KING’S Ely’s Year 11 Geographers headed west to undertake the compulsory fieldwork to support several aspects of their GCSE course.

The students spent three days in Preston Montford, Shropshire, surrounded by rolling countryside. The first day saw them battling traffic problems to reach Ludlow: a small market town which has an international reputation for food tourism.

Head of Geography at King’s Ely Senior, Helen Melville, said: “We visited just after the annual Food festival and collected data to explore what impact this focus on food has had on the local economy. Students quizzed locals who were likely to have seen the changes over the last few decades and used tablets to record their data which they then analysed back at the centre. We explored the local countryside on an unscheduled detour to avoid traffic, with our helpful and adventurous coach-driver, Ian.

“The sun came out for us when we headed to the Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd. We followed the scenic river valley uphill to a small waterfall, and collected data on how the river changed with distance down the valley. We were not alone – this is a National Trust managed landscape, and popular with Geography classes. The students worked well to collect data using a range of equipment and techniques. Back at the centre, we had the usual diet of residential field trips: cake breaks in the afternoon, freshly cooked breakfasts and evening sessions in the classroom.

“The tutors and other staff were incredibly complimentary of the excellent behaviour and hard-working ethic of our students, and welcomed us back any time – which will be June 24-26th, 2019 for the current Year 10 Geographers. Thank you to all students on the trip who were a pleasure to take away and to Mr Parkinson and Miss Kyndt for all their help and support.”

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