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Year 10 Residential Fieldwork Trip to Dorset

From Friday 20th June to Monday 23rd June, our Year 10 GCSE students headed to the Dorset coast for their compulsory fieldwork residential. Based in the charming PGL centre of Osmington Bay – this offered the perfect location to put classroom theory into practice. Fieldwork is an essential component of geography education; it is an opportunity to take students out to investigate, observe, discover, challenge, test out ideas and gain a deeper understanding of the wider world around them. 

Over the course of the days, students conducted both human and physical investigations. One day was spent investigating the different areas of the River Wey and investigating coastal defences in Lyme Regis. Student had the opportunity to measure river flow (which involved getting wet) and should curiosity and teamwork in collecting the data.

Another day was spent in the sunny coastal town of Weymouth investigating residents and Visitors perceptions of the area. Students had to speak to the local community. They should integrity and resilience interviewing using questionnaires. Members of the public commented on how polite and respectful they were.

3 students axe throwing

3 students on the giant swing

In addition to the rigorous fieldwork students were able to take part in a number of teambuilding activities back at the PGL site, and showed compassion to those who were struggling to complete activities such as the Big Swing and Jacobs Ladder. Evenings were spent consolidating the data gathered during the day. Back in the classroom, students worked on presenting, analysing and evaluating their data, ready for Paper 3 of the GCSE.

Students and teachers group photo at PGL site

The trip was a resounding success, with both students and teachers finding it to be an enjoyable and enriching experience, gaining a range of skills that are difficult to develop in the classroom. New friendships were formed, and challenges were met with enthusiasm and perseverance. Our students approached every part of the residential displaying all five characters virtues and were a credit to our school. PGL staff complimented our students on their behaviour and engagement. A credit to Park High School!

A special thanks to the Geography Department and all the teachers who dedicated their weekend to make this trip possible.