At the Higher Education Research Group (HERG) Annual General Meeting on the 29 August 2018, it was proposed that the Research Group might consider broadening its remit to consider a wider context of geography education and formally include the geographies of education. In this editorial, we outline the background to this proposal and the process which was undertaken to evolve from HERG to the Geography and Education Research Group (GeogEd) over the following two years. We take the opportunity to introduce this special section of five papers, each offering a different perspective on the background to and future of the newly re‐framed Research Group. In this way they: (1) explore the history of the Research Group since its inception; (2) provide a critical overview of the geographies of education; (3) explore the reciprocal relationship between geography education and the geographies of education, and the process of (re)forming GeogEd; (4) offer reflections from senior members of the Royal Geographical Society and Geographical Association on the new Research Group; and (5) reflect on the opportunities the bringing together of different communities of practice under GeogEd might offer in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]