Our A-Level Geography trip to Flatford Mill offered a fantastic chance to investigate both human and physical geography through practical fieldwork skills. On the first day, we travelled to Walton-on-the-Naze, where we carried out a range of methodological approaches to explore the impact of coastal management. The students engaged in techniques including beach profiling, wave counts, measuring infiltration rates, sediment analysis and field sketches. They did wonderfully, despite the heavy rain!
After a productive day at the coast, we travelled to the FSC Flatford Mill Centre where we stayed overnight. We enjoyed a hearty dinner and then returned to the classroom to graph and statistically analyse our results. The blue skies welcomed us in the early evening, and we explored the site and were lucky to see lots of rabbits and leaping lambs! After a very competitive game of UNO, we retired to the bungalow for a good night’s rest.
On day two, following time in the classroom, we visited two contrasting wards in Colchester to explore urban inequalities for our human fieldwork day. This included a range of techniques such as questionnaires, environmental quality surveys, urban drifting and crime perception. The trip greatly enhanced our understanding of the requirements of the NEA and gave us invaluable hands-on experience with data collection and analytical techniques. A huge thank you to Miss Brown and Mr Baxter for running the trip!
