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The Geographical Association is the subject community for geography, supporting teachers, championing high‑quality geographical education, and promoting the value of geography.
What is the Geographical Association?
The Geographical Association (GA) is the subject association for teachers of geography.
Our members and volunteers are at the heart of our Association – a diverse, inclusive community of individuals who work together to create positive change for the world of geography teaching.
As a registered charity our mission is to ‘further geographical knowledge and understanding through education’.
As a charity, the GA is fortunate to have members who have generously supported our work through their memberships, donations and legacies. Find out how to donate here.
The Association is a lively community of professional practice with over a century of innovation behind it and an unrivalled understanding of geography teaching.
GA membership gives you valuable support as we prepare for curriculum change. Join now to stay informed and up to date.
What does the GA do?
The GA supports high-quality geography education by enabling teachers of geography to share ideas and learn from one another. We support teachers’ professional needs by:
- publishing geography education titles, professional journals, teaching resources, authoritative guidance and a website for young geographers
- running professional development conferences and events, local networks, curriculum projects and accreditation for schools and teachers
- advocating for geography and leading public debate around geography education.
Our members
Who are the GA’s members?
The GA has several thousand personal and institutional memberships. These include primary and secondary teachers, trainee teachers, teacher educators, academics, geography undergraduates, infant, primary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, libraries, societies, museums and businesses.
We are a UK based organisation, but we have members in more than 60 countries and strong links with geographical organisations around the world.
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 Board of Trustees and our educational activities are supported by volunteers from the GA Education Group.
The GA’s professional staff, based at headquarters, run the day-to-day operation of the Association under the leadership of the Chief Executive. The Association also benefits from the guidance of our Honorary Vice Presidents.
Where is the GA based?
The GA has a 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.
Find out more
Strategic Plan 2026-31
More than ever, young people need to be geographically literate in order to respond positively to a world of changing challenges and opportunities.
They face a world of increasing socio-economic, geopolitical and environmental complexity and change. Pupils starting school in 2026 will be approaching their thirties by 2050, which is when the UK aims to reach net zero carbon emissions.
To respond positively to these challenges and opportunities young people need secure and up-to-date understanding about the world’s people, places and environments. This will help them better understand their world and help them successfully live within it.
The Geographical Association’s (GA) strategy for 2026–31 responds to these challenges.
We will focus on three areas of priority:
- Firstly, advocating for the value of geography.
- Secondly, supporting teachers.
- And thirdly, supporting the next generation of geographers as they move from school into further study, training and their careers.
This work is vital at a time of curriculum change, which is placed centrally in our strategy.
In response to the curriculum review, the GA has already advocated strongly for geography and has been selected by the Department for Education as the Curriculum Expert to help draft a new curriculum. In addition, over 1000 teachers have shared their views with the GA in terms of their current awareness of, and preparedness for, curriculum change. Primary and secondary teachers are now looking to the GA to help them understand the implications of the curriculum review and to support them to prepare for implementing the new curriculum.
The GA is already well placed to provide greater support for teachers and their pupils. Yet the impact of this will be stronger through our partnerships with teachers, pupils, geography’s wider subject community and other key partners.
We welcome your support and engagement with our new strategy. We look forward to working with you so that more young people can experience the positive benefits of studying geography.
GA governing documents
The GA is a registered charity (number 1135148). We were an unincorporated association from our formation in 1893 until 2010, when we purchased our own headquarters building and were incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee (company number 07139068).
The GA Articles of Association and By-Laws are the governing documents of the Association. They act as our ‘rule books’, setting out our charitable purposes (‘objects’), activities we are permitted to undertake to carry out our purposes, who runs the GA and who can be a member, as well as how meetings will be held and trustees appointed etc.
The GA also operates in accordance with its own policies on matters such as equal opportunities and sustainability. Key policy documents are available to view in this section.
