At the age of 5, Ray Coggon attended Wingrave Council School in Newcastle, from where in 1942 he went to Rutherford Grammar School, Newcastle. He went on to Kings College, Durham, to read Geology (with Geography, Surveying, Botany and Zoology as subsidiary subjects).

He gained his BSc in 1955, and stayed on to do a post-graduate course for his teaching diploma. Armed with this, he joined the staff of Harlow College, in Essex, as a geography master on 1st September, 1956 but after only two years he left and came to South Shields to join the staff of the South Shields Grammar-Technical School for Boys in September, 1958.

His main subject was Geography, although he had a broad view of the subject and a special interest in Human Geography, which he taught as a minority subject in the sixth form with real enthusiasm.

Ray Coggon was consciencious, committed and helpful, with a kindly disposition, managing to maintain discipline in the junior forms with a sense of fun. He was tolerant, especially of poor performers, and was very even handed. Perhaps his only failings were that he was somewhat absent-minded and that he wore smart suits, but at least 15 years out of date.