Professor Simon Catling - RIP

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.

Please hold Simon in your thoughts.

You can read his full entry on the blog and find out more about his remarkable career and impact here.

Simon was GA President in 1992.

Simon's daughter Emma and his grandson have been running 5k's throughout October

You can donate on the link here.

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).

Professor Norman Graves - RIP

A cross posting from my Living Geography blog. 

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'.

Norman was GA President in 1978. His entry on my GA Presidents is on the link here.

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".

Professor Sarah Bednarz RIP

Via the IGU Commission on Geographical Education (IGU-CGE) and Professor David Lambert.

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Professor Emerita Sarah Witham Bednarz, a distinguished scholar whose work shaped generations of geography educators and researchers.

Renowned for her contributions to spatial thinking, the educational use of geospatial technologies, and teacher education, she helped strengthen the intellectual foundations of our field. Across borders, she led and anchored many of the international projects and collaborations that have come to define geography education.

For many entering the geography education community, she was a trusted mentor whose nurturing spirit helped young scholars build confidence and curiosity.

She will be remembered for her tireless energy and leadership in defending the place of geography in schools, universities, and public life, far beyond any single nation. A past president of the American Association of Geographers, she was also a devoted, long-standing member of the IGU Commission on Geographical Education.
Her contributions will endure in the research she advanced and the people she mentored.
We will miss the roadmap she drew for our field.