RIP

As you know, we try to mark the passing of significant people in the GA's history on this blog - not all of whom were Presidents of course.

The Spring 2026 edition of the GA Newsletter also contained details of the passing of three people who were very much involved with the GA: Michael Naish, Russell Feaver and Marjorie Woodward.

Images copyright: Geographical Association

To read every edition of the GA Magazine, join the GA.

Staff changes at Solly Street

The Spring editions of the GA's journals are now out, and the GA Magazine has a staffing update - and a new look.

I wish Isabel Richardson all the best for her new role and adventure. 

She was very important to my own GA Presidential journey as the CPD and Events co-ordinator she got me involved in lots of GA activity as well as organising my conference at the University of Surrey in Guildford in 2022 - a hybrid event which added extra complexity to the proceedings.

She was also busy resorting the GA Archive and also helping with finalising the Geographer's Gaze project which I was part of.

Good luck to Liam who takes over the role. I look forward to catching up at the GA Conference in Sheffield in a couple of months' time.

Fiona Sheriff and the Open University

Fiona Sheriff is the current Vice President of the Geographical Association. She will take over as President in September 2026.

Fiona has previously shared her journey through the Open University on a LinkedIn post. This sort of detail will probably end up in her entry on the GA Presidents blog - which is a while off yet.

"When I started studying for my A Levels back in 2004 I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. Not all of my friends wanted to go to university, and it wasn’t the ‘normal’ thing to do where I lived. A few things happened during my A Levels which meant I missed large chunks of tuition and really struggled catching up. This meant I finished with 2 A Levels and 2 AS levels. My best grade was Geography, and my teacher Anna was so kind and supportive along the way.

Fast forward to mid 2007 and I saw an advert for OU on the TV. 

I knew I didn’t have enough UCAS points for a traditional uni route so looked up the OU, as despite my A level results, I loved learning and felt I wanted to do a degree ‘for fun’.

At the time there were no tuition fees, just course fees for each unit. As I came from a low income family I received financial support which included money to buy a laptop. I think I paid around £500 for my whole degree.

I switched and changed units a fair amount and decided that the ‘open’ route was best for me, so that I could study units which interested me - these just happened to be mostly geographically themed. I worked full time throughout the 5 years I studied for and graduated in 2013 at a lovely ceremony at the Barbican in London.

What did my OU degree teach me?

• Resilience - it isn’t easy studying and working full time! Many an essay was written in small chunks over time (sometimes at 3am!)
• To be adaptable - not everything always go to plan
• To be resourceful - looking further afield than the associated materials, which can be hard when you don’t have a tutor to catch up with in-person
• To be grateful for different education opportunities.
• That anyone can get a degree with the right support. Your A levels do not define you.

18 year old me, with her very short list of A levels results never thought she would be a teacher, head of department, a ‘go-to’ person for geography, an author, a leader of CPD, a Fellow, a consultant or the Vice-President of the Geographical Association .

Without the OU I wouldn’t have my degree and my path would have looked incredibly different. There are routes to higher education qualifications, and sometimes it might seem like a degree is unobtainable. But do check out the OU. I am very grateful for my time studying with them."

This is a great reminder of the value of lifelong learning.

Many previous GA Presidents were connected with universities for most of their careers.

Current ways of studying are very different to back then.

There are also plenty of links with the Open University and the Geographical Association (and the Royal Geographical Society).

One of my first acts when joining the GA in 2008 was to travel with David Lambert to a meeting with the late Clive Barnett and the late Doreen Massey. The other person in that meeting was Professor Joe Smith - now Director of the Royal Geographical Society!

GA Conference 2026 - see you there!

I'm going to be co-presenting a session with Matt Podbury at the GA Conference 2026.

Matt Podbury and I are putting the band back together...

 

Our session at the GA Conference 2026 has been accepted and we've teamed up for some musical improvisation... this one's in 9/8....

Musical Geographies: Sense of Place and Storytelling in the curriculum

Music is a dynamic, everyday phenomenon that connects billions of people, places, and cultures. It offers a powerful lens through which to understand the world and our place within it. From local rhythms to global genres, music, and its associated visuals provide students and teachers with meaningful insights into diverse environments which help shape their worldview. 

For this collaborative lecture, Matt Podbury and Alan Parkinson are putting the band back together!

Matt will share how an idea to showcase his vinyl collection evolved into a rich, three-week unit on the Geography of Music for KS3 students. This explores themes such as sense of place, landscape and emotion, and the role of music in shaping our cultural identity, and addresses how music can be both a unifying and divisive force. Students design and produce their own vinyl LPs to end the unit.

Alan will share his new collaborative World of Music blog, which charts a year long journey through curriculum resources and collaborative pedagogy around music and its meanings; a playlist of ideas for teaching everyday geographies.

You will gain practical ideas, resources and inspiration for incorporating music into your own geography curriculum.

Browse the programme and Schedule us in here.

This one goes up to 11!

For my contribution, I've put together a Google Form here.

CoastCraft - Award winning

A reminder to check out CoastCraft!!

Learn about the features of coastal landscapes along with coastal processes.

Understand the characteristics of sand dune ecosystems, sand dune succession and how sand dunes are used as a nature-based solution for flooding and coastal erosion.

Explore a range of coastal management strategies to respond to predicted changes resulting from climate change and sea level rise.

Explore and visualise a range of potential futures influenced by the interactions with communities and stakeholders and the choices made by coastal managers. 

And did I mention that we won a BETT award!

The Judges praised Coast Craft as an 

“authentic digital learning experience that brings climate change and coastal geography vividly to life. By connecting curriculum content with real-world data and presenting it in a Minecraft-style environment, it enables pupils to learn through interactive simulations and understand the future impact of decision-making."


I worked on Coastcraft to create the Teacher Pack and also inform the creators about the best way to link to the curriculum, and what it should focus on. This work was as a consultant to the Geographical Association - another of many projects I've completed.

EDINA opens up Digimap for Schools to 1 million more pupils

A press release from the Ordnance Survey.

I've worked with Ordnance Survey and EDINA for many years.

Ordnance Survey (OS) will reach out to 1,800 primary and secondary schools serving some of the most deprived areas of Great Britain to offer a free education resource for the teaching of geography.

Digimap for Schools was launched just over 15 years ago in partnership between OS and EDINA, at The University of Edinburgh. It is a flagship digital platform that provides interactive mapping tools for the teaching of geography, and other core education areas, in primary and secondary schools. It helps pupils and teachers develop digital and data skills, and explore modern and historical maps as well as aerial imagery. 

Around one-sixth of schools in England - more than 18 million pupils - have used the service since 2020.

The new offer means Digimap for Schools will reach more than one million schoolchildren in the most deprived areas across Britain, alongside three million who currently have access to the service. A programme of training will also be offered to educators, alongside the development of a new network of practising teachers to provide effective teaching support.

Free access to Digimap for Schools was previously sponsored by the government for schools rated Ofsted 3 or 4. This year, the eligibility criteria has been widened to include 1,800 schools in the lowest 8% of deprived areas in England and, for the first time, in Scotland and Wales. This will include cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, and Glasgow. 

The new offer has been secured by Government Digital Service, under the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement.

"It is fundamental that we support the effective teaching of geography in schools, building confidence when using interactive mapping tools, and fostering critical technical skills to grow our future geographers. We are delighted to announce the extension of Digimap for Schools to those with the greatest need in England, Scotland, and Wales. We encourage headteachers to take advantage of this offer and introduce Digimap for Schools into their classrooms this year."

Nick Bolton, Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey

© Crown copyright and database rights. Ordnance Survey 2026
Secondary school pupils working with Digimap for Schools

“Geography plays an important role in helping young people understand the world around them. Our members tell us that digital tools like Digimap for Schools are invaluable for geography teachers to enrich the curriculum learning experience and put data analysis directly into the hands of pupils. We welcome this initiative for schools in deprived areas, as well as the expansion into Scotland and Wales, and encourage all eligible schools to sign-up."

Steve Brace, Chief Executive of the Geographical Association

Digimap for Schools is aligned with the national curricula across Great Britain and enables students aged five to 16 and above to understand and investigate their world while gaining crucial digital and data skills. It is supported by access to a huge library of free learning resources, also available in Welsh, that are designed to aid teaching and support teachers in preparing impactful and interesting lessons, as well as allowing for student-led self-study. 

OS recently published an impact report on its commitment to lifelong learning in geography and geospatial. It also collaborates closely with organisations such as the Royal Geographical Society and the Geographical Association on a wide range of activities including the teaching of geography in schools, educational outcomes, and promoting geography.

Headteachers of eligible schools will be directly contacted about the new offer in the next month. For further information about the Digimap for Schools free access scheme visit: https://digimapforschools.edina.ac.uk/about/imd/.

300 000 page views

Just checked the stats counter and the blog has passed 300 000 page views which is quite impressive, but good to see after the years of research and writing that went into creating this blog.

Thanks for visiting and reading, and remember I'm always interested in updates on any of the GA Presidents featured on this blog.

GA President 2027-2028 - Election now open

Another year and another opportunity to shape the work of the GA and be part of its history (and geography).

An election is being held for the GA President in 2027-2028.

There are three nominations this time round, which is great to see.

There are 3 candidates.

Rachel Hawke

Helen Martin

Sophie Wilson

You can read their statements on the link here:

All full personal, life, joint, concessionary and group members are eligible to vote. Make sure that you use yours.

The deadline for voting is the 27th of February 2026.

This will mean the 5th female GA President in a row - certainly unprecedented in the history of the Association (as was 4 in a row, and 3 in a row)... Catch up with all the previous Presidents by visiting my GA Presidents blog if you haven't already...

The results will be announced at the GA Conference in April 2026.