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Year 12 Flatford Mills Residential
Hieu in Cure 1, Lola in Bronte 1 and Tilly in Austen 2 sent this report:
On 12 May we set out on our quest to Flatford Mill, all filled with anticipation and excitement. We could not wait to arrive at our future home for the next few days! The coach journey was quiet, lots of snoring and many snacks being shared. We were driving through the wild bush of the English countryside, nearing Colchester, close to our destination.
The coach came to halt, and we all piled off very eager to collect our suitcases so we could trample down the forest path and settle into our cosy rooms.
Our first day consisted of a pleasant walk to the small town of Dedham, where we carried out research on the area and collected data for different methodology of assessing data. Dedham was a quaint town, many of us enjoyed exploring the unique local co-op and after that we headed back to Flatford Mill for our lesson.
Day 2 - We had our morning lesson, unfortunately missing Angus, and we set off for Ipswich (with Angus).
The weather did not live up to the forecast and it was super windy. Nevertheless, we powered on collecting our data based on regeneration and even ended up with time for a Wagamamas! However, Rowan, Lola and Tilly were late because of Hieu and had to ask a local for some directions. After our second lush dinner of jacket potato we finished off with an evening lesson.
Day 3 - Today was beach day and we headed on our 40-minute coach journey with Hieu connected to the speaker! We arrived at Walton on the Naze with a positive attitude for our long day ahead. Sam started off by explaining the different methods of sampling in order to help for our future NEA. Rowan tried to make the class laugh which ended up backfiring due to him accidentally tripping himself up resulting in his whole back becoming covered in mud. We began independently gathering our data which included, infiltration, measuring how the landscape changed (degrees) and measuring the amount of sediment using random sampling.
Once we collected our data, we made our way back to the coach and travelled back, ready to compare our data. That evening, we explored the grounds some more and even met some of the other schools during a huge game of ‘sardines'. Finally, we headed back for our final night sleep.
Day 4 - Today was our final day and predictably everyone was tired and ready to sleep in their own bed. We began our morning lesson which was an introduction to the water and carbon cycle. We walked to the nearest river which we conducted our research on. Like every other activity on the trip Rowan got stuck in and volunteered himself to go straight into the river. After finishing collecting our data, we grabbed our suitcases and had a very silent coach journey home as we all slept!
