This was one of the most visited geography websites in the world for a while... when there weren't many out there...
As it happens, in 2013, I decided I wasn't going to update it further and move to concentrate on my blogs - particularly this one.
The latest books is about bringing powerful knowledge into the classroom.
The geography chapter has been written by Dr. Alex Standish. It explores the curriculum thinking of two heads of department, who consider how knowledge is explored in their classrooms.
It's a fairly short chapter and is worth a read.
Applications are now open to be a Fawcett Fellow for 2026-27.
I was a Fawcett Fellow in 2022-23. There is funding for a year of meetings with other teachers - discussions and writing and further research.
You can find out more details here.
Fiona Sheriff has written about her time as a Fawcett Fellow, and if you search for that term here on LivingGeography you'll find what I have written about it on the blog.
Last year, I was the Series Editor of a new book published by Collins for the Cambridge iGCSE Geography syllabus (0460).
This was for the newly updated version of the syllabus, which put the content back into Human and Physical Geography examinations and changed the nature of the skills element of the assessment.
I ensured that there were new contexts and case studies which were not the 'usual' ones. I am very pleased with how it turned out.
The book is accompanied by a Workbook and a Teacher Guide to help explain how to teach the course.
My own school offers the iGCSE Geography, and my colleague Matt Norbury was very useful when scoping out the book's structure, and my colleague Claire Kyndt was one of the authoring team.
Please take a look at the book if you are teaching this specification - there are a lot of people who do in countries across the world, and this is worth adopting for your classroom. Why not buy a copy to see whether it's a good fit for your school?
Regular readers will know that I have been involved with ERASMUS projects for many years. These have included the DigitalEarth project - a huge undertaking involving meetings across Europe, the GeoCapabilities project, I-USE, D3, GI Learner and GI Pedagogy. Search the blog using the name of the project to find out more about them.
Two of these projects involved my current school, and my MFL and ICT colleagues were also involved in gaining funding for their projects as well.
I am currently involved with the EMO-GI project, as recent posts have shown - keep an eye on the project as it develops over the coming two years. I've been blogging about the progress so far. This is an interesting project with some ambitious outputs.
The British Council will be administering the ERASMUS+ funding on behalf of the UK as they did before we made the decision to leave the EU.
If you do sign up, you'll receive this message:
As the UK’s National Agency, the British Council will work with partners across education, youth and sport to deliver inclusive, high-quality opportunities for learners and professionals from all backgrounds.I've previously posted about the 20th anniversary of Teachmeet this year.
Danny Nicholson is organising a special online Teachmeet on the 3rd of July.
Sign up to present - for a 2 or 7 minute slot. The names will be chosen at random for this.
Sign up to watch the Teachmeet here.
This is actually the first day of my summer break, so will be a nice way to end the term by picking up lots of ideas from those who are chosen to present.
IAPS National Geography Conference
A new forthcoming unit written by Kit Marie Rackley is part of a new project by Mary Myatt.
Mary is a consultant and speaker and wrote the book 'The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to coherence'. Details here in a video - subscription is required to view some of the resources, but some are free to access.
Login to see these resources, although not all of the download links seems to work.
They can be read online at the moment...
"It is fundamental that we support the effective teaching of geography in schools, building confidence when using interactive mapping tools, and fostering critical technical skills to grow our future geographers. We are delighted to announce the extension of Digimap for Schools to those with the greatest need in England, Scotland, and Wales. We encourage headteachers to take advantage of this offer and introduce Digimap for Schools into their classrooms this year."Nick Bolton, Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey
“Geography plays an important role in helping young people understand the world around them. Our members tell us that digital tools like Digimap for Schools are invaluable for geography teachers to enrich the curriculum learning experience and put data analysis directly into the hands of pupils. We welcome this initiative for schools in deprived areas, as well as the expansion into Scotland and Wales, and encourage all eligible schools to sign-up."Steve Brace, Chief Executive of the Geographical Association
One of the most inspiring events in 2026 will be the latest running of Practical Pedagogies. This is returning to where it started: the International School of Toulouse and is once again being organised by Russel Tarr. I’ve presented at every one so far. Unfortunately, this is in term time for me, so I won’t be able to attend, but it comes highly recommended if you can make it there - cheap flights are available from the UK to Toulouse airport.
Here’s Russ’s Call for Sessions, which is NOW OPEN! I’m delighted to announce the launch of Practical Pedagogies 2026 and warmly invite new, early-career, and experienced educators to submit session proposals focused on:
✔️ Resources and strategies that work in real classrooms
✔️ Practical approaches you’ve refined — even if you’re still refining them
✔️ Honest reflections on teaching, learning, and leadership
🗓️ Practical Pedagogies 2026 — BY teachers, FOR teachers
📍 International School of Toulouse, France
📅 Thursday 15 & Friday 16 October 2026
🎤 Keynote address by Ian Gilbert, internationally renowned educator on creativity and curiosity
🔗 Website: www.pracped.net
👉 New to presenting? You are absolutely welcome.
👉 Experienced presenter or subject expert? We’d love to learn from you too.
Submit a session proposal at www.pracped.net before the end of January.
The price will rise in the New Year, so secure yours now.
And you'll have a chance to see a double-act with me and Matt Podbury - worth the price alone! See you in Sheffield!
The first Geography Southeast teacher conference on Monday 29th June 2026 at Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey in conjunction with Geography Southwest.
Free entry to teachers.
This event will tap into key themes and skills in the geography curriculum, through keynote lectures, a selection of exciting and informative workshops and a room full of exhibitors, including publishers, exam boards and travel companies.The major event for RGS members and others in the East of England is also coming up in a few weeks’ time. I serve on the committee for this RGS local group and we organise lectures and talks through the course of the year.
On Wednesday December 10th, we are very pleased to say that the current Royal Geographical Society President: Professor Dame Jane Francis will be addressing our RGS East annual event on the topic of ‘On Thin Ice, a Life in the Antarctic’.
The event will be held at Norwich School at the Refectory - a more spacious venue just round the corner from the Blake Studio where the sessions are normally held, with the same free parking.
Doors will open at 7.00 with mulled wine awaiting you. Dame Jane’s talk will start at 7.30 and there will be more wine / soft drinks and plenty of delicious ‘finger food’ after her talk.
Dame Jane Francis will be talking about her own life in polar research while also covering the cutting-edge research now being done in Cambridge, including the threat to the Antarctic ice shelf, a major potential climate change tipping point. This work is both fascinating and vitally important. Jane Francis is Director of British Antarctic Survey. In 2017 she was appointed Dame (DCMG) in recognition of services to UK polar science and diplomacy. She became Chancellor of the University of Leeds in 2018, and was elected President of the Royal Geographical Society in 2024. She also serves on the European Polar Board and co-chairs the Atlantic Treaty’s Working Group on Science and Operations. Her own research focuses on understanding past climate change during both greenhouse and icehouse periods, particularly in the polar regions, the areas on Earth most sensitive to climate change.
There is a charge of £12 for non-RGS members, and £8 for members.
If you haven’t already registered and wish to join us, please register in good time at www.rgs.org/events.
Please also encourage young people to come - and be inspired by Jane Francis’s remarkable life in the coldest areas of the planet.
I shall see you there - probably serving mulled wine and taking some photos...
It will be hosted at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Claire Brown is organising another RGS Teachmeet for geography teachers in February 2026.
There are 6 slots available for an 8 minute talk on a topic of your choice.
Claire says:
"I'd really like to open this speaker opportunity up to teachers of geography who are perhaps new to the profession, or have been teaching a while but have never shared with others via CPD like this. Why not give it a go?"We finally have the outcome of the Curriculum and Assessment Review with the publication of the final report today. Many thousands of educators have been waiting for months.
In July 2024, the government commissioned Professor Becky Francis CBE to convene and chair a panel of experts to conduct the Curriculum and Assessment Review.The report has taken on board the many consultation responses from individuals and organisations.
These are available in a summary document which is separate to the main final report - this is also worth looking at.
The RGS's original response to the call for consultation is here. It was referenced in the final report, along with the GA's, and reports from UCL's Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education.
The report has been almost a year in the making, and runs to 197 pages.
The recommendations for Geography are as follows:
We recommend that the Government:
Makes minor refinements to the Geography Programmes of Study and GCSE subject content to respond to the issues identified, including by:
• Refining content to support progression better to further study, deepen children and young people’s understanding of key geographical concepts, make content more relevant and inclusive, and remove unnecessary repetition across topics.
• Embedding disciplinary knowledge more explicitly at Key Stage 3, such as geographical enquiry, spatial reasoning, use of digital tools, human geography and use of evidence, to ensure all children and young people have access to high-quality geographical education.
• Clarifying and reinforcing requirements for fieldwork to demonstrate its role more effectively in supporting content and the developing of disciplinary knowledge, ensuring changes remain proportionate and inclusive.
Embeds climate change and sustainability more explicitly across different key stages, including across the physical geography, geographical applications and human geography sections of the curriculum, ensuring early, coherent, and more detailed engagement with climate education. This should be done without risking curriculum overload.
There is also an element of media literacy here for climate change education in particular, where there is a lot of misinformation and disinformation. There is a need for pupils to be aware of AI and its value and issues.
There is also mention of the need for diversity and for all students to "see themselves in the curriculum" - something which I was particularly keen to see.
And these will ultimately form part of changes to the national curriculum (will this be compulsory for all schools?) and GCSE subject criteria. These will be consulted on again and no changes will happen before 2028 in any case.
On the purpose of the review itself:
National curriculum content must be kept up to date, fit for purpose and reflective of the needs of wider society. Periodic holistic reviews of the national curriculum are therefore essential for ensuring these aims are achieved, as well as for maintaining overall curriculum coherence. Reviews are also a valuable mechanism for addressing curriculum shape in the round. Reviews can evaluate whether the breadth and depth of different subjects and their content remains appropriate, as well as determining the overarching aims of schooling and the time needed for the different activities required to meet these aims. Reviews can also address the build-up of content in particular areas to ensure that the curriculum remains deliverable for teachers and ambitious for students.
The Oak National Academy is also mentioned as being further involved in the development of curriculum materials which are up to date.
We agree with the Review that the national curriculum and the resources that support it, should reflect our modern society and diverse communities. Our aim is for the curriculum to be both a mirror, in which every child can see themselves and their communities reflected, and a window through which every child is connected to the world beyond their existing horizons and perspectives
"We will follow the curriculum principles of coherence, subject mastery and depth – making sure that programmes of study and subject content are grounded in relevant and important knowledge and disciplinary skills."
There will also be a fully digital and easily navigable version of the national curriculum - we will create a rich, connected online version of the curriculum which visually represents the links within and between subject areas and gives connections to prior learning, helping teachers to contextualise learning across traditional subject boundaries in the classroom.
As the Review recommends, we intend to retain a single national curriculum which serves as a core entitlement which every pupil can access. We are legislating through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill so that academies will be required to teach the refreshed national curriculum alongside maintained schools. This will ensure that parents and carers have certainty over the core concepts in their child’s education and that there is a floor beneath which this cannot slip. The national curriculum is not the entire curriculum but an underpinning of what every child is entitled to know, which schools build on locally. Schools will continue to remain responsible for deciding how their school curriculum brings those core concepts to life in their choices of historical events, physical and human geography, and novels, for example. This will allow them to create dynamic learning environments where pupils can flourish.
"Music excites when it is performed" - Benjamin Britten
Via Martin's page on LinkedIn.
Martin is a Disaster Risk Lecturer at the University of Manchester. He works at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI)
I have been preparing and developing case study resources for secondary school teachers and students on the subject of hazards / disaster management to bridge the gap between secondary and higher education.
