This paper arises from the Keynote we co-delivered at the 2017 AGTA Conference in Melbourne. In the paper, we outline the main theoretical resources that underpin the GeoCapabilities project (www.geocapabilities.org). This project has sought to engage teachers and teacher educators in geography with the principles of "curriculum leadership" in order to realise and release the power of geography as a component of the school curriculum. Critics of the project have argued that it over-claims on geography, and offers little more than preaching to the converted--a means of justifying geography to those already convinced of its value in education. However, in the paper we also advance the case that the capabilities approach may well have potential in helping non-specialist teachers grasp ways of interpreting standards and curriculum guidelines, as it requires that they first contextualise the educational needs of children today, and then reflect on the purposes and value of geographical thought and practice. After exploring these issues, geography teachers will, in theory, be better able to consider what it is they should teach, and then to think carefully about pedagogic techniques that are fully fit for purpose.