RGS-IBG Ordnance Survey Awards - GA connections amongst the awardees

The OS Award for "excellence in geography teaching in secondary education" is awarded annually by the RGS-IBG. This years's winners were announced earlier in the week - there are usually two people who receive the award each year.

This year, we have:

It occured to me that many winners have connections with the GA as well as the RGS-IBG, just as many GA Presidents have had over the years. This is a cross-post with my Living Geography blog.

Here are the previous winners of the OS Award - you will spot some very well known names there and people who have above all shared their practice widely and worked particularly hard within their own subject communities. I've met and worked with a fair proportion of these colleagues. I've emboldened those who have a particular involvement with the GA, whether that is serving on a committee, offering CPD, writing journal articles or some other connection that can be articulated.

ORDNANCE SURVEY AWARD (First awarded in 1998) 

1998 

Linda Thompson - served on GA SPC when I first joined it around 2004, before leaving for an advisory role in the National Strategies

1999 

Paul Machon - co-wrote a book on 'Citizenship through Secondary Education' with David Lambert.

Mike Morrish - served as GA President in 1995 and co-founded the GA's Worldwise Quiz with Rex Walford in 1984

2000 

Bob Jones - has a long association with the GA Staffordshire branch and served as a GA officer, kindly put me up when I spoke at the branch many years ago, and attended the centenary celebration in 1993.

Adrian Wyles - Headteacher and former Head of Geography at Hurspierpoint College - one of the places I visited while working for the GA

2001 

Dr Ian Selmes - reviews editor of TG, and also supporting the GeoLincs branch in Lincolnshire - still active in these regards and supportive of GA activity

Douglas Greig - teacher and headteacher - filmed for the National Strategies video series, and worked on literacy in geography, contributing chapters to textbooks on cross-curricular literacy

2002 

Andrew Leeder - written widely for WJEC, with a whole host of textbooks authored and also a '100 ideas' book as well as other contributions

David Rayner - one of the National CfBT Subject Leads, creator of early Geography website and later ITE tutor at UCL IoE - heavily involved in SLN as well, and a regular at SAGT and the GA conferences for a while

2003 

Noel Jenkins - one of the most creative geographers I know, although he now works as one of our NHS heroes - lots of writing, websites including Juicy Geography and Digital Geography and involved in SLN and other projects - I still use his ideas even today and meet up annually when possible - the Wellington Planning activity is an absolute top five classic and is ten years old tomorrow

Steve Martin - no, I'm not going to make the obvious comment... 

2004 

Pauline Marsden - contributed to GA journals over the years

Richard Cope - a regular at GA Conference, and creator of many interactive tools for fieldwork for GeoPacks

2005 

Kenneth Dunn - active in supporting projects in Africa, former Headteacher in Sheffield 

Anne-Marie Emmett - one of the teachers who joined the YPG project; has also led CPD sessions for the GA in a number of locations, including an event we both presented at at Holt Hall some years ago now, and also written for the GA... 

2006 

Paula Cooper - former HoD at King Edward VI Five Ways, working with Bob Lang, hosted ESRI GIS courses, and also invited me to an Iain Stewart lecture some years ago, involved in Making Geography Happen project, and also wrote some support materials for the Manifesto - moved to Australia some years ago, and I think is involved with GTANSW, also wrote Toolkit materials

Val Vannet - former Depute Head at the High School of Dundee, heavily involved with SAGT and invited me to conferences in 2004 following connections made through SLN - gave fraternal greetings at a number of GA conferences

2007 

Louise Ellis - Author of KS3 Toolkit book 'A Thorny Issue'

Alan Parkinson - more on me to come later

2008 

Stuart Cousins - teacher in Wakefield, wrote about IWBs, and involved in a project exploring departmental websites and other GA activity

Ian Dixson - long association with GA Black Country branch

2009 

Graham Goldup - linked with Cardinal Newman School in Brighton, and also led CPD for local networks, now heavily involved with the PTI Geography programme of CPD

Rebecca Kitchen - at the time was working in Aylesbury, served on SPC and is now working for the GA in a role which has evolved through the time she has been there

2010 

Adrian Taylor 

Helen Young - Helen's GeographyGeek website is known to many, having been around since 2008 and Helen also worked with the AEGIS GIS software and led CPD for many

2011 

Bob Lang - wrote book on GIS for the GA, which I edited, and currently serves on the GA ICTSIG and also a regular at conference, also involved with SLN back in the day, and hosted GIS events at his school in Birmingham

Ruth Ware - Head of Geography in Bexley

2012 

Paul Cornish - wrote book on Multimedia in Geography, which I edited, and I visited his school which was in South London at the time - still in school management

Lydia Williams - teaching at a school in Kensington, has written resources for the RGS-IBG including a From the Field piece on Arid Environments

2013 

Maria Larkin - as with Graham Goldup, associated with Cardinal Newman School, local networks and the PTI

David Rogers - served on GA SPC for a while, high profile blogger, author of a number of books, regular CPD presenter and organiser of the GA Conference Teachmeet

2014 

Dr Simon Oakes - known to many through his examining for the IB and Eduqas, prolific textbook writer and also resource author for the RGS-IBG, particularly their Geography in the News resources, and also a speaker at subject update events; served on GA Post-16 committee for quite a few years.

Elizabeth Phipson 

2015 

Andrew Emms - Primary school Headteacher

Raphael Heath - works in Bath and was very active in the GIS community for some time and led some World Record Breaking attempts at involving students.

2016 

Joanna Debens - worked at Priory School with David Rogers, but was promoted to a school in Kent; co-wrote OCR A and B GCSE Geography textbooks with me and others, now in their 2nd editions

Kate Otto

2017

Claire Power - Head of Geography in Sussex

Paul Turner - formerly Head of Geography at Bedales School, and has shared a number of schemes of work including one on the Climate Emergency and one on Hans Rosling's 'Factfulness' - now works with Sustrans and other partners

2018 

Laura-Jayne Ward - serves on the GA's Post-16 committee

Aidan Hesslewood - set up the GeoLincs network, and led his department to a Centre of Excellence Award before joining the team that moderates the GA's Secondary Geography Quality Mark - written for GA journals.

2019 

Jennifer Monk - active in Twitter / GeogChat and other similar communities and sat on the Generous Geographers panel that Susan Pike organised for the GA Conference 2021

Rob Chambers - I have known Rob for many years. He shares his work widely with GeoBytes blog and website, and also supports the GA Cambridge branch.

2020 

Emma Metcalfe - teacher on the Isle of Man, whose departments holds a Centre of Excellence award

Charity Mhlanga - teacher in London, created resources for the RGS, and was also interviewed by John Lyon for the GA's GeogPod 

2021

Hafsa Bobat Garcia - active in the GA on committees, and also working with the Conference Planning Board, as well as contributing to the wider work of the association's current thinking on decolonising geography.

Kate Stockings - has presented at the GA Conference for several years; active in sharing on a range of networks, and also serves on the International Special Interest Group. Kate is also working as a London National Park City Ranger.

Further thoughts and additional details welcome...