Student's enjoy first hand experience of Britain's sea defences

 

A sunny May day with a brisk inshore breeze saw Year 10 Geography students braving the south coast in Seaford Head, East Sussex, to investigate local sea defences.  Thirty students took part in the trip on the 16^th May, and were tasked with identifying coastal erosion, carrying our pebble counts and profiling the beach head to find out what erosion was taking place and at what rate it was progressing.  Students used their field sketching skills and detailed quantity surveys to gain an understanding of the issues the Seaford Head was facing along different points on its coast.

 

Birling Gap was the next stop, where local residents and the National Trust were debating what to do about coastal erosion and plans for sea defences.  The cliff and the cottages on top were in danger of being washed away, and there was much debate over what action, if any, to take.  The students completed more careful data collection on site and explored the beach, rock pools and local flora and fauna to ascertain the environmental impact of the erosion. 

 

St Wilfrid’s is very proud of its students’ behaviour on class trips, and these students were no exception.  Ms Simmons, Head of Geography & Citizenship, commented that their behaviour was exemplary.  The trip will also be highly beneficial as the data they collected will be used in their ongoing GCSE coursework. 

 

Many thanks to Miss Perdue and Mr Lewis who supervised the trip.