trevor Bennett, John Everson and Brian Fitzgerald as leading lights.
I should also mention my other geography teachers Charles Crinson and Maurice Venn the latter was my amazing Geology teacher. (almost persuaded me to pursue a career as field geologist……shame I can’t tell him I’m still a keen amateur!)
I must also mention Jim Golland, my English teacher who managed to get me to write…….Non Fiction. In my teens, I didn’t ‘get’ creative writing, but local history and geography was something I could do.
My strongest memories of my three years at the University of Southampton were of Reader (Later Prof ) John Small and his protégé Dr (Later Prof) Mike Clarke and Mr (later Prof) Keith Barber. They were into the outdoors and physical geography and geology of Southern England. The Downland of Southern England is in my soul through life at home, school and university.
My next thanks are to Professor John Bale.
John's many contributions to my life’s journey as a geographer.
I first met him at Nobel School, Stevenage in 1971 when he very kindly helped me with my Undergraduate dissertation on the perception of place. That input helped immensely as my tutor wasn’t much interested.
I then recall going to see him at his home at Vigo near Meopham after he had become a lecturer at Avery Hill College. I recall him insisting that I went to the Annual GA Conferences at The LSE.
10 years later in 1982 he encouraged me to study for a Masters at Keele. That was another show of faith in me. Sadly he was not my tutor and I think I always begrudged that slightly.
I still have a signed copy of John’s fantastic book ‘ Geography in the Primary School’ on my shelves!
My first five years in teaching were in Lincolnshire and I am grateful to Janet Collier my first Head of Department and Gerard Roussel, Headteacher for encouraging me, a rather fidgety and always into something new, teacher. The GA’s Lincoln Branch provided an outlet for some of this energy and my contacts with other local teachers enabled me to learn more about ‘New Geography’ and new approaches to teaching such as the three ‘Geography for The Young School Leaver’ (GYSL) packs of modern case studies in a workcard format.
I am proud that as GA President that I was able to speak at a Branch meeting in 2001 on the topic of ‘My journey through Palestine’.
Jeremy has said that he is going to send me some more, so this post will be updated.
References
Presidential Address:
KRAUSE, JEREMY. “Tell the World about Learning Geography.” Geography, vol. 88, no. 1, 2003, pp. 4–14. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40573792.
If anyone has other memories of Jeremy Krause, please get in touch with me, and I can update the post accordingly.
KRAUSE, JEREMY. “Tell the World about Learning Geography.” Geography, vol. 88, no. 1, 2003, pp. 4–14. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40573792.
If anyone has other memories of Jeremy Krause, please get in touch with me, and I can update the post accordingly.
Bottom image: Joseph Kerski, used with permission
Updated March 2021
Author - Jeremy told me of the items he had authored over the years.
Jeremy ended his contribution with a lengthy and detailed description of the last 30 years or so of the GA's activities and his personal involvement. It's a reminder of how much one can gain from being part of the GA's community of practice. The following is Jeremy's personal views, which he wanted to share widely through the forum of this blog:
I am particularly interested in this, as I started teaching at this time, so the following mentions a great many familiar changes that I have had to adapt to, with the help of the GA.
Context
I consider it useful to reflect on the context for geography and the GA during this 34 year period. These changes in the subject, and also life in schools had a profound effect on my professional life in Shropshire and Cheshire and they impacted on my ideas that I developed as President and in my other GA leadership roles.
‘The geographer, as any other social scientist, cannot avoid being socialized into a specific culture – or more accurately, sub-culture – at a particular period of time.’
Pahl (1968)
Pahl, R. (1968). Sociological Models in Geography. In R. Chorley & P. Haggett (Eds.). Socio- Economic Models in Geography. (pp.217-242). London: Methuen.
The ‘what, how and why’ of Geography
The seeds of the current situation for geography in all phases were set in the late 1980s.
From its beginnings the GA has always played a role in all three elements: the what how and why of Geography and its teaching and learning.
The debate about the ‘what’ and ‘why’ was made in an emphatic and well argued way in 1987. The Geographical Association’s publication ‘The Case for Geography’ Edited by Patrick Bailey and Tony Binns in 1987 was the GA’s significant and timely response to Sir Keith Joseph in his address to the Geographical Association at Kings College London 1985 when he was then Secretary of State for Education & Science
Since then the GA has sought to continue this involvement in the debate in the ‘What’ and ‘why’ of Geography
These have included:
• 1999: Geography in the curriculum – A position statement from the GA
• 2002: GeoVisions - Birmingham Development Education Centre by GAIN and the Geographical Association
• 2009: ‘A different view – a manifesto for Geography led by David Lambert
Following closely on from the ‘Case for Geography’ was the development of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in 1987 & the National Curriculum in 1989.
GCSE provided a single examination system replacing the bipartite Ordinary (‘O’ level) and Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE). The GCSE geography syllabuses had to cover in their courses and assessments: knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes. Assessment by terminal examinations only formed a part of the final grade awarded. The significant change for most schools and especially those that had taught traditional content based ‘O’ levels was coursework or, more precisely, Geographical Enquiry.
Initially, there was a short period of ‘flowering’ of a broader view of geographical content and assessment. In particular, the opportunity to develop geographical enquiry was seen by many in the geographical community to offer a chance not only to test students’ knowledge, understanding and skills, but also to apply those to their own investigations, in the field and secondary research, and while doing so developing their values and attitudes and appreciation that others held differing views.
The National Curriculum (NC) for geography at Key stages 1, 2 and 3 was an attempt to define the content, ‘The What’ for all maintained schools. The famously cumbersome 183 statements of attainment in the original version were an attempt by the then Conservative Government to define geography mainly as content and it was left to schools to construct courses and schemes of work and approaches to teaching and learning.
It is worth noting that an approach to the subject that included Geographical Enquiry chimed well with primary phase teachers. They understood implicitly that children learn best through discovery, finding out and investigating the concrete world, and thereby build up their knowledge understanding and skills, value and attitudes through experience.
The massive growth in geography and the GA response
The GA set about moving from ‘the what’ to ‘the how’. Much of our time was spent looking more closely at how we organised and taught the content. Another outcome over time was a move from a focus on teaching to one on learning.
The GA worked hard to engage with new National Quangos to support the process of introducing GCSEs and the NC. In the early days this was not helped by a false dichotomy between curriculum content and assessment with the clumsy division between the School Examinations and Assessment Council (SEAC) based in London and the National Curriculum Council (NCC) based in York.
As the years passed the officers of these public bodies and their professional officers worked hard to make things work and increasingly were involved with the GA in the ‘how’. Thanks are due to Ken Bland, Pat Wilson, Eleanor Rawling, John Westaway, Barbara Jones and others for the way they enabled developments to take place.
To this day the GA has and is responding to this agenda.
Again under a Conservative Government we have a new curriculum and amongst all the debate about ‘what’ and ‘why’ there is a clamour for ‘how!
‘It’s the economy stupid’
The shift of financial control & school budgets from Local Authority centralised control to schools (Local Management of Schools LMS) took place in the late 1980s. In short, schools had to take over the management of their budgets. The long-term consequences were that LAs’ control of budgets and funding rapidly reduced. It is worth noting that this process has continued to this day although perversely the power now lies with national government’s centralised overview on Academies, Multi Academy Trusts and Academy Chains etc
When I began working as an Adviser in Cheshire in 1989 there was a growth of finance at the start to fund me and my LA’s programme. At the end in 2002 when I left I was not replaced and even in the final years I was always seeking finance from alternative funding including selling my expertise to schools.
I achieved this with a Thinking Skills programme where I persuaded the Heads to pay for my time and course costs out of the ‘Best Practice Research Grants’ awarded to their schools.
With schools ‘holding the purse strings’ the GA also needed to be more explicit about what it could offer
Big brother
Two key centralising processes took place during the 1990s that exist to this day. First, the development of School Inspections under the Office for standards in Education (Ofsted). Second, the significant growth of the accountability processes associated with performance management of teachers. This grew rapidly first in 1998 with the ‘National Standards for subject leaders’.
Over the years more attention has been given to monitoring and evaluating everything including classroom practice and especially the use of pupil progress data.
The GA’s response:
• By being more explicit about its programmes especially conference including some identifiable CPD element within the conference programmes – ‘The Pathways’
• By indicating where our work impacts on pupil progress
• By supporting appraisal
By supporting the ‘how’ especially as LA Advisory and other external support services disappeared
By engaging in lesson planning / curriculum planning and curriculum debates such as Humanities v Geography & History
Support for non-Geographers not just in Early Years / Primary but also KS3 & in Special Education
So what GA activities did I get involved with?
Shropshire GA Branch
In 1987, with support from local teachers, Nigel Vaughan, Shropshire’s Humanities Adviser and Tony Thomas Director of The Field Studies Council and his colleagues, I set up the Shropshire GA Branch.
Wendy Morgan was one of first speakers and provided me, as a parent to two infant age children, my first insight into what young learners could accomplish in primary geography.
Information Technology Working Group (ITWG)
Also in 1987, I was invited to join the GA’s ITWG by Andrea Tapsfield. Andrea is another person to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude. Her leadership of what was, at that time, a significant area of growth drew me into the heart of the GA. I gained so much from so many. I mention some here and apologise for leaving some out. Thanks to Neville Grenyer, Mike Milton, Don Garman, Dave Hassall, Andy Phillips, Paula Richardson and John Davidson amongst many others.
Also John Nanson and Roger Sanders two Shropshire Colleagues who worked on the Weather and IT project.
Geography Advisers and Inspectors Network (GAIN)
In the late 1980s/early 1990s most Local Authorities (LAs) in England and Wales set up or expanded their school Advisory Services in response to the new GCSEs and National Curriculum. I was first employed in Shropshire’s Advisory Services and then from 1989 Cheshire’s.
GAIN was affiliated to the Geographical Association, a decision agreed partly as some members considered that the GA represented an elitist view of the subject and the curriculum. This situation also arose because some smaller LAs appointed a person to represent Geography, History and the Humanities. There was considerable and often heated debate about the role of Humanities.
Thanks are due to Doug Sharp from Solihull LA and Marcia Foley from Kent for the leadership they provided. I also should mention Keith Grimwade, Roger Carter who, like myself, went on to be GA Presidents with an LA background, a group that also includes Mark Higginbottom and Sue Lomas. There were highly influential members of GAIN such as Michael Storm from ILEA whose ‘Five key questions for Geographical Enquiry’ are at the heart of much of the subject’s pedagogy.
Chris Durbin from Staffordshire was also the inspirational source for many debates and discussions.
Membership and Professional Development Committee (M&PD)
Prior to becoming Junior Vice President in 1999 I served as Hon Secretary to the GA’s M&PD Committee Chaired by Judy Mansell. This Committee no longer exists, but at this time it played the role described in its title. It carried overall responsibility for Membership and Professional Development activities such as Conference. It also held an overview of Local GA Branches. Each of these areas had a Hon Officer such as Paul McDermott for the GA’s Annual Conference. When it was decided to close down the Committee its activities moved either to Education Standing Committee (Education Group) or to paid staff at GA HQ.
There were a number of attempts to raise additional external funds for the GA (later to be called ‘The Third Stream’) For example, an inordinate amount of time spent unsuccessfully seeking National Lottery Funding.
During this time The GA bought (took out a Mortgage) to buy 160 Solly Street. This came about as the University of Sheffield wanted to reclaim the Fulwood Road building from the GA. The move offered much more space and although Solly Street had none of the charm of Fulwood Road it did give the GA its first ‘home of its own’ with vast amounts of space, much of which remains unused to this day. (Check out the basement!). The building could accommodate more staff both permanent and temporary as well as room for the archive and storage of publications.
Publications – books and journals
During the 1990s the GA’s publications flourished. Primary Geographer later Primary Geography (PG) was a shining example of the GA responding to identified needs of teachers and teacher educators. The groundwork by Wendy Morgan and Margaret Mackintosh carries through to this day under the leadership of Fran Martin and more recently Steve Rawlinson and the collective.
I am proud to be an author of articles in PG from those days.
The growth of the Barnaby Bear books and resources occurred at this time.
A little known fact about me is that I’ve been airbrushed out of a Barnaby Bear image. It was my arm holding up Barnaby as he posted a letter in “Barnaby Bear goes to Dublin’!
A highly significant event was the GA’s publication of the first ‘Handbook of Primary
Geography’ in 1998 edited by Roger Carter. This was followed by a second edition edited by Stephen Scoffham in 2004. Thanks are due to Roger and Stephen for leading so successfully this mammoth and highly professional task. I was proud to involved in both. This publication challenge was repeated with huge effort and dedication under Tessa Willy’s editorship as “Leading Primary Geography’ in 2020. This is the GA at its most supportive and influential.
In 1999 I was involved with many other GA members in a GA working group* in producing the two important leaflets ‘Leading Geography Primary’ and ‘Leading Geography Secondary’.
(* Roger Carter, Wendy Garner, Keith Grimwade, Elaine Jackson, Sue Lomas, Paula Richardson, Linda Thompson and myself.)
Linda Thompson was on the GA's Secondary Phase Committee when I joined.
This was the GA beginning to get further involved in the Professional Development of Teachers.
Professional development
The decline of LA Advisory Services began in the late 1990s and it became evident that the GA needed to appoint someone to lead our fast developing CPD programme based out of Solly St. I am proud that I was able to work with others to create the post of Professional Development Coordinator and the GA appointed Di Swift in 2001.
Being the GA’s President is, to this day, the most important public office I have held. It is a source of great pride that I join the roll of honour of 100 plus Presidents that have held office since the Association was founded in 1893.
I am humbled to be listed alongside some of the ‘greats’ in the world of geography.
I would like to thank posthumously Mike Bradford and also Derek Spooner and Chris Kington, the three other Presidents who I served with between 1999 and 2003. We worked closely together and very much enjoyed each other’s company.
I would also like to thank posthumously Neil Simmonds, Named Trustee; Don Garman, Treasurer and Trevor Bennetts, Council Member for their considerable support alongside Roger Carter and Peter Fox who were Joint Interim CE for most of my Presidential Year.
The loyalty of GA staff especially Julia Legg and Frances Soar was highly significant in keeping the GA running smoothly.
GA Chief Executive (CE)
I have had the good fortune to be involved in a significant development in the leadership and management of the GA through the creation of the role of Chief Executive and the four appointments from 1998 - 2013
The GA's first CE Martin Curry, served from 1998 – 2002. The role was toprovide leadership of the Solly Street offices as they grew both in the number of personnel and the complexity of operation.
Peter Farrell was the second CE appointed to a similar job description, but resigned for personal reasons during November 2001.
I will always be grateful to Roger Carter and Peter Fox for jointly covering the Interim Role of CE in the Summer 2001 and again from Autumn 2001 until David Lambert took up post in late 2002. They provided stability and strong leadership at a difficult time for the GA at Solly Street and more widely.
As President, I decided that the job description and salary level of the new CE should be changed to meet the new demands being made on the organisation. In short, we needed a CE and leader at HQ who was a subject expert of some standing who could provide leadership in not just in the Solly Street office, but also in Geography as an academic subject.
Part of the CE Job description from 2002 illustrates this shift in emphasis and responsibility:
The Chief Executive provides dynamic and enterprising leadership of the GA and its team of staff at the Association's headquarters in Sheffield.
The role demands a high degree of responsibility and considerable initiative in terms of:
• The areas for which the Chief Executive has special responsibility, i.e. strategic development and planning, and the provision of clear, strategic advice and implementation of agreed policies in partnership with the Governing Body. In the current climate, this particularly includes the future growth of the Association, its external relations, and income generation.
• Advocacy for the subject, the Association and for members of the geography community (teachers, schools, and other members engaged in geographical education) in the external arena, particularly its relations with national government and external agencies.
We appointed David Lambert from a very strong field in May 2002 and he took up the post in December after working 6 months notice from The Institute of Education in London. David, as CE, led the GA through many innovative developments including the ‘Action Plan for Geography’ and we became ‘The Trusted Voice for Geography’.
The Geography team at Solly Street expanded greatly.
David also appointed Richard Gill as Finance Manager in 2003 and he served the GA at the highest professional level until his retirement in 2020.
In 2013, David Lambert was succeeded by Alan Kinder who holds the post to this day. Alan has had to lead the GA through times of reduced budget and membership while changing the organisation to cope with a greater on-line presence and increased electronic communications with a smaller HQ team.
GA Named Trustee 2008 – 2014
After the role of President there is, for me, no higher office than Named Trustee. I am proud to have been a Named Trustee for six years alongside Brian Ellis, Hon Treasurer and Peter Fox.
The GA’s three Named Trustees are Governing Body members who have considerable experience of the GA either through previously being a member of the Governing Body or through holding other significant posts within the Association
Named Trustees take a special interest in the GA’s finances (including investments) and hold specific roles with regard to staffing matters and the estate.
We worked closely with six Presidents : Margaret Roberts, John Halocha, John Hopkin, Fran Martin, Bob Digby and Hazel Barrett.
Our activities included: purchasing the Solly St building outright; agreeing new staffing structure, salaries and pensions and appointing Alan Kinder as CE.
EYPPC 2014 to present
I have been on EYPPC for six years. I joined at my own request to Anthony Barlow and Simon Catling as I came to the end of six years as a Named Trustee.
I joined EYPPC because when I was a Named Trustee I was concerned that EYrs & Primary had been at times been under-recognised and under funded especially in the period after the Action Plan funding came to an end. It was also clear that there was considerable frustration that the EYPPC voice was not being heard. At that time the decline in GA Primary memberships was adding to that weakening of position.
The great strength of The GA is its expertise across all phases of education!!!
What pleases me immensely is that there has been a significant shift towards EYrs & Primary over the past few years. This shift is not yet complete.
Evidence of progress has included the new Handbook and important joint articles such as that written by Paula Owens and Alan Kinder on School Inspections. There are many more including the new arrangements to encourage Primary membership.
Through EYPPC I have become part of A Study of Moderators’ Reports on Submissions to the Primary Geography Quality Mark Award Scheme,
c.2014/5-2018/19. This is led by Simon Catling and I am delighted to be working alongside Kate Glanville, Jen Lomas, Paula Owens, Steve Rawlinson, Stephen Scoffham and Sharon Witt.
Honorary Member 2015
It was a surprise then and still is now, to be made an Honorary Member of the GA in 2015. It is not a role that I chose or was elected to. That fact alone gives it real status in my own mind. It was all the more special for the award to be made by the then President Mark Higginbottom. Mark is one of the best and most expert teachers of Geography that I have ever had the opportunity to work with.
Memories of other Past Presidents and others
Denys Brunsden producing pairs of boots in his 1987 Presidential Address at The LSE.
I was very taken with this visual ‘punctuation’ of his life as Geographer. I am also impressed with his life devoted to geography which, in retirement ,was directed to work on the ‘Jurassic Coast’.
1993: Simon Catling as President leading our celebrations in the GA’s Centennial Year in Sheffield but also in Oxford. How important it was to have a President from a Primary and Early Years background one hundred years from the tentative beginnings in 1893. A really strong message to the world of Geography that the GA had this depth and width of experience within its leadership and membership.
1996 Rex Walford and especially Land Use UK – what a privilege to know Rex! Even more so to have his support and engagement of our county-wide coverage of I km squares across Cheshire in schools in all phases including the maintained and private sectors. The Chapters about Cheshire in the LUUK Book and the choice of three of my images and one of my ‘Geographical task force’ descriptions in the final publication. A proud moment for me both professionally and personally.
1998 My good friends Wendy Garner and Elaine Jackson persuading me to stand for election as President, and the embarrassing situation, for all concerned, when it was announced at GA Council that there had been a tie in the voting for President between Derek Spooner and myself. It was resolved in the meeting by a ‘drawing of straws’ which Derek won. I then had to decide whether to continue. It was decided that I would be put forward uncontested for President the following year.
After the meeting, Derek suggested that we should have gone down the ‘single stump in cricket’ route. I would have still have lost!
At the start of his GA Presidential Address in 1999, Roger Carter looked around the packed lecture theatre and said, ‘There’s a lot of you… I’m used to seeing you in small groups in pubs and meeting rooms.’
We were those in small groups and as individuals who gained so much from being with Roger. This wasn’t a random action, it was central to Roger’s being. It’s best summed up by a quote from the ‘Geovisions’ project, in which he played such an important part, used in the conclusion of his Address.
‘We need: A renewed emphasis on the professionalism of teachers.
We need fewer voices telling us what to do and how to do it.
Equally, we must reassert our own professional responsibility.’
Roger’s impact on us as individuals was best expressed in his son Alan’s eulogy where he referred to messages from former colleagues, ’ Dad was an inspiration to them, or gave them the start which defined their subsequent career, or helped them at a difficult time. ‘ I am proud to say I was one of those who Roger valued and supported.
2002 Chris Kington – a quiet voice of reason amongst the clamour.
2012 Fran Martin’s Conference Address: Her self effacing but engaging opening lines, ‘I failed A level Geography…… twice!’
2013 Bob Digby. Working with Bob as a Named Trustee and supporting him in the CE Appointment of Alan Kinder.
2015 Mark Higginbottom who used part his Presidential Address to share his ideas and experiences of the Worldwise programme. This was about students and them learning geography. That has been at the heart of the GA since 1893.
Mark with Sue Lomas have been the driving force behind the ‘Worldwise’ programme which focuses on developing school students’ skills and knowledge of Geography. This has been a massive commitment for them in terms of time and energy in the UK and overseas. They have made this highly successful programme one of the GA’s jewels.
2018 At Christchurch in Oxford in May with so many Past Presidents, Past and present office holders and members who have given so much to the GA and invited guests.
Stephen Scoffham 2018 - 19, Gill Miller 2019 - 20 abd Susan Pike 2020 -21
I want to thank these three Presidents for their leadership of the GA as it changed the way it operates. This is both in terms of leadership especially in the Governing Body with the appointment of Chair, but also in the way the GA operates in a world with many more ways of communicating with each other. On top of this, has been the impact of the Covid 19 Pandemic on the operation of the GA and especially the extra demands of putting the Annual Conference on line in both 2020 and 2021.
Those who didn’t become Presidents (yet)
This is my list and includes many who served the GA over long periods of time and at the very least deserve to be recognised for the part they have played:
Neil Simmonds, Trevor Bennetts, Andrea Tapsfield, David Lambert & Tony Thomas
GA HQ Staff
The GA owes a deep gratitude to all those based at the HQ in Solly Street. There were massive demands created by this period of considerable change. I especially wish to mention Julia Legg, Frances Soar and Richard Gill. For those of us who have known the GA for a long time they ‘were’ the GA in Sheffield
Post Script
1976 Sheila Jones
I regularly visit a friend at a Retirement Village in Bristol who lives near Sheila Jones. She was the first female teacher to be President of the GA. Recently she shared with me an offprint of her 1976 Presidential Address. It all seemed so fresh and served as a reminder of the common cause we have been engaged with for the past 128 years.
These are her final two paragraphs
“In conclusion I should like to refer to part of Professor Stanislawski's obituary to Carl Sauer who died last year: "He rejected the proposition that a teacher was obligated to pour knowledge into students while they were comfortably unaware - a method that may result in saturated sponges but hardly artesian wells of inspiration."
You will all realize that this has been a very personal and consequently rather superficial consideration of the challenges facing us today. I hope that you may disagree with some, although not all of my opinions and if so, you may be provoked into considering your own point of view and possibly in clarifying your own aims and objectives. If so, then I will have achieved what I hope to achieve in the classroom, that is, a statement made by Carl Sauer in one of his last conversations - "I tried to encourage students to keep on thinking”.
D. Stanislawski, Carl Ortwin Sauer, 1 889-1 975, Journal of Geography, vol. 74, 1975, pp. 548-
The Challenge of Change in Geography Teaching
Author(s):
SHEILA M. JONES
Geography, November 1976, Vol. 61, No. 4 (November 1976), pp. 195-205 Published by: Geographical Association
Tell the world about learning geography’ Jeremy Krause Geography January 2003 Vol 88(1) 4 - 14
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