Action Plan for Geography

Today geography retains its position in the ‘top ten’ of subjects studied at GCSE and A Level. Prior to the Action Plan for Geography (APG) the subject had faced a significant decline in English schools. The number of young people choosing to take GCSE or A Levels in the subject had fallen consistently for a number of years and Ofsted had reported on the need to improve standards and teachers’ subject knowledge. In many schools the positive and important contribution that geography can make to a young person’s education was being eroded.

In 2005, this was recognised by the then Secretary of State at the Department for Education, Charles Clarke MP, who responded to a request 1 to establish a Geography Focus Group to review the challenges to Geography and identify how they could be addressed. The focus group brought together senior academics, business leaders, media figures, head teachers and teachers; as well as senior staff from the Royal Geographical Society (with Institute of British Geographers) (RGS-IBG) and the Geographical Association (GA). After 18 months work, the focus group identified the necessity of a specific subject disciplinary initiative in geography to ‘boost teaching and learning’ and to address:

• continuing professional development (CPD) and initial teacher training
• the wider educational purpose and themes of geography
• curriculum development
• fieldwork
• networks and links between teachers
• public engagement, demonstrating the value of geography in further study and careers to young people, parents and the public.

At the request of Lord Adonis, the Schools Minister of the time, in 2006 the RGS-IBG and GA jointly presented a proposal to the DfES for the Action Plan for Geography 2006-2008. The aim was to ensure that a clear vision for geography’s educational potential is understood by all, including the subject teaching community and educational policy makers at all levels, and that teaching professionals were enabled and equipped to realise this potential with pupils and to engage them with geography in an enjoyable way that they value.

This was the first ever subject specific initiative focused on geography of this scale and the resulting Action Plan for Geography (APG) was led jointly and equally by the GA and the RGS-IBG. It was funded by the DfES initially for two years, 2006-08. After a second tender process funding was extended by the Department for Children, Families and Schools from 2008 to March 2011; from May 2010 this funding was provided by the Department for Education. The combined budget of the APG (2006-2011) was £3.8 million.

View the Action Plan for Geography evaluation report