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.
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| 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.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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Denise, Catherine, Hina and Fiona - the Presidential team |
