The responsibilities of the Education Committee shall be to guide both Council and the Senior Management Team in work concerning the education of compulsory school-age students and to promote good practice in geographical education. For the avoidance of doubt all references to education in this document refer to education of compulsory school-age students in any setting.
Membership
Dr Melanie Norman (Chair, Vice President: Education)
Dr Emma Rawlings Smith (Honorary Secretary: Education)
David Preece
Philip Avery
Narinder Mann
Emily Rotchell
Ex-officio representatives from Ofsted and Ordnance Survey
Frequency of meetings
The Committee bi-annually, in October and February.
Quorum
The Education Committee shall be quorate when 50% of its members are present, in person or through teleconferencing.
Decision-making
Decision-making shall be by consensus as far as possible. If a vote is required, each member shall have one vote and the Chair shall have the casting vote.
Duties
The duties of the Committee shall be:
Policy and strategy
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To contribute to the development of the Society’s thinking on all aspects of geographical education and its understanding of the wider school educational context
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To advise on the Society’s response to consultations on school educational matters
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To influence the development of the school curriculum and exam specifications for geography by actively engaging with organisations responsible for them
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To advise on the prioritisation of work within the Society’s education team, leading to an agreed work plan
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To monitor progress against agreed priorities, in line with the published work plan
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To contribute to the creation of the Society's strategic plans, focussing on areas relating to geographical education in schools, ensuring they are aligned with current good practice
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To support the Society’s work on specific time bound educational projects by evaluating, advising and reflecting on their efficacy
Recruitment and Professional Development
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To support the Society’s work promoting geography education to young people by advising on effective methods for promoting the subject to those young people
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To advise the Society on current issues in teacher recruitment and Initial Teacher Education, to enable the Society to maximise its impact in this area
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To recommend areas in which the Society might most effectively contribute to the professional development of geography teachers, and the methods by which this might be achieved
Communication
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To advise the Society on the handling of controversial issues in education where there is an overlap with the Society’s interests
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To recommend effective engagement strategies for the communication of the Society’s thinking to those working in education and to young people
Safeguarding and Health & Safety
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To have oversight of the Society’s safeguarding policy and to report annually to Council on updates to the policy and any issues arising. Procedurally, the policy should be reviewed by the committee annually, taking into account any relevant updates in DfE policy. Council should review the policy every three years, aligned with each Presidential appointment
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To support the Society in the safe and effective running of any event promoted by the Society that involves young people
Review
These Terms of Reference will be reviewed by the committee every three years.
Last reviewed: December 2019