GA Annual Conference 2026

This tour explores Sheffield’s industrial past and post-industrial future through the lens of alcohol in the ‘regenerated’ district of Kelham Island. Sometimes celebrated as a sympathetic restoration alive with independent breweries and bars, yet other times viewed contentiously, this tour will visit popular, overlooked and newly opened places throughout the neighbourhood, showcasing the unique relationship between alcohol and Sheffield’s urban development.  

Start and end point
Meet at the Don Brewery signage on Green Lane/Penistone Road junction (dared.bills.scans) near to the Shalesmoor/Kelham Island tram stop. The tour will also finish at this point, though participants may wish to leave earlier along the way to sample Kelham Island’s food and drink hotspots.

Length of the tour
The tour will last for approximately 2-3 hours. There will be opportunities to stop for a ‘swift half’ or other drinks and toilet breaks. Kelham Island has numerous outlets if participants want to eat after.

Accessibility
Kelham Island is a flat part of Sheffield and very accessible. Some parts of the route have cobbled surfaces but these are easy to navigate around. The nearest tram stop, Shalesmoor, is on the same tram line as Sheffield railway station and the Sheffield College where the Conference is being held.

This field visit will explore ways of making human geography fieldwork more interesting by using non-traditional methods. Using Sheffield city centre as an example, we will trial field methods that help investigate current ideas around how urban spaces should be used and developed. These will focus on exploring urban design, green space and art.

Please note:
- The field visit starts and ends at Sheffield College: ///doctor.panic.edit
- Transport is not required. It is a 20-minute walk to the furthest destination with stops along the way.
- The trip should take around two hours. There are no scheduled breaks but participants could get refreshments during tasks.
- There are no known accessibility issues on the route.

This field trip will model good practice in fieldwork, demonstrating the potential of any locality for stimulating geographical investigations in the Early Years and primary phases. We will use the surroundings to promote thinking outdoors and to develop participants' awareness of how quickly you can start to see geography. What are the issues we encounter, consider and develop a deeper appreciation of? 
 

This practical fieldwork session will demonstrate ideas for issues-based fieldwork enquiries that can be done in almost any area local to your school or college. It will showcase a variety of data collection techniques that ensure fieldwork has a strong sense of purpose and outcomes and is an experience that leaves your students engaged, empowered and mindful of the complexity of real-world decision-making.

We will meet outside the reception entrance to the College at w3w///universally.office.quest. The session will involve some walking on slopes which are ocassionally steep. Please be assured that the pace will be suitable for everyone. Halfway through the session there is an opportunity to return to the College should anyone wish to, but the whole session is a circular route to and from the main College building lasting around 2 hours. If you have one, a clipboard, or something to lean on, may be useful.

This tour takes in some of Sheffield's key historical sights, giving participants a sense of the progression from market town to industrial powerhouse to post-industrial city. The tour leader is a social scientist of water whose interest in the contemporary management of water has led her to a ‘skilled amateur’ knowledge of Sheffield history.

Start point: liner.short.stared (outside the City Hall)
End point: Hush.tennis.fonts (at the Sheffield Tap)

Please note: There are steps and hills on this route. While most of the route has gentle gradients, the climb to the cholera monument is steep. Participants can opt out of this section if they prefer and proceed straight to the Sheffield Tap.

Fieldwork is more than a curriculum requirement - it’s a powerful way to make geography real, relevant, and memorable for students. In this session, we’ll explore how hands-on experiences outside the classroom deepen understanding, spark curiosity, and build essential skills for life.

In an age of smartphones, social media and rising anxiety, fieldtrips offer more than curriculum delivery - they're also a chance to pause, connect and grow. This workshop will share practical ways to embed mindfulness, nature connection and reflective practice into busy trips, helping students to recognise the interpersonal and critical thinking skills shaped through geographical experience.

Developing students' abilities in core skills such as quantitative data processing, qualitative observations and questioning will enhance their fieldwork investigations as well as make a difference to how they approach other geographical subject areas. This session will focus on creative strategies for introducing and enhancing these kinds of skills before, during and after fieldwork experiences.

Discover simple, effective fieldwork ideas to explore the vital role of green space in health, wellbeing and sustainability. This session shares practical strategies to investigate the accessibility, quality and value of green spaces in your local area. You will leave with activities that help students see why access to green space matters and connect geography to their everyday lives.

The National Education Nature Park empowers young people to improve school sites for people and wildlife, through geographically informed decision-making. Learners collect data for the Nature Park Map (an ArcGIS tool), guiding site improvements and contributing to groundbreaking research with the Natural History Museum. Discover how the programme builds core geographical skills and drives real change, and discuss context-specific implementation.

By incorporating drones as tools for monitoring and surveying the world, we empower students to explore Earth from new perspectives, develop problem-solving skills and understand the importance of conservation and sustainability. Through hands-on experiences, they also strengthen their ability to communicate, collaborate, harness technology and care for each other while working to protect the planet. This session will demonstrate hands-on drone activities to engage students and support problem-solving, and share practical strategies for integrating drones into geography lessons. Participants will gain ideas to enhance fieldwork and connect lessons to real-world applications by integrating drones.

Connection to nature has received renewed importance through its inclusion as a policy aim within the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy. It has been shown to have a wealth of benefits for students' wellbeing, and has potential to influence the development of pro-environmental behaviours. This session explores student perceptions of connection to nature before and after a geography fieldwork activity. The research indicates that students’ perceptions can be influenced over short periods of time. I suggest geography fieldwork as a way to incorporate opportunities for students to connect with nature within existing curricula.