Biographies of all the Presidents of the Geographical Association since the founding of the Association in 1893. Researched by Alan Parkinson (GA President 2021-22), with contributions from others, including the former Presidents themselves where possible.
The GA are recruiting for a Head of Programmes, who will join the GA’s Senior Leadership Team.
Do you have the skills and experience to lead the GA’s CPD, events and consultancy programmes and further develop the GA’s successful support for trainees and primary and secondary teachers?
This vacancy has arisen because Becky Kitchen will sadly be leaving the GA at the end of this year to take up the post of Departmental Lecturer in Geography Education at Oxford University.
The role of Head of Programmes will span work on the GA’s Annual Conference, Geography Quality Marks, our CPD and consultancy programmes and initiating new programmes and courses. It involves working closely with the GA’s strategic partners, key stakeholders and teachers to promote and support geographical education.
A big job.... and having worked at the GA before it will also be a fulfilling and exciting one - and comes at a busy time for all in education. Fond memories of working in the same office as John Lyon when he was Programme Director.... a lot of helicoidal flow has gone round the meander since then.... For full details of the role and information on how to apply please click here.
Applications must be received by 5pm on 17 November 2026.
Interviews will be held in person, in Sheffield, during week commencing 30 November.
I'm afraid this is another post this October, sharing very sad news.
Updated November 2026
I was very sorry to hear of Simon's passing on the 28th of October 2026, peacefully at home with his family.
His legacy and impact on Primary Geography education in particular is unparalleled, with 300 publications or articles across his career.
There are plans to celebrate Simon's life at Charney Manor, a place he loved and where he created and led the wonderfully inspiring Charney Manor Primary Geography Conference for so many years, which I was privileged to attend and speak at a number of times over the years.
Condolences to Simon's wife Lesley, and his son Mark and daughter Emma - and his wider family, and to Simon's former colleagues and friends, particularly those on the GA's EYPPC who worked with him for decades.
Image: Provided by Simon himself when I wrote his original biography.
Update November 2026
Thanks to Hermione Miao for sending further details about Simon's involvement with the International Geographical Union - Commission on Geographical Education (IGU-CGE). This is an international community of geography academics.
Hermione said in a Facebook post:
Professor Simon Catling (1947-2026) was a valued member of the IGU-CGE community, serving as a Steering Committee Member (2008–2012), Honorary Secretary (2009–2012), and Advisory Board Member (2012–2020).
Emeritus Professor of Primary Education at Oxford Brookes University and a former President of the Geographical Association, Simon devoted his career to advancing primary geography and supporting teachers and teacher educators. His scholarship urged us to take children’s geographical experiences, knowledge and voices seriously, and to recognise their contribution to understanding the world. His widely read and cited IRGEE 2014 article, “Giving younger children voice in primary geography”, remains a compelling call to value children’s geographical knowledge, listen to their voices, and enable them to shape their own learning.
Within IGU-CGE, Simon helped keep our international community connected through his dedicated work on the newsletter. He brought together news, research and curriculum developments from around the world, and continued compiling lists of recent publications long after his term as Honorary Secretary. These contributions helped colleagues discover new ideas and learn from one another.
In his final newsletter as Honorary Secretary, in August 2012, he thanked the community with characteristic modesty: “You provide the ‘food and drink’ which I have been happy to serve.” His words capture the spirit of service that sustained this work.
Simon was also the first guest in the IGU-CGE podcast series, sharing his reflections on geography education and the people and ideas that had shaped his thinking: https://www.igu-cge.org/podcast/
We remember Simon with gratitude for his scholarship, his commitment to children’s geographical learning, and his many years of service to our community. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues.
The Podcast episode was filmed in 2019 at the IoE.
Simon was asked three questions:
1. Why is geography so important in school?
2. Can you identify the most important/influential piece of research (idea/concept, process, approach, etc) in geography education during your career? [prompt: influential on the whole system; 'impact']
3. List the top 3 influential people in the field of educational studies who have had an impact on your work.
(Simon mentions Jerome Bruner, Richard Peters and David Lambert - with a mention for Norman Graves and David Harvey).
I started this blog back in April 2019 when people first heard that I would be moving through the GA Presidential journey to becoming GA President in 2021-22 at the GA Conference.
At the time this journey was a four year term, where the would-be President got to grips with the role, served on Governing Body and learned what was possible to achieve within their year as President to preserve what had been achieved by your predecessors, but make iterative improvements. I ended up being the last Junior Vice President of the GA before that was removed and it became a three year 'term'.
I'd like to think I helped further the work to improve the diversity within the Association, and representation of groups at Conference and elsewhere who previously may have been less inclined to get involved. COVID19 got in the way to a degree, and I wish my Presidential Lecture would have had more people attending irl.
I managed to contact all the Presidents who were still alive at the time. The surnames of all the former and present Presidents are here on this word cloud... Mine accidentally seems to be the biggest...
With the recent losses of Michael Storm, Norman Graves and Andrew Goudie, it's more important than ever that we capture memories of the people who have held the post before.
Please get in touch if you have any details that could help flesh out one of the entries on the blog.
Wednesday 4th November 2026 Programme 10:30 Welcome Prof. Edward Hanna 10:40-11:05 The Greenland Ice Sheet and why it is important in global climate change Prof. Edward Hanna 11:05-11:30 Gender, Media and Geography Dr. Jess Marah-Jones 11:30-11:55 Revealing the past and predicting the future for plants, people and climate change Dr. Oliver Wilson 11:55-13:00 Lunch break (please bring or buy your own lunch) Demo with river flume experiment, by Dr. Luca Mao, for in-person participants 13:00-13:25 What's in a Name? Language, Power, and Nature Dr. Anna Bedenk-Smith 13:25-13:50 Ecosystem Engineers: Animals as Architects for Restoring Physical Landscapes Dr. Catherine Sanders 13:50-14:15 Your Geography questions answered (QR code to be circulated to registered participants) 14:15-14:25 Short presentation on the range of geography degree courses available at the University of Lincoln Dr. Catherine Sanders 14:25-14:30 Closing remarks Prof. Edward Hanna
Sad news was passed to me earlier today by the Chair of the GA's Trustees of the passing of former GA President Professor Andrew Goudie at the age of 81.
Andrew was a world expert in desert geomorphology and still active until his passing, publishing academic work and still learning.
His wife Heather Viles, herself an expert in Biogeomorphology, posted an update on LinkedIn earlier today:
I met Andrew several times, and he was also very supportive of my efforts to put together his entry on the GA Presidents blog, but also
At one meeting at the University of Oxford, quite a long time ago, he was explaining how Google Earth was changing how he could visit deserts virtually, and was confident that if I moved to a random location he would be able to tell me roughly where it was from the landforms that could be viewed there.
Andrew was the GA President in 1993. This was the Centenary year for the Association, where they had patronage from Princess Anne. He hosted a Centenary gathering at the University of Oxford, which I've posted about separately.
Professor David S.G. Thomas, former Head of School, said:
"Perhaps above all, Andrew was interested in the development of others, and of the discipline, from its roots in schools to the highest levels. He gave so much to the development and careers of many individuals who have gone on to success in geography and geomorphology internationally, as well as in other fields and arenas. Andrew was the trunk of a very large geographical tree, and his influence will remain through others for many decades."
Perhaps most telling of all was the esteem he held the grass roots Geographical Association in. While Andrew was President in 1993, the GA’s centenary year, what he really valued and championed was giving talks to next generation geographers in schools around the country. Using his expert and engaging communication skills to excite and inspire others was a career hallmark. Andrew never forgot where his love of the discipline began. He always had time for geographers at every level and from every place, which was reciprocated in the esteem he was held in around the world.
I received sad news today from Frances Slater, via GA President Fiona Sheriff about the sad passing of Norman Graves at the end of September. Frances' book 'Learning through Geography' sits in the bookshelf by my desk alongside Norman's classic 'Curriculum Planning in Geography'.
Image: Norman speaking at an IGU event in Leningrad in 1976 - image supplied by Norman.
The entry on the blog outlines his tremendous work in curriculum thinking. In a GeReCo piece by John Morgan, he says that at the time of his work at the Institute of Education Norman, David Hall and Bill Marsden:
"were attempting to make sense for teachers of the convergence of curriculum theory and geographical theory. Geography was going undergoing its conceptual revolution and education was being reshaped by new findings from educational psychology and the introduction of rational curriculum planning. Graves summarised the challenges for geography teachers, who must make sense of the philosophical basis of their teaching and consider psychological questions of how young people learn. He noted that there were sociological questions of why some children learned faster and more effectively, but this was not his prime concern (even though it was of growing interest to others and spawned the birth of the ‘new sociology of education’ (Young 1971) also at the Institute of Education (IoE)."
Norman was very much involved with the work of the IGU as well as supporting the work of the GA.
A full appreciation of his work will appear in a future GA journal (and no doubt elsewhere) and I will collate these onto Norman's blog entry.
To finish, here's Norman with family and friends celebrating his 100th birthday in January of this year.
Image provided by Helene Scott with thanks, and with whom copyright resides.
Updates 10th October 2026
The IGU-CGE (Commission on Geographical Education) used the image that Norman had given to me from Leningrad in their Facebook post.
The IGU Commission on Geographical Education is deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Norman Graves recently.
Chair of the Commission from 1972 to 1980, he was a leading figure in geographical education who helped strengthen the Commission’s international reach and influence. During his chairmanship, Professor Norman Graves continued and developed the Commission’s collaboration with UNESCO. He initiated and edited the New UNESCO Source Book for Geography Teaching, published in 1982, bringing together contributions from geography educators across the world. His interest in geography began as a primary school pupil in France and grew into a lifelong dedication to geographical education. His career took him from teaching in English secondary schools to the University of Liverpool and the Institute of Education, University of London, where he served as Professor of Geography Education and later Pro-Director (Professional Studies).
In his 2008 article, “Reflections on a Life in Geographical Education,” published in International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, Professor Norman Graves championed “the free flow of ideas across national boundaries” and urged geographical education to confront environmental harm, impoverishment and intolerance. His words remain a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility: to sustain dialogue across borders and help young people engage thoughtfully with the world and with one another.
We remember Professor Norman Graves with deep gratitude for his scholarship, leadership, and enduring contribution to our international community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, former students, and colleagues.
May he rest in peace.
Former GA Chief Exeecutive Professor David Lambert said of Norman that he was:
"a remarkable, gentle, perceptive and generous man".
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