Headache relief from the GA's SPC

I served on the GA’s Secondary Phase Committee for over 10 years, joining in 2004 and learning from a whole range of people from previous eras of the GA’s work, and many familiar names from textbooks and other influential stages of school geography. 

The current committee have been producing videos to help subject leads with issues which might be giving them headaches. 

Check out their page on the GA website for more details.

Here's an example video from the series:

D. Chapallaz

I first noticed the name D. Chapallaz on a report on a consultation to create a single examination to replace CSE and 'O' Levels, which was proposed in the mid 1970s. It was over a decade until the GCSE was created and introduced - at the start of my teaching career.

I had a look to see who they were as it's an unusual name.

Mr. D. Chapallaz was the Secretary of the Secondary Schools Committee - the one I served on when it was called the SPC in the 1970s. He lived in Hitchin at the time - his address is included. He also served on other committees and his name appears in a range of articles.

I also found a Nick Chapallaz works for a company called GeoPlace - that's quite an unusual name and two people linked with geography and geospatial - he previously worked for ESRI UK - could there be a connection?

I wonder also if he was this old boy from Haberdashers' Aske's.

It would be good to find out more about Mr. Chapallaz and also an image too. Another of the many people to have passed through the Association's committees over the years, of which there are many thousands. A few have had their moment here, but many others still remain 'anonymous'.

Sources

“The Geographical Association.” Geography, vol. 60, no. 4, 1975, pp. 311–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41415055 

Chapallaz, D.P., Davis, P.P., Fitzgerald, B.P., Grenyer, N., Rolfe, J. and Walker, D.R.F. (1970) Hypothesis Testing in Field Studies, Teaching Geography Occasional Papers 11, Sheffield: The Geographical Association.

SPC - 2013

An image I found earlier from an SPC meeting in 2013 - at the October Gallery in London.

Some familiar faces there to many readers perhaps. Happy to receive more images taken at Phase committee and Special Interest Group meetings.

Picture by Victoria Ellis.

Deep diving with Rachel

It's well worth catching up with the latest GA GeogPod where Rachel Kay, a former colleague on the GA's Secondary Phase Committee for much of my time serving on the committee, talks about her experience of going through an OFSTED Deep Dive - with host John Lyon - which is part of the new approach to school inspection. Instead of spending a lot of time with the senior management, inspectors follow a three stage process of interviews, lesson observations, student chats, book scrutiny and other tools to explore specific departments and the extent to which they have thought through their Intent, Implementation and Impact.

Along with the podcast, check out Rachel's article in 'Teaching Geogaphy' that goes along with the chat. A very useful resource for all subject leads.

1918: The introduction of Standing Committees

Standing Committees were introduced to the Geographical Association in 1918.

The first 4 committee established were:

• Exhibitions
• Regional Surveys
• Syllabuses and Examinations
• Books, Maps and Atlases

Update: 

In 1922, the Tours committee was added, as part of the growth of the Tours the GA was running at the time to parts of the UK and also into Europe.

One reason for their introduction may have been to reduce the burden of work on some of the early presidents and secretaries who must have worked non-stop to keep the various elements of the Association going, and also to bring in opportunities for volunteers / activists with particular skills to help out. There were changes in the responsibilities of the Honorary officers at the same time.
Over the years, the names of quite a few committees have come and gone, and been changed of course.

At the AGM in January, 2018, Balchin's book describes the formation of 4 Standing Committees, which were not organised in the same way as the present GA Committees.
Currently, the activity of the GA is overseen by Education Group (EG)

The Geographical Association's Education Group (EG) oversees the educational work of GA volunteers, covering all phases from foundation through to post-16 and Initial Teacher Training, as well as its international work and activities in areas such as Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC).

The Education Group's functions include:
formulating the educational policy of the GA and ensuring that provision is made for all aspects of geographical education
guiding the GA Governing Body on priorities for the educational work of the GA
overseeing, setting priorities for, and co-ordinating the actions of its sub-groups (Phase Committees, Special Interest Groups, Communication Boards, Working Parties)
taking action on education and professional matters identified by EG itself or its sub-groups, the GA Governing Body or other GA Officers.

EG meets formally three times a year, usually in January, May and September.

Education Group members are all elected or appointed from the GA membership and comprise a Chair, a Vice Chair, GA President, GA Senior Vice President, GA Junior Vice President, and the chairs of EG's sub-groups (Phase Committees, Special Interest Groups and Communication Boards). Current EG sub-groups are:

There are three Phase Committees

Early Years and Primary Phase Committee

Secondary Phase Committee - I have served on the SPC for 15 years, and until I stepped down this week, was the Secretary of the committee. We meet 3 times a year in London, and always offer workshops and lectures at the GA Conference, and have previously been involved in consultations on curriculum change, publications, reviews and other consultations.

Post-16 and HE Phase Committee

There is also a Presidents Group of Trustees.

Some of the committee functions have been devolved / changed to become Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

Currently the GA has the following SIGs.

Assessment and Examinations Special Interest Group

Fieldwork and Outdoor Learning Special Interest Group

Information and Communications Technology Special Interest Group

Independent Schools Special Interest Group

International Special Interest Group

Physical Geography Special Interest Group

Sustainability and Citizenship Special Interest Group

Teacher Education Special Interest Group

Welsh Special Interest Group

If you would like to get involved with any of these committees, follow the link to their pages and contact the Chair to express an interest. We have recently recruited two new members on SPC for example.

The minutes I have been reading in 'Geography' and 'The Geographical Teacher' note quite a few Standing Committees that have come and gone over the years. I'd quite like to have served on some of these. One can imagine the tweed jackets, and ashtrays with smoke filling the rooms as the discussions continued....
I shall collate a list of these committees over the coming months, and post again several times to update you on some of the committees which have been and gone over the years. Some were short lived.

The Regional Survey Committee eventually led to the Land Utilisation Survey instigated by L. Dudley Stamp, for example.

Image on GA Committees taken from the GA website.

Image: SPC members, January 2019 - created by Ryan Bate
Please note that as of June 2019, I have stepped down from the SPC, to focus on my Presidency stint... starting in September 2019 as Junior Vice President.