What is the Geographical Association?

The Geographical Association (GA) is the leading subject association for teachers of geography. As a registered charity our mission is to ‘further geographical knowledge and understanding through education’. The Association is a lively community of practice with over a century of innovation behind it and an unrivalled understanding of geography teaching.

What does the GA do?

The GA supports geography education by providing a specialist community of practice for teachers to share ideas with one another. We support teachers’ professional needs through our journals, publications, training courses, Annual Conference, Quality Marks, teaching resources, social media activity and a variety of local and national network activities, including face-to-face and virtual networking.

The GA also represents the views of geography teachers and demonstrates the value of geographical education more widely, for example through our Manifesto for geography. We advocate for geography teachers with government and others, and our strategic vision is to be ‘the trusted voice for geography in education’.

Who are the GA’s members?

The GA has several thousand personal and institutional memberships. These include primary and secondary geography teachers, trainee teachers, teacher educators, academics, geography undergraduates, infant, primary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, libraries, societies, museums and businesses. Despite being a UK based organisation, we have members in more than 60 countries and strong links with geographical organisations around the world. Join the GA here.

Who runs the GA?

The GA is a membership organisation. Our activities are often driven by members, many of whom freely volunteer their time and expertise in support of the GA. The GA is overseen by its Governing Body and advised on educational matters by its Education Group.

• Governing Body – has overall responsibility for the GA and its current and future well-being. The Governing Body is responsible for the stewardship of the GA in accordance with the law and the GA’s charitable objectives.
• Education Group – formulates the educational policy of the GA and oversees its Early Years/Primary, Secondary and Post 16/HE Phase Committees, along with its Special Interest Groups and Communications Boards.

The GA has a dedicated body of professional staff, based at headquarters, which runs the day-to-day operation of the Association under the leadership of its Chief Executive. The Association also benefits from the guidance of our Honorary Vice Presidents.

Where is the GA based?

The GA owns its headquarters building in Sheffield, but affiliated Branches of the GA are widely distributed across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. GA Conference rotates annually between venues in the North, Midlands and South of England.

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