From Classroom to Coast

Our L6 Biologists recently enjoyed a three-day adventure in Norfolk, packed with hands-on learning and exploration.

The students studied sand dune succession at Holkham Beach and helped to manage succession by “pine pulling”. Congratulations to Justinas for his solo efforts and team Ethan, Divya and Sophia for successfully tackling the largest saplings.

The lake in the grounds of Holkham Hall was found to be teeming with life including leeches suggesting a high biodiversity.

A comparison of 2 woodland areas showed how managed felling could increase ground flora diversity. A tractor ride illustrated examples of how farming practices could be managed sustainably and showed proposed projects to help combat the effects of climate change.

Finally, the last day provided the opportunity for students to collect data for a required practical, measuring the distribution of algae and invertebrates on West Runton beach in the sunshine.

The evenings were spent writing up their findings and practising the application of statistics to hypotheses.

We did squeeze in a sunset walk where we met Otto the rescue dog and Param, Aaryan and Martin demonstrated hidden talents. Despite the hard work, it was a great opportunity to learn outside of the class room amongst beautiful scenery.

Mrs Hampson and the Biology Department