Submit your GA Conference 2027 proposals now

If you have some head space over the summer, now is the time to submit your proposal to speak at the GA Conference 2027. 

This will take place in Sheffield at the same venue as this year, which worked very well.

Here’s the details - if you haven’t spoken before, I can confirm that it adds an extra level to your conference experience - plus you don’t pay for the day that you speak…. I first spoke in 2005 at the conference in Derby on Gifted and Talented - just a 10 minute contribution to a session ahead of Fred Martin. I was nervous, but so pleased that I did it. 

Here’s a video from Fiona Sheriff on LinkedIn.

The theme is Passionate about Geography.

Two vacancies on the Conference Planning Board

There are currently two vacancies on the GA's Conference Planning Board.

If you'd like to get more involved in planning the GA's Annual Conference, you have until the end of August to apply to fill one of the vacancies.

I served on the board for several years during my Presidential journey and it's an interesting professional development opportunity as well as seeing another side to Conference.

Time to propose a session for the GA Conference 2027

Next year's GA conference theme is Passionate about Geography.

Passion is at the heart of geography. It drives us to explore, question and understand the world around us. Geography helps us make sense of our planet and our place within it, but more than that, it encourages us to care. Passion transforms geographical knowledge into something meaningful, prompting us to make connections and engage with real-world issues.

For many students, that passion begins in the classroom. Through powerful enquiries and meaningful experiences, we can spark curiosity and help shape how young people think about the world. In a time of complex global challenges, from climate change to inequality, geography provides essential understanding, but it is passion that motivates action.

By creating engaging, inclusive classrooms and supporting all learners, we can nurture students’ interests in weather, climate, landforms, processes, places and people.

Being passionate about geography will help us to inspire future geographers to understand and shape our world.

Fiona Sheriff – GA Vice President 25-26

You have until the end of August to propose a session for the Conference.

Guidelines are here.

The proposal form is here.

This short video will be particularly helpful for someone putting together a first-time submission for the conference. Keep it relevant to the theme of the conference!

GA Conference video... and GA Strategy video

Two videos from the GA were released this week.

The GA Conference video is here. There's a few shots of the audience at mine and Matt Podbury's session along the way.

There are also new Summer issues of the GA's journals, and the GA Magazine has a conference review as well.

Steve Brace has also shared a video linked to the new GA Strategy which runs from 2026-31.

The GA's new Strategy focuses on:

1. Supporting geography as a subject - particularly at a time of curriculum change
2. Supporting primary and secondary teachers
3. Inspiring and supporting the Next Generation of Geographers

GA Conference 2027 - date and venue announced

The dates and venue for next year's GA Conference have been announced. Fiona Sheriff will be President for 2026-27 and has chosen the theme 'Passionate about Geography'.

The conference will take place at the same venue as this year. It worked really well and is a central location for many, and also very convenient for GA staff as the Association is based in Sheffield. There are plenty of accommodation options and it is a short walk from the train station for sustainable transport options.

Keep an eye out for the announcement of the call for papers, and I hope to see you there.

GA Conference 2026 #4: Confluence conversations

One of the main reasons I go to the GA Conference is that I try to see people who I don't otherwise see from one year to the next (or even longer). 

As I've said before, a gathering of geographers is called a confluence. We are stronger when we flow together.

This year once again, I connected with former GA Presidents, including the wonderful Margaret Roberts and Bob Digby - who remain active despite being in their 80s. 

At the special meal for longstanding members, there were quite a few former Presidents; Eleanor Rawling, Richard Daugherty, Chris Kington, Keith Grimwade, John Hopkin plus Catherine Owen. Good to chat to David Balderstone and Paul Baker in particular, and catch up with Sandra Patterson.

It was also excellent to catch up with a whole host of other people including Justin Woolliscroft (who invited me up to Hull University each year when he was leading the PGCE course there. He also provided me with a handbook for my department to save me writing one from scratch. He was also heavily involved in the OCR Pilot GCSE Geography. (I have a blog about that too....)

He was talking to Sue Warn - an 'A' level examiner legend.

I had a good chat with David Preece, who is the Head of Geography for Teach First. He was a member of the RGS Education Committee which I chair and always provided thorough and thought provoking contributions to our meetings. 

Cath Rule and Rayburn Tours were there, handing out posters and details of their tours.

Paula Richardson spoke to me about the 5th National Festival of Fieldwork which she is spearheading as always. The first one was held during my GA Presidential year and it's a great initiative. Get involved!

Ahead of the session that Matt Podbury and I were presenting I also got a chance to meet Daryl Sinclair, who was part of the team that created the Discover Geography series.

David Wood and Catherine Souch from the RGS were at the GA Awards as were the Time for Geography team - who were picking up more awards for their excellent films. Simon and Rachel were on the RGS stand. Ashley and colleague were here from the Geological Society.

I also caught up with Tom Collins from the Environment Agency with whom I worked on the BETT Award winning Coastcraft resource.

Helen Young was also there to present on the Roblox resources on the BBC.

There were many more conversations during the day and a half that I was there, but I hope this gives you an idea of the great people you can bump into and chat too if you attend the conference... apologies to the great many other fine geographers who aren't mentioned in this post... catch you next year!

GA Conference 2026 #3: Some key sessions

A few of the sessions at the conference were broadcast live on YouTube and will be available for a while...

Catherine Owen's Presidential Lecture

Ilan Kelman's Keynote Lecture

The Rex Walford Memorial Lecture by Vicki Pountney

GA Conference 2026 #2: Day 2: Musical Geographies

Late morning on Day 2 of the conference was the session that Matt Podbury and I had prepared for the conference programme. 

This was connected with his work on GeographyPods.

Prior to that Matt and I sat in the exhibition area and spoke to lots and lots of geographers. 

We had been given a room that was too small. The Sched app was telling us that it would be overflowing and we tried to fit as many people in the room as we could - around 40. 

Here's Matt presenting his part of our session.

The presentation we used is up on Scribd and has been embedded on a post over on the World of Music blog.

It would be great if anyone reading this was able to fill in the Google Form below to help me with some of the posts I've been producing. There are also plenty of other forms on the blog in places. 

Please have a browse through the blog.

GA Conference 2026 #1: Day 1

The 2026 GA Conference was held at Sheffield College - a departure from the usual venue at Sheffield Hallam University. This is a short 10 minute walk from the railway station - going out the back entrance. 

I drove up from Norfolk and immediately started seeing people I knew: former work colleagues, present work colleagues, Steve Brace the GA CEO and exhibitors from various publishers and organisations I've worked with over the years. 

The weather was warming up very quickly!

It was good to see the Collins stand had a prominent display of our Discover Geography books, and also the iGCSE Geography book that I was series editor for which was published last March. There was some publicity and order forms for the books as well, so hopefully they will be heading into classrooms soon. 

The Rayburn Tours gang were there with lots of free posters. 

After some chats it was out for the "long standing members" meal, which I am invited to each year. This time we had a minibus to take us to the restaurant in the Winter Gardens, opposite the Crucible Theatre, which was getting prepared for the World Championship Snooker there, starting next weekend. It was a lovely meal and there were 8 former GA Presidents sat at the table, and some other guests and people. All the Presidents are featured on the GA Presidents blog of course. 

One idea I had is to revisit those I can and ask them for an update perhaps.

I had the chance to catch up with several people I only see at this event.

Back to the conference venue, where I had a chat about the National Festival of Fieldwork in June.

I then went to check-in to my hotel and came back via the Graves Gallery and Winter Gardens and some light shopping.

The GA Awards went well. It was good to see David Gardner received the Honorary Membership.

Time for Geography went away with a whole host of Silver Awards.

A Geography Champion award went to Mark and Jay the hosts of the Map Men YouTube Channel, which has over 1.7 million subscribers and authors of the book 'This Way Up' which I read towards the end of last year, who were sat in front of me.

Heading for the GA Conference for the first time?

Fiona Sheriff has written a guide for first timers for the Learning to Teach Geography blog.

Future Geographers

One of the parts of the GA Conference that is a little bit different is the Future Geographers event.

This is curated and chaired by the Vice President of the GA, which this year is Fiona Sheriff.

Future Geographers is a special conference programme of talks and activities designed specially for students aged 16–18. Each session will enthuse them about geography and its wide-ranging applications, enable them to think beyond school toward university and possible careers in geography.

Teachers are invited to bring up to six students each to the GA Annual Conference on Friday 10 April 2026, where they will take part in their own programme of sessions, including workshops and special talks with young geographers, influencers and academics.

Places are free of charge and available to students of GA members only. 

One teacher must be booked to attend Conference as a delegate to secure the places.

To book a place for your students, please complete the form here.

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.

GA Conference 2026 - programme now available

The price will rise in the New Year, so secure yours now. 

And you'll have a chance to see a double-act with me and Matt Podbury - worth the price alone!

You can now browse the programme here... this session looks awesome.

Sign up to Sched to schedule in your events... 

Early bird booking now available for GA Conference 2026

Early bird booking is now available for the GA Conference 2026.

More tickets will be released but the price will be higher.

The GA Annual Conference and Exhibition 2026 will be held from 8–10 April at the new and exciting venue of Sheffield College.

Day one will begin at 12.00 on Wednesday 8 April including your choice of a range of field visits, Awards ceremony, Public Lecture and Conference Dinner, plus special opportunities to talk to the GA and hear more about what we do and how to get involved.

Days two and three will feature the usual diverse range of lectures, workshops, Teacher-to-Teacher and research paper sessions. Join for all three days and receive a discount on the daily rate, or choose the best days for you, with special daily pathways dedicated to ECT and primary colleagues.

Make the most of your time in Sheffield by engaging with our networking events, talking to our special interest groups and maybe proposing your own talk for the annual Conference TeachMeet.

Visit the exhibition to speak with representatives from around the geographical community: exam board representatives, sustainable travel companies, field studies centres, publishers, charities and more.

Submission open for the 2026 GA Conference

Time to submit something to feel a bigger part of the event... and develop yourself professionally...

Here's another opportunity for you...

GA Conference 2026 date and venue now confirmed

 I hope to see some of you there.

GA Conference 2026 - session proposal window now open

The GA Conference 2026 will be in Sheffield.

The theme is "Geography makes a difference".

Here's the explanation of the theme by Catherine Owen, who will start as President on the 1st of September.

Geography helps us understand the world around us and our place in it. It teaches us about places from the local to the global and opens our eyes to different perspectives on issues. Through this and in other ways it makes a difference to our lives.

Learning about the world makes a difference to our students. Some will be fascinated to learn about concepts and processes which enable them to make sense of the complex world around them. Others will be frustrated when they learn about issues and inequalities, developing a passion for tackling challenges which may shape the direction of their lives. Gaining knowledge of the world whilst developing geospatial, green and transferable skills can also make a positive difference to students by increasing their employability and career prospects.

A high quality geography education is particularly important for students who experience disadvantage in education. Students who haven’t had the opportunity to travel learn about different people and places and the geography curriculum can be designed to enhance cultural capital. Fieldwork takes students to contrasting locations where they can learn how to work in different contexts as well as developing their geographical skills. This learning can make a difference to our students life chances, giving them confidence to navigate their way through the world.

Issues facing us can seem scary and the future uncertain. Geography makes a difference by giving students a space to learn about and discuss issues, supporting their well being. This is particularly important in relation to the Climate Crisis – geography allows us to explore the causes of this crisis and its different impacts, but also empowers us to ask questions and make choices to work towards tackling it.

As educators, we have the opportunity to reflect on our practice and consider the difference geography makes to individual young people themselves and to our society, economy and environment. How can we maximise the benefits reaped by studying geography? How do we share ideas about how to make a difference through geography?

Catherine Owen, GA Vice President 2024–25 (and President to be)

In a change from the pattern that has been in place for well over 40 years now, the venue will not be a university. More on that shortly.

If you'd like to be part of the conference by offering a session, the deadline for submission is the 31st of August.

I’ve been putting together my proposal to offer a session at the GA Conference 2026 in Sheffield. The venue and date for this will be announced shortly. If you have never spoken at the GA Conference before, why not make 2026, your first? You will receive a free day if your session is accepted, which is a double bonus. Start thinking around the conference theme of ‘Geography makes a difference’.

The GA's Initiatives Fund (GAIF) is available to support you on your conference journey. If you are an ECT or teaching outside the UK and it's your first time presenting your research or project at the conference, you can apply for funding towards your costs to attend in Sheffield.

More on the Fund here.

GA Conference 2025 - a flying visit

I was only due to be at the GA Conference for one day, which meant an early start for the drive over to Oxford from Norfolk. It's a real cross-country faff. Luckily I'd made some arrangements for parking which was easy enough to reach and close to the main social event of the trip.

I was there for the Long Standing members meal. This is an annual lunch which is paid for by a previous member which allows those who are going along to the conference to meet up with former Presidents of the Association and network.

Here's a picture taken at the restaurant where the meal was held. The food was delicious. There are quite a few former Presidents in the image. How many can you name?

After that, it was a taxi up to Oxford Brookes University: the conference venue.

I didn't plan to attend any sessions other than one... and I arrived too late for that one, but managed to speak to David Lambert who was presenting it.

What I really wanted to do was spend the four hours-ish I had there to catch up with as many people as possible. I managed to catch up with lots of former GA colleagues and the team that helped me when I was President, and current RGS colleagues, Primary legends such as Sharon Witt, Anthony Barlow, Stephen Scoffham and Steve Rawlinson and many more besides. Particularly nice to chat to John Wilkinson and David Balderstone, Andrew Lee and Hermione Miao. 

I also met up with Tom Collins from the Environment Agency who I worked with on a forthcoming project for over a year but had never met in person, and folks from various publishers and lovely to see Cath Rule from Rayburn Tours as well.

There were at least 20 other people I chatted to, you know who you are - they include teachers, publishers and other geographers :)

After that, I got the bus back into the centre, and got off outside Christ Church College, where the GA began in 1893, and then to the Rose and Crown where I had a drink and chat with Phil from Wychwood School, who had kindly provided the parking place for me. Good to catch up and have a drink before the return journey which was going well until I found that the A47 was closed overnight... ideal...

Next year is Sheffield. I look forward to seeing what the venue is along with theme etc.

A few things from the tweets:

Some videos on GIS.

And also a tree carbon calculator.

This is my tree Carbon calculator that I shared at my talk. #GAConf25 🌳
Have a go! Good for in the field crunching. https://t.co/3KmZi3jm3D pic.twitter.com/Y1kDvk6xKM

— TeachGeogs 🌍 (@TeachGeogs) April 17, 2025

A reminder of Teal Tool.

And this session looked really good... 

#ConnectedGeographies epitomised by a fascinating live link up with Alex of @detroitography from the USA-Canada border in @alicelouisegrif's session 'Moving beyond the Drosscape: insider perspectives on Detroit' @The_GA #GAConf25
e.g. hand model of #HubAndSpoke urban morphology pic.twitter.com/ozWlvBW78L

— BC (@mildthing99) April 17, 2025

Check out Detroitography.

Reminds me of Rebecca Solnit's three American atlas projects, which I have copies of.

Richard Dilley - RIP

Sad news about the passing of Richard Dilley, who was the oldest member of the Cambridge branch of the GA. I met him and Keith several times over the years, and we met by chance a number of times travelling to GA Conferences from Peterborough Train station with former GA President Keith Grimwade.

This piece is in the Summer 2024 issue of 'GA Magazine'.

Image copyright: Geographical Association

Carole Porter

If you have received a parcel from the Geographical Association's shop in the last decade or more, there's a fair chance that it was packaged and processed by Carole Porter. 

Carole worked at Solly Street for over 25 years as Sales Administrator having joined in 1996. If you have ever attended the GA Conference, you have probably met Carole as she worked on the GA's stand. If you've ever rung the GA HQ you may well have spoken to Carole too. I was very happy to have Carole as a colleague when I worked there.

Carole retired at Christmas 2023, and I wish her a very happy retirement.