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:

Ending my GA Presidential journey

Today is the final day of my GA Presidential journey. It's been emotional...

I've previously blogged about myself when I started as President.

I started my involvement with the GA Secondary Phase Committee around 2004-5, thanks to Rob Lodge who got me involved, and this was when I first encountered Alan Kinder, who was co-chair for a while. I later worked for the GA for three years - starting there 15 years ago tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone involved in the last four years of my Presidential journey, who has supported me in the process - there's a lot of people I could mention here from fellow Trustees, volunteers and those who serve on the committees and SIGs, staff at Solly Street and all those who are GA members. It's been a privilege. It's also my last day of four years as a Trustee and serving on the Governing Body, having also been Chair of Education Group for a year as well, and with previously working on the Secondary Phase Committee for about ten years on and off... and also writing the GA Webwatch column for about twelve years.

I hope I've pushed the idea of Quotidian geographies a little more into the spotlight. I think the GA has certainly changed during my time in the Presidential cycle.

Special mention to Jeremy Krause for his encouragement before and kind words after. Also thanks to Paula Owens and Steve Rawlinson for the original 'push': a few years earlier than I was originally planning.

I shall continue to develop the blog and add more stories from the archives and updates on Presidents as I find them, or they are communicated to me. I hope the project might one day find its way into a different (perhaps even printed or extended digital) form when I have time to do it a little more justice and carry out the necesary research. I need to renew my British Library Reading Room membership which lapsed just after the pandemic.

It's over to Denise Freeman and Hina Robinson tomorrow for the next couple of years of female teacher Presidents - there have been very few of those, so feel free to throw your hat into the ring.

Keep an eye out for your chance to put yourself forward to be GA President in 2025-2026.

Nominations will be asked for before too long.

Image: Selfie taken as I left the University of Guildford campus following my GA Presidential conference in 2022... a job well done.... 

Word cloud of Presidents updated too...

Quick trivia quiz question: Which three surnames have been shared by more than one President?

Thanks to Bob Digby for the mention too...

Today several colleagues finish their terms in trustee roles @The_GA...

A very big thank you to Olwen Lintern-Smyth our outgoing chair, @bobdigby Honorary Treasurer, Sue Holden, @GeoBlogs Immediate Past President, and Dan Cowling, for their vision, commitment and hard work! pic.twitter.com/ah232Ye7Je

— Alastair Owens (@AlastairHackney) August 31, 2023

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.

Fred Martin

Along with the Presidents, this blog has featured some of the many volunteers and activists who have supported the Association over the years.

Fred Martin was the PGCE tutor at Bath Spa University for many years, and has been involved with the GA for decades in various roles, with a long stint serving on the Education Group of the GA. 

He is a prolific author who has written many books, some of which were first published over twenty years ago, and remain available. They include the book here, published by the GA.

Fred was on the sub-group that was involved with the GeoVisions project, which led to many other GA projects over the years, and has appeared on this blog previously, along with further information about Di Swift.

This led to him writing the Cape Farewell resource, which I used when teaching the OCR Pilot GCSE Geography, and which has also been featured in a previous blogpost.

Fred served on the Secondary Phase Committee for many years, including the period when I was also on the committee.

I presented sessions with Fred several times at GA Conference including 2005 - the first time I presented at the GA conference in a session on Gifted and Talented Geographers. I was a bit nervous.

We also worked on a session exploring how to 'Transform Tired Topics' along with Tom Biebrach. It originally had a diffferent title...

In 2007, we also jointly presented on Future Fieldwork: a double workshop on GIS for Beginners which included some cutting edge GIS work (for the time) and also included future Chief Executive Alan Kinder.

Fred worked with a number of others, including Gary Dawson, who also served on the Secondary Committee to write 3 books of starters for Badger Publishing. You may remember them. I have them on the bookshelf in my classroom. 

Fred is now on the editorial board of 'Teaching Geography' and recently set me a challenge of writing an article about the teaching of GIS and traditional map skills.

Fred was also kind enough to provide a message to delegates at the first TeachmeetGeographyIcons when I did a keynote session.

Even in the Summer 2021 issue, Fred has an article, where he explores the progress made in pedagogy over the years through 'Teaching Geography' articles.

Image: Bryan Ledgard / Geographical Association

References

Martin, Fred, and Diane Swift. “What Can CD-ROMs Do for Us?” Teaching Geography, vol. 21, no. 1, 1996, pp. 20–23. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23753746. Accessed 26 June 2021.

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.

2006: Keith Grimwade

Updated October 2023

When Keith Grimwade became President, he was working as the Head of Professional Development for Cambridgeshire County Council, with responsibility for the Schools Advisory Service, as well as training and development for the Council’s Children’s Services staff.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Keith for many years, and have continued this friendship partly through his association with the Cambridge GA Branch. This is my local branch, and I have had the pleasure of speaking to students there quite a few times. Our paths have also crossed en route to the GA Conference in the past. He organises social event for the GA Cambridge branch to the present day, and regular attends meetings. The Pandemic has paused this activity for a while, although the GeogMeet and Worldwise Quiz continues thanks to a lively committee. 

As with more recent Presidents, much of this entry has been written thanks to contributions from Keith to a questionnaire which I sent round to as many Presidents as possible.

Keith was born in 1957 in Southend on Sea, in Essex. He spent five years in London.

He told me, "I benefited from two very skilled teachers who saw my interest in geography and knew how to nurture it.

First, there was Miss Foster, my Year 3 teacher at Prince Avenue Junior School. 
We had to choose reading books from a trolley and I picked out a book about Thailand that was far too hard for me to read but I was fascinated by the photographs. Miss Foster let me keep it, so while my classmates were developing their reading skills I was absorbing images of Thailand, and then I moved on to other countries in the subsequent weeks.

Second, there was Jim Alves, my geography teacher at Southend High School for Boys. He led a school trip to the Lake District at the end of my first year. I had never been on holiday and the whole week was an amazing experience. I remember studying an OS map at the top of Cat Bells. Mr Alves looked over my shoulder and began to point out features. The map came alive, I could now see it in 3D and I was hooked. So, I think I’ve always been a geographer and I’ve spent my life looking at photographs and OS maps, and not much else! I read geography at Jesus College, Oxford - it was an alien culture (these days I would be helping their ‘disadvantaged background’ quota).
Not all of the teaching was that good, to be honest, but the opportunities and access to resources were phenomenal and ideal for someone who was quite happy to work independently and plough his own furrow.
The mid to late 70s was also an exciting time to be an Oxford geographer because having lost out to Cambridge and elsewhere in the quantitative revolution, it was just beginning to pull ahead with its work on the environment and climate, led by someone else who was to become a GA President, Andrew Goudie".
Andrew has his own entry on the blog of course, with plenty of contributions from Andrew himself.

In terms of his teacher training, Keith told me:

I did a PGCE at Goldsmiths and was accepted into the ILEA ‘pool’, having been interviewed by another future GA President, Michael Storm. I requested a posting in a mixed comprehensive in NE London, so they sent me to Henry Compton Boys School in Fulham. I know that ‘it was a rough, tough school’ is a bit of a cliche but it really was but I learnt a lot about how to motivate a wide range of abilities and manage a wide range of attitudes and behaviours very quickly. I was there for 5 years and then became Head of Geography at Hinchingbrooke School, Huntingdon, where I stayed for 12 years.
In 1997 I joined Cambridgeshire County Council as County Adviser for Geography, and I stayed there until my retirement at the end of 2017, having been Director of Education for the last 5 years of my career.

In the 80s / 90s and early 2000s I authored / co-authored a range of curriculum materials and text books, and regularly contributed to the TES.

His Presidential theme was ‘The Future of Geography’. Keith says:

"we were twenty years on from the original National Curriculum debates and in something of an existential crisis. I re-visited the Case for Geography (which has had its own post on the blog previously) and explored possible, probable and preferred futures. 

My sub-theme was young people’s involvement in curriculum making. I managed to combine both into my Presidential Address. 

My route to becoming President was via the Secondary Education Section Committee (on which I also served for 14 years) and the Education Standing Committee, and I was encouraged, supported and guided by two wonderful but very different geographers,

Patrick Bailey and Roger Carter.
Read Keith's Presidential Address here:

It is called 'The Future of Geography'.
(Slideplayer)
In it, he considers the new National Curriculum and some strategies for the future.
He also mentions the Young People's Geographies project, which I was involved in.
Keith told me back in 2019 why he believes the GA matters.

"Geography teachers need a ‘community of practice’ - that is the GA, it’s one and only unique selling point - that is why the GA matters. I joined the Secondary Education Section Commitee in 1991 and was involved with many committees, including chairing the Education Standing Committee. I have been a long-standing member of the local branch, helping to keep it going through some difficult times, and I have just attended my 35th consecutive annual WorldWise quiz local round; and I still don’t know all of the answers."
He told me that:

"My Presidential year was the highlight of my professional career as a geographer. It is, of course, part of a 4 year term (Junior, Vice, President, Senior) so ‘achievements’ are spread out over a period of time. 

The big curriculum initiative was the Action Plan for Geography. 

Lord Adonis was a great supporter of geographical education but could not understand why we had the RGS/IBG and the GA - politicians prefer dealing with just one organisation. Negotiating and securing the GA’s distinctive role was, I think, one of my biggest achievements, much of which went on behind closed doors and could not be broadcast. 

I keep a letter from Lord Adonis acknowledging my work, and recognising the GA’s contribution. I also helped the GA develop its strategic framework."

He also talked about the importance of David Lambert to the GA, something I certainly appreciated when in post.

"My biggest achievement was probably retaining the services of David Lambert, who was in danger of heading off to the Institute of Education full time; David did for the GA what few, if any, others could have done over the next few years."

He was also mentioned by Jeremy Krause as being very supportive.

Ketih finished with some thoughts:
These days, I attend GA events mainly for social reasons.

What really gives me hope for the future is the energy and enthusiasm of our young teachers. They will spark a lifelong love of our subject in many ‘young Grimwades’ in the years to come. And the GA must remember that its purpose is to support their passion.

Keith was also influenced by the work of the GeoVisions project.

Keith Grimwade reflects on Geo Visions as “one of the most enjoyable and influential projects that I have been involved with …” in his 2007 Presidential Address [reported in journal 'Geography' Autumn 2007]. He highlighted the strap line:

‘Create the future … don’t just let it happen’

“ The GA adopted GeoVisions under Di Swift’s leadership (see more in Di's own blog post) and over a period of two years it inspired a range workshops and publications including the GA’s [2002] Position Statement on Geography and it initiated the GA's involvement with ‘third stream’ activities. GeoVisions introduced many of us to possible, probable and preferred futures and, I now realise, to my presidential theme. To create the future of geography rather than just letting just happen we need a strategy for change.”

Keith retired as Director of Learning at the end of 2017 after 37 years in education.

He continues to be generous with his time in the local community, and to support the work of the Cambridge GA Branch.

He is also a Governor of the Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

He is also a supporter of Peterborough Football Club, who I have been to see play with colleagues from Ely.

References

GRIMWADE, KEITH. “Presidential Address 2007: The Future of Geography.” Geography, vol. 92, no. 3, 2007, pp. 175–178. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40574331

Image copyright: Geographical Association and Bryan Ledgard - used with permission

Any further memories of Keith welcome. 

Updated October 2023

Keith is the guest on a podcast, exploring ideas of Hope. It was published on October 17th 2022.

He speaks openly about his career and personal challenges, and connection with caring.

He talks about his career in education: 20 years as a geography teacher, and later as an education administrator for Cambridgeshire, and as the county's adviser for geography.

He describes again the influence of his teacher Miss Foster, and his love of Ordnance Survey maps.

He retired at the end of 2017.

It's lovely to hear Keith talking about his "hope kit".

Bertie Roberson

Bertie Roberson worked at the Institute of Education: which has links with many former GA Presidents, particularly Molly Long.

His obituary was published in 'Geography' in 1995, and written by Norman Graves. He was also a colleague of former GA President Molly Long. He was also a long-serving member of the Secondary Section Committee, of which I was also a member for many years.

Reference

Graves, Norman. “B.S. Roberson 1911-1994.” Geography, vol. 80, no. 3, 1995, pp. 290–290. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40572678. Accessed 15 Jan. 2021.

Rob Lodge

Every six months or so, I spot a C3 Picasso and the tall figure of Rob Lodge in Morrison's car park in Fakenham and have a chat. He lives in a neighbouring village of mine. He has been involved with geography in Norfolk for well over 30 years in various ways and has helped so many fellow teachers during that time. He is known by many, including Kit Rackley as "Rob Ledge"...

Rob Lodge was the advisory teacher for Geography for Norfolk when I first started teaching. He ran CPD sessions and was also involved in the National Strategies when they were first introduced. We had regular meetings at the PDC on the edge of Norwich and this was where I first started presenting to other colleagues - some short inputs, one on blogging, one on using Excel to make 3D landscapes. He was also leading a session on the internet which was actually the first time I ever went on the internet... I go on it quite a bit now.

He has also had the pleasure (I think) of observing me teach several times when I was teaching in King's Lynn and his brief was supporting certain departments within the school.

He has also worked as Head of Humanities at Hamond's High School: a school I have visited several times over the years as well, and contributed support materials to the GA's 'a different view' manifesto (of which more to come in due course)

Rob Lodge was also the co-chair of the GA's SPC when I joined, along with Alan Kinder from memory, or possibly Gary Dawson, or possibly Sarah Watts.

He involved me in the SPC from around 2004, and I remember in the first meeting listening to discussions which were going well over my head, and also the train journeys to and from Norfolk, where I talked about my possible further involvement with the GA. He was also a referee when I went for a job with the GA in 2008 which I was successful in getting. I will always be grateful to him for that.

He was also behind my first time presenting at the GA Conference in 2005 - although he was on holiday at the time!

The presentation can be viewed here still.

I remember that Fred Martin was last up - we over ran but by the time Fred started talking we were already nearly at our time limit - we still blamed him for the overrun :) Looking at it now, I can see quite a few of my ideas in there - the 'Have I got News for You' animations, and the use of Only Fools and Horses... quality still, plus GeoBlogs getting an early mention, This is your Life Old Harry, and some other classics...

He later had to widen his brief into the Humanities and school improvement, and also changes to the advisory service generally before it disappeared eventually.

He was also involved with events held at Gressenhall Rural Museum that I attended and presented at, and also an event in association with Norwich Castle museum. He has written a few articles with Colly Mudie from Gressenhall as well.

He organised a CPD session where I first met Jason Sawle and saw ESRI's Digital Worlds product - I later worked with ESRI and Jason for several years on various projects.

In 2009, I was in Dereham at an event that Rob had organised

http://livinggeography.blogspot.com/2009/03/norfolk-gis-links.html

He was/is a trustee of CPRE Norfolk, and is also a governor of the local Fakenham Academy.

He also got me involved in a conference at Holt Hall, along with Anne Marie Emmett, who has widened her links with the GA since, in 2012. I remember that event well. The venue is currently threatened with closure to save funds.

https://csapps.norfolk.gov.uk/csshared/ecourier2/fileoutput.asp?id=12062

References

https://csapps.norfolk.gov.uk/csshared/ecourier2/fileoutput.asp?id=15121 - CPRE involvement mentioned here.

Mudie, Colly, and Rob Lodge. “New Ideas in Norfolk Museums.” Teaching Geography, vol. 32, no. 3, 2007, pp. 127–128. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44633497. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020.

Dawson, Gary, and Rob Lodge. “Campaigning for Geography.” Teaching Geography, vol. 28, no. 1, 2003, pp. 36–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23756451. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020.

https://www.geography.org.uk/Our-Wonderful-World

Image: CPRE event in 2018 - an awards event in the Hostry at Norwich Cathedral

Postscript

At the meetings of Norfolk geography teachers, Rob handed out Norfolk Geogers awards, and I am the proud owner of a Norfolk Geogers shield, handed out in 2006 when I was still teaching in King's Lynn, and before I started my GA journey.

Hello to all those teachers from past meetings, such as Graham Ridsdale, Terry Mansfield, Ben Utting, Kit Rackley, Kirsten Remer, Gordon Stone, Chris Clarke, Peter Coote, Helen Carty and many others from these events...

I'm not the only one to have a Norfolk Geogers award either...

I still have my Norfolk Geoggers medal proudly on display at home. The man is a legend.

— Alan Kinder (@GAChiefExec) December 23, 2020

1984: Miss Pat J Cleverley

Updated December 2020

Pat Cleverley was involved with the GA for many years before her Presidential year began. She was the second female teacher President of the GA after Sheila Jones in 1975.

Throughout the late 1970s and 80s before taking up the role, she represented the GA on a number of committees and also had a role in other aspects of both the GA and the RGS (which was also very common until more recently).
She has a strong link with the city of Bristol, which has provided a number of Presidents over the years, as mentioned in John Westaway's Presidential address, and still lives there to this day.

A memory from Rex Walford here:
"There was some fieldwork involved in the two Madingley conferences which I attended (1966 and 1967), I think) but my most memorable formative experience of that period was attending a week in 1968/1969 led by Dr C. Board (ISE) and Dr C.D. Morley (King's). It was run as an in-service course for teachers and based in Central London at a hall of residence in Cartwright Gardens. From memory, Rex Beddis, John Everson, Brian Fitzgerald, Pat Cleverley and Sheila Jones were also participants in the course...."

She was also mentioned and pictured in John Westaway's Presidential Address, which is shown below.

 

She had a long teaching career and was a member of the Secondary Schools Section Committee (now the SPC), which I also served on for almost 15 years, latterly as Secretary.  Several other GA Presidents have served on this committee over the years, and it makes a good proving ground perhaps for those who want to develop further in their involvement with the GA.

Pat taught geography (of course) at Withywood School in Bristol and was teaching at the time she was President - a rare thing as regular readers will know. 

The school itself closed in August 2008. Another colleague from the school also presented at Pat's conference.

Pat was also involved in the push for the GA to launch a journal for teachers which became 'Teaching Geography', first published from April 1975 as we have seen recently. More to come on that from other Presidents over time.

Pat wrote reviews of many books, which were published in 'Teaching Geography' over the years. I've similarly been asked to review books while on the SPC (as have other members) as well as helping judge the GA Publisher's Awards. This is all part of the ways that people can contribute to the work of the Association and support the staff at Solly Street. Pat also co-wrote a book on S E Asia.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/25285988?versionId=30484891

Miss Cleverley was made an honorary member of the Geographical Association, and remains so.

I was put in touch with Pat in September 2020, just ahead of the writing of blog posts about other Bristol-based Presidents. Thanks to John Westaway and Sheila Jones for some further information on Pat. John kindly put me in touch with Pat.

Pat sent me a lovely parcel of memorabilia in October 2020.

This included an original photograph - a version of the one which was in the journal and shown at the top of the page. Pat is on the left, Vic Dennison is in the middle, and Sheila Jones is on the right - all based in Bristol. This was taken in Sheffield.

Pat is shown in this image sitting between Sheila Jones and Bill Mead.

Image credit: Bryan Ledgard and the Geographical Association

Here are the details that Pat sent through to me:

Born: Bristol, February 1935

1946: 11+ exam passed and headed to Colston's Girls School

1954-8: University of Bristol

Open Entrance Scholarship to Geography department. Graduated in 1957 followed by PGCE.

By 1958, Pat was on the committee of the local branch of the GA, which was very influential, and involved working with people from all regions. She regularly attended the annual conference, which was held over New Years, before New Years Day became a holiday, and always at LSE.

1985: Pat sent me the programme from her conference, and a copy of her Presidential address, which was called 'Classroom Hot Spots Change Again".

Pat also spent a number of years on the RGS Geography committee, which was quite influential because of the people who served on it at the time, but she felt it was not particularly active. 

Pat was the first President from a comprehensive school (they were relatively new at the time - when I started at secondary school in 1982 they were using up the old stock of folders which said High School on them...) This made her something of an "alien species" at the RGS at the time.

When Pat was GA President she was working as the Deputy Head of an 1800 pupil 11-18 Comprehensive school, and she ended her career as a Headteacher. Very impressive considering the pressures that both rolls produce.

In her Presidential year, she remembers being very busy. She had invitation to other banches, and went to as many as she could. She also attended the SAGT conference.

She finished her letter by sending her best wishes for my own GA conference, and some memories of attending the memorial service for Rex Walford, her predecessor as President, and the Cathedral being full.

References

Fyfe, Elspeth M., et al. “Annual Report of the Geographical Association 1985.” Geography, vol. 71, no. 2, 1986, pp. 160–168. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571092. Accessed 4 Aug. 2020.

Williams, Michael, et al. “Annual Report of the Geographical Association 1984.” Geography, vol. 70, no. 2, 1985, pp. 142–149. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571969. Accessed 4 Aug. 2020.
Mentioned in: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/6100/1/6100_3452.PDF

If anyone knows of more information about Pat Cleverley and her time at the GA please get in touch.

Update: December 2020

In 2003, Chris Kington asked a number of former Presidents what had sparked their passion for geography. He lent me the letters and Pat had sent a response.

She says that her father had influenced here, and also the teacher she had in Years 9-11 at Colston's - she maintained contact with her until she died.

Many thanks to Chris Kington for the loan of the letters.

1973: Secondary Schools Section Committee

1973 - make-up of the Secondary Schools Section Committee, which I served on for 14 years and also involved several other former GA Presidents.


There are some more details of the operation of the committee here.


Source:
“The Geographical Association.” Geography, vol. 58, no. 2, 1973, pp. 170–178. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40567982. Accessed 17 July 2020.

1972: Standing Committees

One of the ways to find out more about the work of the Association, and give something back, is to serve on one of its committees. From time to time, spaces open up, and you can ask to be told about any vacancies, or even act as a corresponding member.

In 1972, an item in 'Geography' outlined full details of all the GA's committees at the time, not all of which are still in existence, or have changed their names. As you will have seen from previous blog posts, there have been various committees reflecting important issues of the time, which have ended when their purpose has come to an end.




References
Article: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40567921 (Subscription to Geography or JSTOR membership required to view)

The SPC and eConference 2020

The SPC was created in 1927.

I served on the GA Secondary Phase Committee for many years, joining in 2004 when Gary Dawson and Rob Lodge chaired, later to be Alan Kinder and Sarah Watts, followed by other geography luminaries.
I stepped down for a few years when working for the GA 2008-11, then rejoined. I stepped down at the end of 2019 again when I became the GA's Junior Vice President, spending a few years as Secretary.

The GA SPC has a Facebook page, which will be sharing news and quotes from the GA's eConference, which is taking place from lunchtime today through to Saturday teatime.



Stephen Schwab and Paul Hunt were co-chairs for some years and they are going to be sharing some of the workshops that had been prepared for the GA Conference, but weren't added to the final eConference schedule for lack of space.
I'll share some links over on LivingGeography once they are available.

1950s - Committees were busy, and plenty of other changes

Balchin's Centenary volume describes some of the work of the GAs Phase Committees during the 1950s, a time when financial pressures forced the GA to raise the annual subscription to a guinea from 1955.

• Secondary Schools Committee published a new handbook in 1952, then turned to producing school atlases. It's chairman for 25 years, Mr. C B Thurston, stepped down apparently 'reluctantly' in 1953.
• The Primary Schools Committee revised 'Geography in the Primary School' in 1953.
• The Public and Preparatory Schools Committee opened its membership to women teachers in 1951.
• The Training College Section organised a series of one day conferences to meet the criticism that 'much of the geography teaching in secondary modern schools was being undertaken by individuals without any geography training' (Balchin, p.43)
• Visual Aids Section produced 'The Geography Room in the Secondary School' in 1954, and started to investigate the use of OS Map extracts with aerial photographs which were to become a feature of Geography exams for decades to come.
• Two new committees were formed: Further Education (1953) and Field Studies (1954)
• The Executive Committee was continuing discussions with the BBC about geography school programming. At this time, there was a feeling that changes were happening too quickly for textbooks to keep up and that radio and TV could help.

One particular way that the GA tried to keep teachers up to date with the pace of change in the modern world was a feature called 'This Changing World' which was introduced into the 'Geography' journal in 1954, edited by Leonard Sydney Suggate followed by G. J Butland when Suggate retired to New Zealand, as described in his blog post.

The 1950s also saw the passing of several former GA Presidents who have previously appeared on the blog:

• Dr. Hugh Robert Mill in 1950 (who was closely associated with the GA from its founding)
• James Fairgrieve in 1953 (over 40 years of service to the GA)
• Dr O J R Howarth in 1954 (over 40 years of service to the GA)
• Sir John Linton Myres in 1954

These led to the appointment of other GA Presidents to come to key roles: L Dudley Stamp, E G Bowen and W.G.V Balchin.

Finally, Balchin reminds us that the 1950s were a time when the country was recovering from WWII - rationing had ceased and rebuilding of bombed cities was underway. Membership climbed steadily and the GA was settled in its new home city of Sheffield.

The Annual Conferences were still being organised by the very efficient R. C Honeybone and Dr. J H Bird and attendance was close to 1000.
Professor Emeritus E G R Taylor reached the age of 80 in 1959, and funds were raised for an annual lecture in her name.


Image: early Handbook, on display in Solly St - image by Alan Parkinson

1927: SPC: the Secondary Phase Committee

Between 2004 and 2019, I served on the GA's Secondary Phase Committee (SPC), latterly as Secretary.
During that time, the Committee saw a number of different chairs, including Alan Kinder.
The committee was founded in 1927, at the same time as the Primary committee, and just after the HE Teaching committee.
The first Chair was Mr. C. B. Thurston.



More to come on the SPC as the blog develops.

References
“Secondary School Notes.” Geography, vol. 14, no. 4, 1928, pp. 328–329. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40558275.