On Monday 3 July, Year 7 departed for their Humanities residential, based at the Preston Montford Field Studies Centre in Shropshire. The purposes of the trip were to provide an opportunity to conduct fieldwork in order to deepen learning of topics such as tourism and the Industrial Revolution from Humanities lessons, whilst also enriching students’ school experience.
Each day the students conducted an investigation, starting the week by evaluating the extent to which tourism is impacting the Carding Mill Valley, which included the students surveying members of the public. On Tuesday, we travelled to Snowdonia to explore a post glacial landscape and consider how historically ice had carved out Cwm Idwal; we also found time to share some Welsh legends. On Wednesday, Year 7 visited Shrewsbury to explore the types of businesses on the High Street and to consider how to rebrand the town for younger people. The penultimate day was based on the study of the Industrial Revolution at a UNESCO World Heritage site, visiting Coalbrookdale to see the innovative blast furnace built by Abraham Darby III and also the famous Ironbridge. During our return journey on Friday, we stopped at Ludlow castle to examine the defensive structures historically used, as well as enacting a play to cover the history of the castle.
During the evenings students conducted a range of activities, including orienteering, making stop motion animations and a campfire sing along on the final night. The students also collaborated in the egg drop challenge, with a range of interesting designs, which occasionally resulted in the egg surviving!
Overall the trip was an excellent experience and we are very proud of Year 7 for their enthusiasm and conduct. Thanks to Mr Earp, Mrs Fordham, Mrs Dunkley and Mr Pietropaoli for making the trip such a success.
