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Quality and high standards are important goals in education, but what do we mean by them? For over 30 years Ofsted (and its equivalents in the other UK nations) has monitored and largely defined standards in geography. The new GA Research Report, Standards in school geography, 1991–2023, written by John Hopkin, investigates for the first time how standards have changed over this period.
It analyses evidence from Ofsted reports and other sources to explore standards in the geography curriculum, teaching, achievement and leadership. The report identifies changes in standards over time, including:
- periods when school geography was flourishing and standards were improving, as well as other times when the subject was under widespread pressure in particular key stages
- notable strengths in managing the curriculum, high-quality teaching and positive achievement in many schools across key stages 1 to 4. Between 2000 and 2025 alone, over 6 million students in England, Northern Ireland and Wales sat a GCSE geography exam
- a number of weaknesses, some enduring through the period, including the systematic study of contemporary places, the development and use of geographical skills to investigate the world, and opportunities to engage with fieldwork, ICT and, in secondary schools, GIS.
The report argues that these weaknesses result in some students missing out on important aspects of a high-quality geography education. Some persist since before the introduction of the National Curriculum, suggesting they are deep-seated in school geography. Looking forward, while this analysis might inform the current curriculum review, the report argues that strengthening standards is a challenge for the whole profession to address.
