Getting drenched in Devon
From Friday 6th to Monday 9th November the Lower VI AS Geographers from St Augustine’s Priory attended a residential field trip at the Field Studies Centre at Slapton Ley on Start Bay in South Devon. They were accompanied by both members of the Geography teaching staff.
The weather may not have been ideal for a trip to the coast but Mr Chappory, Miss Keep and their students both worked hard and enjoyed themselves. Here is Mr Chappory’s (Head of Geography) report:
‘The fieldwork was tailor-made for the AS Specification that the students are following, but the students worked jointly with fellow AS students from Notre Dame School in Surrey and St Martin’s School in Solihull. It was a very well designed field course which enabled the students to study the impacts of coastal processes on Start Bay, the development of tourism in Torbay, the necessary urban rebranding taking place in Plymouth and rural rebranding in South Hams.
Despite the expected November weather conditions, the students saw this as a valuable learning experience and were positive and receptive even when out of their comfort zone in lashing sideways rain, conducting such tasks as in-depth cost-benefit analyses on the value and effectiveness of coastal defences.
The students still found time to have some fun in between fieldwork and follow-up sessions and on their return immediately asked if they could go again, only this time when the weather is a little better!’
