Geography in Devon

The Upper Sixth Geography trip to Slapton Leys in Devon was blessed with gorgeous sunshine for an exploration of the area’s stunning topography. The International Baccalaureate group tackled a river study whilst the A Level students focussed their attention on their coastal topic. “The Geography field trip to Slapton Ley was very useful for widening my knowledge on coastal environments and will come in handy when I need case study examples in my exam.  It was nice to be able to take the field trip, as it has been a long time since the last one.” Commented Nic Lee, Head Girl

The data collection for the IB students independent assignment involved visiting various points along the Harbourne River and studying pebble size, flow rate, depth and profile using a range of measuring techniques. The other group  studied mass movement, long shore drift and beach gradients gathering information for their coastline management case study.

Head Boy, Harry Penman, “Our trip to Slapton Leys proved to be invaluable in improving our understanding of the sustainable management of coastlines. Having the opportunity to see the effects of coastal erosion right in front of me will undoubtedly aid me in answering my exam questions next summer! Another very welcomed bonus of the field trip was the later summer sun, it proved vital for topping up the summer tan!”

One of the visits highlights was the disappearance of a village at Start Bay, a classic piece of coastline where there was a populated settlement until 1917. At that time the coastline was dredged to provide resources for road building and the next serious storm completely washed Hallsands away.

“Nothing brings the subject of Geography to life more than being out in the real world. It often makes processes, landforms, management click in the students’ brains once they’ve seen it in reality, rather than studied it in a book.”