At Mappleton, the students busied themselves with studying the scale and impact of erosion - with their data collection confirming the link between coastal defences further north and increased erosion further south. This was reinforced by a visit to Hornsea where further data was collected to test their hypothesis. 

While at Hornsea, students measured the height of the sand against the groynes - measuring the rates of longshore drift at the low-tide mark and carrying out surveys of the effectiveness of the coastal management scheme.

Commenting on the day’s activities, Sarah Harris-Smith, Head of Humanities, said: “Fieldwork is a key component in the study of Geography. It allows students to get to grips with the subject outside the confines of their classrooms and explore the topics of their studies in real-life settings.  

"The students impressed us with their independence and positive attitudes as they carried out their data collection in the field. They approached their tasks with enthusiasm and showed a real appreciation for the beauty of our constantly changing coastline.”

The students have now begun to process the data collected from the trip. This will form the basis of an investigation into the success of existing coastal management strategies, giving students the opportunity to draw their own conclusions as to their overall effectiveness and to explore whether or not, in their opinion, improvements could be made.   

As the students now prepare for their move to Year 11 in September, their studies will turn from coastal exploration to Human Geography and the regeneration of a brownfield site. This will involve a further fieldtrip, this time to the Flemingate Shopping Centre in Beverley, where they will collect data to assess the extent of the leisure and recreational opportunities that have been created by the development.