2026: Fiona Sheriff

It's time for another new GA President. Another year has passed.

The President for the next year is Fiona Sheriff. She is another female teacher, continuing a welcome trend for the last few years. She is also the youngest ever GA President, having been born in the year when I started teaching.

I sent Fiona the questions that I had given to all other Presidents and used them to create the post below. I'm grateful to Fiona for the level of detail she provided.

When and where were you born? 

"I was born in 1988 in Chelmsford, Essex. I grew up in Braintree in north Essex. My dad is Braintree born and bred, but my mum is a Londoner with Irish heritage."

Image credit: Alistair Hamill

Baby photo - Fiona Sheriff

Where did you go to school / university

"Growing up, my parents didn’t drive so we went to the most local schools to us. At Primary level, I went to John Bunyan Infant and Junior School which I started at in 1992, followed by Tabor High School (now Tabor Academy) which I started at in 1999. 

My memories of Primary school geography are of place-based studies such as completing an enquiry about St. Lucia (a place I have wanted to go to ever since!) and many studies of Braintree as a market town. Our fieldwork always seemed to centre around a walk up and down Bradford Street which has a fascinating history!

At secondary school we started by doing a carousel of humanities subject with Mr Pritchard and Mr Mullender, both of whom terrified me! Mr Pritchard had also taught my dad in the 1970s in the same school. In Year 9 I then had Miss Fox – who still teaches Geography in Essex now and with whom I re-connected with at the GA conference in Oxford. Sadly, at aged 14 I had other aspirations: becoming an interior designer and therefore geography was not one of my GCSE options. 

This is a little rare for GA Presidents, but regular followers of the blog will know that a lot of GA Presidents in the early days had no formal geographical connection.

Instead, I studied Double Art, French and Drama. I did well in my GCSEs achieving 1 A*, 8 Bs and a C, and through my own admission did no revision, despite being targeted lower grades due to the area I lived in. I had some challenging times at school, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Following my time at Tabor High School, I then studied A Levels at Braintree College from 2004-2007. At this time, the College was undergoing significant change and was about to stop offering A Levels, so the standard of teaching we received was very mixed. A few personal things also happened during my A Level studies, so my attendance became patchy in my first year. 

I studied A Level Geography, Law and AS History and General Studies. 

My Geography teacher Anna Bass was incredible. She’d spent some time in the US and had this fantastic Anglo-US accent. She would say things like “That’s neat, huh!” and she really enjoyed what she did. I probably still need to apologise a thousand times over for throwing up on our field trip to Wales! 

Image: Wales Geography field trip - Fiona Sheriff.

She really encouraged my love and fascination for Geography, but I definitely didn’t realise the importance of this then. 

During my A Levels I completed my UCAS application to study Paramedic Science but was declined as I didn’t have a driving licence! Instead, I turned my sights to joining the RAF as an Intelligence Officer as I had been heavily involved in the Air Training Corps since I was 15. 

Graduation photo - Fiona Sheriff

I didn’t do as well in my A Levels as I wanted and had to resit some modules. I left Braintree College with a B in AS General Studies, a D in AS History, a C in Geography and a D in Law. I didn’t have enough UCAS points for university if I had wanted to go. 

In 2007, a chance watching of an Open University TV ad encouraged me to take a look at what they had to offer so I embarked on my degree just after my 19th birthday and studied a range of courses with them until 2013 when I achieved my Open degree. I undertook courses which were geography based and this included modules about the environmental policy making, international development, and journeys through a changing world. At the time the OU weren’t offering a Geography degree, so I had opted to do the BSc Open instead. I achieved a 2:2 in my degree, but had also worked full time throughout it so I am very proud of my result. I was also the first person in my close family to gain a university degree, so whilst I may not have taken a traditional route it has shaped my approach to education and made me more determined to succeed."

What has your career pathway been?

I never set out to be a teacher and had wanted to join the RAF, however my first job role was as a waitress in a Wimpy burger restaurant during my A Levels. That job taught me a lot about patience, attention to detail and how to wash dishes!

In 2008 I had moved up to Norfolk to be closer to where I was training young people to fly in the Air Training Corps.

Fiona at RAF Watton in a GROB Viking Glider, 2009 - Fiona Sheriff

Fiona in uniform - Fiona Sheriff

I was working as a gliding instructor and spent every weekend training young people on the ‘Gliding Induction Course’ and ‘Gliding Scholarship’ programmes on the GROB Viking at RAF Watton in Norfolk, with 611 Volunteer Gliding Squadron. 

I was passionate about getting more girls into flying and to ‘give back’ for the opportunities that I had been afforded as an Air Cadet. During this time I also worked for Norwich Union – now Aviva, updating customer details and sending letters. 

In 2010 I moved back to Essex and became a learning support assistant at Tabor High School, which was very strange as a lot of my old teachers were still there and now I could call them by their first names. 

I then became a cover supervisor and taught a lot of art, food technology and photography and spent a lot of time teaching students how to use the dark room which had previously been used as a store cupboard. 

I then moved to Honywood Community Science College in 2012 as a cover supervisor before starting my teacher training there with Essex Teacher Training in 2013. At ETT we gained QTS and had the option of completing some extra modules to gain a PGCE through Edge Hill University, which I did – and attended the graduation there despite never going there! 

Edge Hill Graduation - Fiona Sheriff

Kerrie Brinkley-Whittington was my mentor and I was lucky to attend fieldwork trips to Costa Brava and Walton-on-the-Naze during this time. I did my second placement back at Tabor High School and then did my NQT year at Notley High School, another school I knew well due to it being across the road from my Nanna’s house. 

I enjoyed my time at Notley, and only left due to me re-locating to Northampton to move in with my now husband. 

The first school I taught at in Northampton was The Duston School in 2015, where I quickly picked up a promotion to Head of Year 10 in my NQT+1 year. That role taught me huge amounts about pastoral care, safeguarding, working with alternative provisions and the transition to GCSE.

Following this I moved to Kingsthorpe College in 2016 where I started as Director of Learning, this was a Head of House role and I was in charge of Purple House where I remained in this role until 2018 when I had my first child Isabella. 

On my return to work in 2019 I became Lead Practitioner for Vocational Subjects and Community Engagement where I predominantly taught Travel and Tourism. 

In this role I also ran a range of community projects which included setting up a PTFA – sadly due to the global pandemic and lockdown, many of my plans ground to a halt and when we returned to school in September 2020 my role had changed considerably and I then became Head of Geography instead – the role which I have held ever since. 

At both Duston and Kingsthorpe I was also the DofE manager until 2023.

During my time as Head of Geography I have also had two further maternity leaves. 

Outside of teaching, I continued to be a gliding instructor until 2017. I transferred to 616 VGS at RAF Henlow in 2013 following the closure of RAF Watton, and flew the GROB Vigilant which was a motor glider and then had a brief spell at 637 VGS at Little Rissington, before deciding that the good old days of Air Cadet gliding were no more. 

Air cadet gliding went through significant change between 2014 and 2017 due to technical difficulties with the aircraft and the GROB Vigilant went out of service.

I was also a Civilian Instructor on a variety of air cadet squadrons between 2009 and 2014 including 158 (Braintree) Squadron, 1207 (Maldon) Squadron and 231 (Norwich) Squadron. In my time at 1207 I was also an Adult Sergeant. When I became a teacher I found it difficult to balance being on an Air Cadet Squadron and completing teacher training and had to make the challenging decision to leave the Air Training Corps. 

Since 2020 I have engaged in a variety of different geography projects including presenting for the RGS, writing the ‘100 ideas for Secondary Geography Fieldwork’ published by Bloomsbury in 2024 (and which also won a GA Silver Publishing Award in 2025) and leading the UK Polar Network Antarctic Flags project since 2020 where hundreds of schools around the world have had students send artwork down to Antarctica to be photographed. 

I have also worked on a range of projects for Tutor2U including presenting at student revision workshops, creating fieldwork packs and writing a range of resources. I’ve enjoyed writing articles for a variety of publications and blogs included WideWorld, the GA blog and HWRK magazine. "

What was your job when you became President?

"I am currently Head of Geography at Kingsthorpe College in Northampton and I work three days a week there."

What theme did you choose when President, and why did you pick it? What had been your involvement with the GA leading up to that time?

"My theme for my Presidential year is ‘Passionate About Geography’, which I think leads on nicely from Catherine Owen’s theme of ‘Geography Makes A Difference’. 

One of the first things people ask you when you are elected is “what will your theme be?” and I floated between a few ideas but found it really tough to make a decision, until Briley Habib sent me a message one day saying “I think you’ve found your conference theme – Passion!” and that lit the lightbulb for me. My students always say that I am so passionate about what I do and how I want to help them, so this felt like a really good fit. Being passionate about geography feels like a celebration of our subject and gives us the opportunity to share why we really love what we do. It also encourages us to share that with our students. 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.

My involvement with the GA started quite late. I have always been a school member, but I didn’t attend my first GA conference until 2021 when it was online and then in 2022 I attended the conference at Guildford where I presented on local fieldwork ideas. 

At the time there were only around 6 people in the room, but one of those was Elaine Anderson who I then worked with closely on the Oak National Academy collaboration with the GA as the curriculum development lead, so that felt like right time, right place. 

I had my second baby, Luna, a few weeks before conference in 2023 so did not attend that year but have since presented in 2024, 2025 and 2026. In 2023 I led my geography department to the Secondary Geography Quality Mark and Centre of Excellence which was a great opportunity to really audit what we do and consider our strengths and areas for development. 

In 2024 I was awarded the GA Excellence Award and the OS Award by the RGS.

I have also authored an article for Teaching Geography on our ‘Golden Threads’ curriculum and an article for the GA magazine on playability and fieldwork. 

In my role as a consultant for the GA I have also undertaken some work with the BBC, auditing their resources on BBC Teach and Bitesize and making re-writing the suite of teachers notes for secondary geography. 

Why does the GA matter to you? How did you get involved, and what roles have you played within the GA?

Fiona in Svalbard

The GA essentially feels like the beating heart of the geography community, it brings together geography teachers from across the world to help improve geography education. I’ve been both a school and a personal member, and whilst I began my support from afar, since 2023 I have tried to become more involved in the GA. I am part of the ‘Fieldwork and Outdoor Learning Special Interest Group’ (FOLSIG) and this has been a great way to help promote fieldwork – especially through the National Festival of Fieldwork. 

The group are a fantastic support, and it is full of really talented, caring and dedicated professionals. 

At the 2024 conference, the then GA President, Denise Freeman came and spoke to me one lunchtime about how I should consider running for GA President and that it had been commented on by a few people. 

One message from her conference was to be ‘Positively Delusional’ and gaining a nomination to run for GA President certainly felt like it fit that message. If elected, I was about to become the youngest ever GA President and possibly had the shortest membership time in comparison to those who came before me. In the election, both myself and Kit-Marie Rackley were in contention for the role. Kit is a phenomenal educator and all round good-egg and even to be standing next to Kit in an election felt like a huge honour, so to be elected blew my mind. 

As part of the presidential role I will also be a trustee for three years. This is a really interesting part of the role and I have learnt a lot about the inner workings of the GA and how charities operate. 

In my role as President, I hope to really celebrate geography and encourage more young people to get involved, study the subject and become advocates for it themselves.  

Best wishes to Fiona for her year as GA President.

2025: Catherine Owen

For the fourth year out of the last five, the GA President will be a teacher, and a female state-school teacher for the third year in a row - and with a fourth to come next year. Quite a turnaround from the long-established pattern.

Catherine Owen is the new GA President for 2024-25

I sent Catherine the questions that I had given to all other Presidents and used them to create the post below. 

I'm grateful to Catherine for the level of detail she provided and taking the time to help create this entry on the blog.

When and where were you born?

I was born in Bristol in 1972. Both of my parents are Cornish and my Cornish heritage is an important part of my identity.

Where did you go to school / university?

I grew up in Yatton, a village outside Bristol which had been chosen for rapid expansion from the 1960s onwards. There was such a rapid influx of children into Yatton Infants School in the late 1970s that all the classrooms were Portakabins, with the old stone school building reserved for assemblies and lessons such as cooking. 

Aged seven we moved to the Junior School next door, which had four classes in each year group. 

Graduation day

It was wonderful to grow up in a village full of families with young children, but the rapid growth also
meant a lack of facilities and services.
We were bussed to the village of Backwell for secondary school on a fleet of around 13 coaches. I was a quiet, hard working student and appreciated the opportunities that Backwell School gave me, including learning to play the clarinet and saxophone and to go on visits including to France and The Netherlands. 

I studied maths, physics and geography for my A levels whilst also working at a local supermarket and taking part in the guiding movement as a Ranger Guide and as the Young Leader of a Brownie pack.
I wanted to be a teacher from pre-school, but initially thought I would study history. 

It was my amazing GCSE and A level geography teacher, Mr George, who changed my mind. 

I applied to study geography and physics at Lancaster University, but was horrified to find on results day that I had only achieved an E in geography, despite being predicted an A! 

At this time you applied to Universities and Polytechnics separately, so I called my first choice Polytechnic and was delighted to be
accepted to study Geographical Sciences.

By the time I arrived, Plymouth Polytechnic had become Polytechnic South West, then I actually graduated from the University of Plymouth in 1993 with a 2:1. I stayed in Plymouth to complete my PGCE at Marjon University, including placements in Plymstock and Bodmin.

What has your career been?

I would have loved to stay in Plymouth to teach, but no suitable jobs came up. 

My first teaching position was at Holyrood School in Chard, Somerset, where I taught yr 7-13 geography and also GNVQ Intermediate Leisure and Tourism. After a year I was given responsibility for the National Curriculum theme of Environmental Education, which came with a small pay rise. 

I also completed a MEd in School Effectiveness and Improvement with a group of teachers from Somerset – my PGCE had included little theory and I felt that I needed to learn more about the art and practice of reaching.

After four years and a term in Chard I moved to The King Alfred School, picking up the Head of Geography role in January 1999. 26 years later I am still Head of Geography at King Alf’s – I fell for the school and haven’t found another role I would rather do. 

King Alf’s is the only school serving the communities of Highbridge, Burnham on Sea and surrounding villages, so it is a true community school with wonderful staff. We have been through some difficult times over the years, but always look after each other. Whilst I may have been in the same school role for a long time, I have had many opportunities to be involved in different projects and adventures, often through the

Geographical Association. 

My first foray into writing was an article based on my MEd research for ‘Teaching Geography’ back in 2000. 

I have since written a range of articles, including co-authoring an article for ‘Primary Geography’, and have also written toolkit books,  and a chapter in the ‘Secondary Geography Handbook’ along with other resources. 

Most recently, in 2024 my book on 'Teaching Climate Change' written with Andrew Taylor, was published by the GA. 

I have also presented CPD for the GA, including the ‘Quality Geography for Non-Specialists’ course

which I currently lead twice a year.

My work for the GA led to other opportunities, including contributing to a GCSE textbook for OUP, a KS3 textbook for Hodder and a GCSE revision guide for Clear Revise. 

I have written many resources for Tutor2U and thoroughly enjoy presenting some of their Revision Blasts

on YouTube. 

I am also very active on social media with the handle @GeogMum reflecting

the importance of geography, teaching and my family to me.

The project which has meant most to me is my work with a group of schools in Uganda. When Seb Witts joined my department in 2014 he told me about St Charles Lwanga School in Kampala, where he had worked for 18 months. We gained funding from the GA Initiatives Fund (GAIF)  to bring the Headteacher, Benedict Ssaazi, to the UK in 2015, then gained funding from the Royal Geographical Society and King Alf’s to visit Uganda in 2016. 

This was the first of three visits, during which we worked with a group of schools on projects including questioning in the classroom and teachers observing each other and providing constructive feedback. In 2018 we held a one day Geographical Association conference at Good Times Primary School, with speakers from the Education Department and workshops hosted by local teachers as well as me and Seb. The Kasubi group of schools continues to collaborate on a wide range of projects and Seb took students from his current school to visit them in 2025.

We are also proud as a department to have achieved the Secondary Geography Quality Mark and Centre of Excellence from the GA.

What was your job when your became President?

I am currently Head of Geography at The King Alfred School an Academy on a 0.8 contract, doing consultancy work on my non-teaching day each week.

What theme did you choose when President, and why did you pick it? 

What had been your involvement with the GA leading up to that time?

I joined the GA as a PGCE student in 1993 and attended my first GA Conference in Southampton in 1995 – I have only missed a handful of conferences since then. I wanted to get more involved in the GA, so when I saw an advertisement for members for a working group on Leisure and Tourism in GA News I expressed interest. 

This group was ably led by Alan Marvell and I was a member for several years, until qualifications moved on and the group was no longer needed. I wanted to be involved with the GA, but found it hard to get a toehold. Following a lecture by Eleanor Rawling at a GA conference in 2007, where she encouraged members to become more active in the GA, I approached Eleanor, sharing my frustrations. Eleanor took me out of the lecture theatre and up to the first working group stand – the International Working Group. 

She introduced me to the Chair, Kevin Cook, asking if I could join. 

GA International SIG - Kevin Cook far left

I am so grateful to Eleanor for this, as I not only became more involved with the GA, but also met my ‘Geography Uncles’ Kevin Cook and Adam Nichols, who have given me so much support and encouragement. I became the Secretary of the group, then Vice-Chair, then Chair. Becoming Chair meant I joined the Education Group, learning more about the GA as a whole and having the opportunity to be involved in more discussions and projects. Throughout this time I had also become more involved as a  consultant to the GA, as described previously.

I also sit on the Publications Board and joined the Board of Trustees when I became Vice-President.

Kevin and Adam always joked that I was a future GA President, but I couldn’t see how I could take on the role whilst also being a classroom teacher. The increase in the use of technology from meetings and communication during COVID times solved the problem of being closely involved with an organisation based in Sheffield whilst being based in Somerset myself. 

L-R: Denise, Hina, Susan and Catherine

I was delighted when first Denise, then Hina, were elected as President whilst still in the classroom. With my children becoming adults, I felt it was time to put myself forward. 

I chose the theme of ‘Geography makes a Difference’ for three reasons:

• 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 difference to students by increasing their employability.
• 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.

I hope that this theme will encourage geography educators to reflect on their practice and consider the difference geography makes. 

How can we maximise the benefits of studying geography? How do we share ideas about how to make a difference through geography?

Why does the GA matter to you?

The GA matters to me because it encourages geography educators to work together to be the best they can be. It provides a voice for geography educators – we are stronger together.

Past Presidents Susan Pike and Gill Miller have been extremely supportive of my decision to put my name forward to be President and Gill helped me come up with my Presidential Theme. It is such a shame that both of their conferences had to be online due to COVID – they are both such great geographers, leaders and role models.

Hina and Denise have also been wonderful in showing me the ropes, and with Fiona to come after me, we make a great team!

Denise, Catherine, Hina and Fiona - the Presidential team

2024: Hina Robinson

For the third year out of the last four, the GA President will be a teacher, and a female state-school teacher for the second year in a row.

Hina Robinson is the new GA President for 2024-25

I sent Hina the questions that I had given to all other Presidents and used them to create the post below. I'm grateful to Hina for the level of detail she provided and taking the time to help create this entry on the blog.

When and where were you born? 

I was born in Edgware, North London in 1977. My parents were immigrants, having moved from Kenya the year before. So I always say my ethnic background is East African Asian.

The principle of my religion – Jainism – make for a passion in geography – we strongly believe in looking after the Earth and all that is on it. 

Where did you go to school / university?

Primary school was Deansbrook Infant and Juniors. 

My first memory of geography was actually being made to feel stupid – the first time I saw the British Isles on a globe and commenting that it was a bit small – my year 4 teacher was clearly not impressed!

The year six school journey to the Lake District started to get me thinking about landforms – the first time I had been to a National Park. Parents who are first generation immigrants spend a lot of time at work and so I had only been to local country parks before. 

Secondary school was Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead Garden Suburb – regularly topping league tables! 

The school was very fortunate to have its own field centre in Dorset which everyone went to for a week in years 8, 9 and 10. On my first visit there we did some orientation with OS maps. One of the teachers commented that I must do that a lot as I was so good with maps – but it was my first time map reading! 

I was incredibly lucky to experience these field trips – influencing my attitude to field work. The teacher that inspired me to want to take geography further was Mrs McIsaac Hall. 

Looking back it was her passion for the subject that came across in lessons to make them so good. 

My A levels were Geography, Economics and Politics. 

An Iceland trip in year 13 fuelled my interest, and work experience in a secondary school geography department in year 12 made my career path clear!

I went to my insurance university – Salford and changed my degree choice to joint honours Geography and Economics. 

I’m still not sure this was the right decision as some of the economics which involved maths was particularly tough, however the link between the two subjects is so important and I was able to study units such as environmental economics. I loved cultural geography and environmental units alike. 

I went the PGCE route at Brunel University and was lucky enough to have Bob Digby and Graham Yates as my course tutors. 

What has your career been to date?

My first job was at the Eastwood School in Leigh on Sea. In my first year there I was teaching four different subjects. I stayed two years before moving to The King John School where I stayed for 20 years! In my time there I had various roles including Head of Geography. 

After returning from maternity leave this was not a role I could keep as I went part-time. However I was Rights Respecting Schools lead and eventually picked up key stage 4 Geography lead. 

Some of my colleagues were integral to my understanding and love of geography – Alan Greenway and Anna Edwards in particular. 

My move to my current school (Southend High School for Girls) saw me lose my responsibility point in geography (my choice!). However I joined a department with a clear passion for geography and I could not be happier in my role. 

Other roles I have undertaken in school link in with geography well, which is probably why I am passionate about them. 

Currently I am Rights Respecting Schools lead and Diversity lead. Both of these roles have a grounding in human geography and the desire to ensure that all have equal opportunities regardless of any protected characteristic or where they live. 

Wider than teaching, I became interested in doing more within the subject community in 2020 during the first Covid lockdown. Decolonising geography and also making it a more inclusive subject which appealed to all became passions of mine. This started through Twitter and getting to know other geographers remotely. My first taste of presenting was a Geogchat Teachmeet, thanks to Rachael Robinson who invited me to speak as part of her slot. Emma Rawlings Smith then invited me to write part of an article for Teaching Geography. I have presented a few times since online for various groups – GeReCo amongst others. I have also edited an 'A' level Revision Guide's 2nd edition and have given some awarding bodies some EDI guidance.

What is your Presidential theme, and why did you pick it? 

My theme is Connected Geographies. 

Geography is what explains how the world works – on a physical level but also how people have developed the world. Learning about our interconnectedness is key to sustainability and equity. Geography connects different subjects together – it is difficult to find another area of education that does not have some geographical element! To develop our students into global citizens who take care of their environment they need to understand how the world is interconnected. This is so important in tackling the misconceptions that cause so many issues across the world. 

Why does the GA matter to you? 

I have been a member of the GA for 26 years – ever since Bob Digby strongly advised membership during PGCE. 

I have read all the magazines and Teaching Geography since then! It was in 2021 when a member Trustee position came up that I first thought about doing more. Susan Pike was the person who encouraged me to do this! 

I attended my first conference online in 2021 and have presented at each one since. 

It was in 2022 when Emma Rawlings Smith suggested that I should think about the President's role, followed by Bob Digby. I had never even considered this was something I could do! I have tried to develop EDI within the GA.

The GA is integral to the education community – it is vital to have a body that can represent our subject at all levels and can provide support to all educators of geography – whatever stage they teach and whatever their experience.

I have learnt so much from Denise Freeman over the past year – she has been an inspiration in her passion for the role and I hope I can do it the same justice!

You can follow Hina on @RobboGeog

Images copyright: Hina Robinson / Geographical Association / Shaun Flannery

Dorothy Mary Preece

Preece was a teacher in Crewe. Always good to find out more about the women who helped shape the GA in the past. Always good when an old branch comes back to life...

She was a Geography Mistress at Crewe County Grammar School.

She wrote some books with H.R.B. Wood.

Source:

https://epdf.tips/complex-locations-rgs-ibg-book-series.html

If anyone has further information on D M Preece that would be appreciated as always.

2023: Denise Freeman

Denise Freeman will be the GA President for next year: 2023-24

Denise is another serving teacher President, which is rare but also a female state school teacher President, which is very rare indeed. I think she may be the first to be a secondary classroom teacher rather than in a leadership role.

Denise is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

I sent Denise the questions that I had given to all other Presidents and used them to create the post below. I'm grateful to Denise for the level of detail she provided.

When and where were you born? 

"I was born in May 1977, in Ipswich, Suffolk."

Where did you go to school / university?

"I grew up in Ipswich, having what can only be described as a very standard and uneventful childhood. I went to school in Ipswich, starting at Britannia Primary School, before moving onto Copleston High School and then Northgate High School to do my A Levels, where I was taught by Mr. Murray, who I'm still in touch with.

Mr. Murray of SLN and Geography Photos (GA Award-winner) fame it turns out.

I didn’t begin to show any great passion for geography until year 10. 

I had attempted to make a Plaster of Paris volcano with my Dad and it failed terribly (we found we had used some sort of paint rather than plaster). I was also well known for my terrible knowledge of where places were, something I am ribbed for to this day (I am much clearer on this now!)

Throughout Primary school and early on in Secondary school I had been very interested in History, particularly the Tudors and was most concerned that I wouldn’t get to study it at GCSE due to limited availability on the course. 

Then I went to the options talk for Geography, heard all about the Amazon Rainforest, and the rest (as they say) is history!

I was completely captivated by my geography teacher, Mr Moon and his almost lecture-style delivery (perhaps even geographical sermons) on consumerism, the planet and urban issues. 

Highlights for me, at school, were learning about Glasgow, urban models and visiting Milton Keynes. I loved learning about redevelopment and new towns. I also had Mr Moon for Sociology and found so many connections between the two subjects, and in particular my growing interest in urban geography. I could apply knowledge from sociology to my geographical studies e.g the cycle of poverty, the culture of poverty, race, class and gender. The focus on research methods in Sociology is really useful to help with fieldwork planning. Today, I find myself cross-referencing Sociology in my lessons a lot.

My Dad also played a key part in fostering my love for geography, taking me places, including Sheringham to do my A Level fieldwork! 

We still enjoy a good geographical discussion today, usually about energy and climate change."

Image: Denise's dad on a fieldwork trip to Sheringham

"I took three A Levels: English, Sociology and Geography. I also did AS Photography. I continue to make links between all my subjects, including taking endless photographs of the places I visit.

I went to the University of Reading to study for a BSc in Human Geography. 

I am still slightly amused (along with my Dad) that I have a BSc, as my Science and Maths are not always great. 

I made some poor module choices in my first year and often wish I could go back today, and do it again! I was so committed to my Human Geography (and terrified of Physical Geography) that I took all the Human modules I could, including those outside of the Geography department. This led me to a Law module, which I did terribly at! 

I regret this choice now and wish I had had the confidence to study more Geography in Year 1. Ironically, I now really enjoy teaching some Physical Geography topics and can of course see the interconnections between all areas of our discipline. 

There was a great module, about the representation of Place in films. I still regret not picking this!

At university my main areas of interest were Development Studies with Dr Sally Lloyd Evans and Tourism with Erlet Cater. I also enjoyed some Planning modules with Michael Breheny. A real highlight for me was a field trip to Glasgow, in which we visited some of the edge of city housing estates I had learned about at High School. We spent a day on one estate in the local community centre, interviewing people. I was captivated and Glasgow remains a top fieldwork destination for me and my students today.

I went on to complete my PGCE and an MA in Geography in Education, both at the Institute of Education, University of London. 

My PCGE year was a special time for me, with so many fires lit! 

I embraced both of my teaching practices and was inspired by those around me, including David Balderstone as my tutor, and later during my MA, Dr Claire Brooks and Dr Alun Morgan."


Tell us about your career to date:

"When I left University, I worked for a year for Eastern Power and Energy Trading, part of the Eastern Group (energy company). I worked in the accounting department (another ironic move for me). I had no idea what I wanted to do when ‘I grew up’! My Dad said I would make a good teacher but I scoffed at such a suggestion…

One day I visited a recruitment fayre in Islington. I got chatting to two Primary teachers on a teaching stand. Again, the rest is history.

I currently work as a geography teacher at Oaks Park High School in the London Borough of Redbridge, where I have been teaching since September 2003! 

Having previously been Head of Geography, Head of Humanities and ITT lead, I now have responsibility for our own bespoke ECF programme and I look after the many ECTs who complete it."

What theme did you choose when President, and why did you pick it? 

What had been your involvement with the GA leading up to that time, and since that time?

"I joined the Geographical Association when I was a trainee teacher in 1999. 

We were advised to join by UCL (Institute of Education), which was very good advice! Membership was free in this training year and I really made use of the support the organisation offered. I have very distinct memories of sitting in the staff room of my placement school with my first copy of Teaching Geography magazine open, fervently reading through looking for examples of classroom resources, teaching ideas and anything that helped me understand my new role as a teacher better. I can still picture some of the pages I read and the front cover (see below)

I could see real teachers doing what I was starting to love doing, and they had some great ideas and thoughts on good classroom practice. 

Of particular interest was an article by Susan Bermingham on ‘multiple Texts, alternative texts and multiple readings’. 

I was passionate about this topic at the time and remember devouring it all.

I should declare my training year was a great one and is a period that is clearly etched in my memory!

I attended the GA Conference frequently in the early years of my teaching career. I have very fond memories of going to Brighton with another teacher from my PGCE course: Caroline Kemp, and taking part in one of the field trips around the city. I also remember Alun Morgan and his giant Earth Balloon and taking part in a panel discussion in Derby, giving advice to NQTs.

Since this time, I have written a number of chapters for the GA Secondary Handbook and contributed to Teaching Geography magazine myself, most recently writing about supporting students with visual impairments in geography. I am also active in the geographical community, online and beyond, which the GA and its members are a key part of.

As part of the Presidential cycle, I have spent the past year as a Trustee for the GA, sitting on the Governing Body, something I have found to be great CPD for me and an enjoyable experience. I have also met so many interesting and inspiring people.

I am really enjoying planning the GA Conference for 2024 and am looking forward to the event."

What is your Presidential theme, and how did it develop?

"My chosen theme for the conference is ‘Geography for Everyone’. 

I chose this as I am really captivated by the idea that we all have our own geographical journeys and areas of interest. I am keen to hear about (and celebrate) all of these personal passions for Geography at the conference, but also to consider how our lived experience shapes our geographical interests and the way we see the world around us. I am also passionate about discussions around how we can make geography as inclusive and accessible to all (particularly in the classroom).

I have been very lucky over the past few years to collaborate with so many wonderful and inspiring people in the GA, including Past Presidents. I can’t even begin to list them all here but thanks to everyone in the GA for all their encouragement so far, on my journey.

After meeting at the GA Teachmeet in 2019, I have enjoyed ‘working’ with Dr. Susan Pike on many occasions including hosting an online session for our students and her trainees, leading a workshop at the recent Guildford conference and writing a chapter together for an upcoming publication. 

Denise in action in 2022 - Image copyright Shaun Flannery / Geographical Association

All of this arose from sharing our nerves in a packed room at the University of Manchester (although I am sure Susan was just being polite and wasn’t nervous at all)! 

I have future ideas for collaboration with Susan, as part of my Presidential year, she just doesn’t know it yet! 

In Manchester, I also met Kit Marie Rackley and the wonderful Bob Digby. Both have been very supportive of me, with Kit visiting and leading a session for my local East London teacher hub. Another great support over recent years has been Brendan Conway. Again, I met him in Manchester in 2019. Although we had chatted via Twitter, a face to face meeting was great and led to collaboration, including hosting a joint workshop at the 2023 Sheffield conference. Brendan has supported so many of my online hub events and answered many an IT question. 

In 2019, I also met Alan Parkinson face to face. Again, we had conversed online but it was great to meet in person. Alan's support for the GA and those undertaking roles in the Governing Body and as President is intensely valuable. It goes to show, so much can come out of attending the GA conference and making strong connections! 2019 was a great conference year for me!

Denise is announced as the GA President elect in 2022.

Image copyright: Shaun Flannery / Geographical Association

Finally, over the past year, I have worked with Professor Alastair Owens, supporting him in my role as Vice President. It has been such a pleasure to do this and we have made a great team and I now have a great ‘outside of work colleague’ that I can turn to for advice and guidance. Thanks Alastair. Can’t wait to grow the same relationship with Hina Robinson!"

Good luck to Denise in her role.

Denise's Presidential conference will take place from the 4th to the 6th of April 2024 at the University of Manchester. You can find out more here.

Most images provided by and copyright Denise Freeman unless otherwise captioned

As part of my @The_GA presidential year, I am heading out on tour! Myself & students from @OaksParkHighSch will be visiting schools & universities, advocating for geography, sharing lived experiences of place, and promoting geography for all. Watch this space for updates! https://t.co/pwB8fQj8AZ

— Denise Freeman 🌎🙋🏻‍♀️ (@geography_DAF) September 1, 2023

V C Spary

While writing other entries, e.g. the one for Leonard Brooks (1951 President), I was linked to the William Ellis School.

I found this image on their website - I taught in a room with a similar vibe early in my career, and my own school days were in a room with one of those globes in the corner, which tended to get stuck in position. There were also roller boards, and a raised dais at the front, and heavy dark wood furniture with moldings on the top. I like the addition of explorers names around the top of the walls.

The teacher shown here, wearing a Masters gown in 1939 is identified as V C Spary.

This room was apparently unchanged up to 1972.

He wrote a Junior Reader textbook, published in 1926

He was also connected with the GA for many years.

He organised meetings / conference related events in the 1920s and the 1930s.

Apparently the conference dinner organised by Mr and Mrs. Spary was a very popular social occasion at these events.

He also edited and wrote other books, and wrote book reviews for The Geographical Teacher.

Here's a mention in 1935 below:

“EDITORIAL.” The Geographical Teacher, vol. 13, no. 1, 1925, pp. 1–3. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40556432.

Also published in 1931:

Spary was also involved with the Tours committee. I have blogged separately about the wonderful (and very nicely priced) tours the GA ran across Europe for some years. These would have been to a Europe that has now disappeared and even then, changed after the First World War. Fascinating times!

Here's a mention from the journal 'Nature' in September 1925:

https://www.nature.com/articles/116414a0.pdf

Mr. E. E. Lupton gets another mention here.

Bob Digby on Coffee and Geography

Bob Digby was the GA President in 2012.

Here he is talking to Kit Rackley.

R J Unstead

While in the GA Archive I came across the manuscript of an appreciation of the work of A J Herbertson: a legend from the very origins of the GA, handwritten by R J Unstead.

R J Unstead was a connection with the early days of the GA as well, having been a teacher who was influenced by hearing Halford Mackinder speak. He wrote about Herbertson, and that was featured in a 1955 issue of 'Geography'.

Source:

UNSTEAD, J. F. “A. J. Herbertson and His Work.” Geography, vol. 50, no. 4, 1965, pp. 343–47. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40565958. Accessed 19 Aug. 2022.

Here is the piece as it featured in 'Geography', in a special issue devoted to A J Herbertson.

Here is the manuscript:

He wrote a great many books which were published during the middle part of the 20th Century.

His obituary was published in 'Geography' in 1966, and written by Olive Garnett.

Source

Garnett, Olive. “JOHN FREDERICK UNSTEAD.” Geography, vol. 51, no. 2, 1966, pp. 151–53. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40566076. Accessed 19 Aug. 2022.

I lack an image of R J Unstead if anyone has any memories or is able to provide one from the 1960s.

2021: Alan Parkinson (that's me...)

Updated June 2024

The final entry for the blog - at least for a while - is a post about me. 

I'm Head of Geography at King's Ely Prep, and also an author and consultant geographer. I'm a Chartered Geographer and Fellow of the RGS and RSGS.

For what I get up to, please visit, and subscribe to my main blog, which is called Living Geography, and follow the development of my Quotidian Geographies project during 2021.

I will also add other blog posts here from time to time through the following year, before the next President as I have the chance to go into the archives.

You can also follow the #POTGA21 hashtag during this year as well as #everydaygeographies.

I was born in the Listerdale Maternity Hospital, to the East of Rotherham in late December 1963. I lived in the village of Wickersley and went to Northfield Lane Infants and then Junior School before going on to Wickersley Comprehensive School. This was formerly Wickersley High School (many of our folders still had the old name) and also had ROSLA extensions after the raising of the school leaving age, and a classic 1970s construction. My journey to school involved walking over the blue bridge here, with distant views of the Peak District and Sheffield.

Image: Alan Parkinson

Miss Moon was my teacher in Year 8, then I had John Neale and Steve Hanstock amongst others. I still have my exercise books from that time. I moved to a house on the main Bawtry Road shown above during my secondary days. I got an 'A' in my 'O' level Geography, and stayed on to do 'A' levels at the school.

I was really interested in computers too, and our science teacher Doc Humphries had an Apple II computer in a locked-up trolley at the back of his lab. I used to stay behind one or two evenings a week after school and teach myself to programme the machine, and used magazines and books to find out more about how it worked. I took 'O' level Computer Science and ended up teaching GCSE and A level Computer Science as well as Geography for a while.

Taking Computer Science also meant that we would travel on an old double decker bus operated by Powell's coaches, and head for Dinnington College to actually access some computers - RM machines with green graphics on black screens, and machine coded. 

I did quite well in my 'A' levels, and the big success was Geography for me. My teacher was Steve Hanstock who was personable and a good teacher.

John Neale was another of my teachers, who it turned out worked with John Lyon, who later became a colleague at the GA.

Our notes were often banda duplicated, and had lots of information and diagrams and spaces to fill at GCSE, but as we got more into geography, we had more lecture-style lessons.
When I opened my 'A' level results in August 1982, I had the grades to head for either Lancaster University or Huddersfield Polytechnic, but chose the course which would be more practical and fieldwork based, and also physical geography based as that was my interest back then. I also had plans to return home more than once or twice a year and Huddersfield wasn't too far away from Rotherham.
As mentioned elsewhere on this blog, in entries describing Huddersfield and the connections with other GA members, it is clear that this was a good proving ground for some young lecturers including Tim Burt and David Butcher amongst others.
A few images of me emerged on a local Facebook page, and also another dedicated to those who 'survived Huddersfield Polytechnic'.

Image: Sally Stow. I'm the one in the yellow and black hat. I haven't changed a bit.

I graduated with a II, i and was not sure what to do with myself.

Teaching was an option as my mother was a lecturer at the time at Dinnington College of Further Education. I took a Computer Science 'A' level at Rotherham College of Arts and Technology, which involved learning other computer languages and gave me the time to read, and play a lot of golf. 

I went for several interviews for PGCE courses, and was eventually accepted at the University of Hull by Vincent Tidswell, who was in his final year as PGCE tutor. He appears on this blog of course as I later found out he was involved with the GA and wrote a number of influential books.

After finishing the course, I eventually found work. The first school I actually earned money from teaching in was Kimberworth Park in Rotherham - now demolished and famous for being the school where former England goalkeeper David Seaman. Ironically, I now teach at the school where Nick Pope - an England goalkeeper in the last year - was taught.

Here's the 'fun' biography I put on GeographyPages in 2006. It's a little out of date now of course, but includes some interesting snippets. Geography Pages was my website I started creating in 2001, and which became one of the most popular websites of the time (as one of the few websites of the time) gaining millions of page views a year (and costing me a lot of money to maintain)

Born on a sheer mountain side in South Yorkshire in the early 1960's during a blizzard, Mister P was educated at the local 'comp' and enjoyed moderate success (9 'O' & 5 'A' levels) before moving on to Huddersfield Polytechnic (when polys were polys) and spent the next 3 years pushing the Atterberg limits, enjoying the mid-1980's price of beer, checking tensiometer readings at Bicknoller, criss-crossing the Pennines in a land rover with a radioactive soil moisture probe.

He has taught at various schools in Derbyshire (the good old Amber valley), East and South Yorkshire, and at  King Edward VII School: a specialist Sports College, in King's Lynn, Norfolk where he is Head of Geography, and edits the school newsletter, amongst other things. In his time at the school he has overseen the introduction of the Geography National Curriculum, run the Duke of Edinburgh's Award group, been Activities Coordinator, Deputy Head of House, and for a year was acting Examinations Officer. 

A founder member of the sadly-missed Boiled Onions Climbing Club, he enjoys foreign and UK travel, hill-walking when he gets the chance, landscape photography, obscure travel literature, Scandinavian Jazz, open fires, a good tight end in a game of bowls, beachcombing on the North Norfolk coast and fine malt whiskies. The Old Hunstanton side he plays for won the Countryside League Knockout cup in 2005.

He completed a DfES Best Practice research scholarship on the use of ICT, particularly the Internet in improving the quality of teaching in Geography (2002) which is published online and has been referred to by other academic researchers, and also completed an Online course on Climate Change run by the University of East Anglia. He is an ICT consultant to 'silver surfers' in the North Norfolk area. He is also involved in various web-based interests, including 'Evaluate' (his software evaluations are featured on the website and have been published in 'The Guardian' as have contributions to 'Brainstrust')

In November 2003 he was awarded a Royal Geographical Society Innovative Geography Teaching Grant to develop the GEO BLOGS project. Blogs have come on substantially since 2003 and are now almost so mainstream that they are commonplace, but it was good to get in there at the start.

In May 2004 he was invited to join the Geographical Association's Secondary Education Committee (now Secondary Phase Committee). He had an article published in the October 2004 issue of 'Teaching Geography', and was an E:port representative of the DfES/Evaluate/Schoolzone at DfES ICT in Geography roadshow and BETT 2005 and 2006. He has also been a contributing author to GeoProjects  (http://www.geoprojects.co.uk) and has also done consultancy and writing work for Hodder and Pearson and 3 or 4 other publishers. He was Editorial consultant on the new Longman School Atlas, which was published in April 2006, and has also contributed to ideas and materials for the new BBC Digital Curriculum.

He has delivered ICT workshops at numerous Norfolk Geography conferences, and network meetings, and has also presented at the GA Conference, and the SAGT Conference in 2005, and will be once again in 2006. In August 2005, he became a Teacher Consultant for the Geographical Association, and is currently doing 'various consultancy-type-things...'

In October 2005 he was awarded a second Royal Geographical Society Innovative Geography Teaching Grant to develop the EARTH: A Users' Guide project. He'd appreciate it if you got involved.

2006 contributions to the milieu include: contributions to Brainstrust / Evaluate publication, Longman School Atlas published, article published in Pilot News, guest edited WebWatch section of GA News for May 2006 and invited to join the editorial committee of GA Magazine, teacher notes and curriculum maps produced for the RGS-IBG Discovering Antarctica website (launched June 2006), best of the web feature for Teachers TV (coming in September), contributions to working groups in Norfolk on SEN and Pilot GCSE. He is also involved in further Pilot GCSE developments to be announced shortly as part of the Action Plan for Geography. In 2006 he was awarded a 'Norfolk Geogers' award for contributions to Norfolk Geography. 

Image: showing the KES fleeces we used to wear for a while... taken around 2006.

In early 2008, I saw an ad for a post at the Geographical Association, and put in a speculative application for what was going to be my 'perfect' job, despite having a bit of 'imposter syndrome' about being up to a national role.

This was a good year, as I was also awarded the Ordnance Survey Award for Excellence in Secondary Geography Teaching by the RGS-IBG. Here I am prior to all that, and prior to the interview, presenting at the GA Conference as part of the authoring team for the new KS3 toolkit series.

In 2010, we published the first of the Mission:Explore books, written by the Geography Collective, which started with a conversation between Daniel Raven Ellison and myself. I am very proud of the work we completed together, with other members of the Geography Collective, and latterly with Helen Leigh and Tom Morgan-Jones.

Here's the motherlode: the 500+ missions that we wrote as a team, and then asked young people to select so that Tom Morgan Jones could do the inking.

Chatting to Anne Robertson of EDINA, with whom I've worked for quite a few years now.

In 2011, my job was sadly made redundant as a result of financial fallout from the end of the Action Plan for Geography.

I put out an appeal for help.

This led to two years of freelance work, with plenty of ERASMUS thrown in.

In 2013 I received a nice email from Mike Robinson, the Chief Executive of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, explaining that I had been awarded the RSGS's Joy Tivy Education Medal and Honorary Fellowship - a great honour.

I also received an email from Claire Kyndt of King's Ely. This resulted in me returning to the classroom for a second stint, where I remain to the present day.

In 2017, I got an email suggesting that I might make a good President, and asking whether I would put myself forward. I duly did, and the rest is... geography.

My Presidential theme is 'Everyday Geographies' or 'Quotidian Geographies'.

There are a great many people I haven't mentioned here who I owe a great debt too... these will be mentioned in future posts in the year ahead, and also in my Presidential lecture.

References

I have written, co-written or contributed to over 30 books, including KS3, GCSE, Fieldwork and A level textbooks, children's books, adventure books and eBooks.

Charney 20th Anniversary book, edited by Simon Catling - has a chapter called 'You can take the boy out of Yorkshire' which included a sort of autobiography as well - I think on hindsight that's one of the better shorter things that I've written.

Why not buy at least one copy of my book 'Why Study Geography'? - it's excellent.

Full biography on my About.me page.

Updates

I'm always creating and sharing resources.

Currently working on the Oak National Primary project as a writer and reviewer through into 2025...

Updated June 2024

On the 3rd of June, I was elected as the Vice President: Education of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) for the next 4 years.

I am proud to be continuing the tradition of GA Presidents being associated with the RGS-IBG in many different ways, going back to Freshfield. I am looking forward to supporting the work of the RGS-IBG in supporting geography educators.