It’s just about been a week or so since I came back from the Geographical Association Annual Conference in Oxford, and I thought I’d share some reflections.

First of all, congratulations to Hina Robinson and Steve Brace and the whole events team for a great conference, with a brilliant theme. I thought the Brookes venue was really lovely – the foyer for the exhibition was spectacular, and it was great to see so many people coming along and feeling that energy. It felt like the theme of collaborative geographies was evident amongst the attendees – I felt like I had a lot of conversations over the two days I was there. It was brilliant to have all of Teach First Team Geography in attendance, and being able to share thoughts, reflection and learning with colleagues and friends made it so much better.

Although Krys McInnis couldn’t make it for our session, I was delighted to be able to share a virtual stage with the wonderful storyteller, human and geographer, Alistair Hamill. Between us, we explored some of the narratives that we’ve shared from the writing we are doing, and considered how we bring new readers and non-specialists in to geography’s stories – even if they join us on Chapter 25, rather than from the first page. Thank you to those who chose to come and hear from us – even towards the end of Thursday, amidst a range of exceptional sessions!

Last year, I was very conscious of so many sessions going on, and the range of the experiences that people were having. This year, I had a lot of collaborative and reflective sessions, and a significant number of sustainability, climate action and curriculum conversations. It feels like we are at ‘a moment’ in a number of spaces – with the Francis Review, the sustainability strategy refresh and implementation for September, and the wider discussions about what all of that might mean for assessment and what it means for geography.

Dr Emma Rawlings Smith delivered a brilliant Rex Walford Lecture on what constitutes excellent geography in such uncertain times, and I thought her capturing of the landscape, the challenges and the opportunities for the GA and geographers was exceptional. I don’t think I’ve taken as many notes since I was back at university, many decades ago!

Elsewhere, I enjoyed spending time thinking with colleagues about physical geography, Cambridge assessment, supporting students in under-served communities, and many more besides. Hearing from Pearson colleagues about potential curriculum thoughts, and from the Geographical Association about their reflections on diversity really made me reflect on the moment we are in, and what we might choose to do next – as a subject, as a profession, and as a subject association and community of practice. I’ll be taking time to consider my responses to the GA’s strategy consultation, because I think there’s a lot to reflect on for us.

Of course, the curriculum conversations sit amongst the wider positions of the sustainability landscape and review, and it was inspiring to hear from Juanita Shepherd of the DfE, and explore where the work and policy is at now, and where it can go. That was followed by the always-amazing Kit Rackley and some Climate Ambassador friends (feat. that man Alistair Hamill again), with a thoughtful and practical workshop about making use of the Climate Ambassador scheme to meet the expectations of the Climate Action Plan work. As a current Ambassador, I’m excited to be part of this thousand strong community helping schools, and I’m always thrilled to see others and learn from what we can share.

As ever, I come away from Conference a little nostalgic but very inspired. I love that sense of being part of a brilliant community, powered by tea, kindness and great ideas – and I’m grateful to those who I was privileged to be able to chat to, learn from, and spend time with.