2024 – 2025 Highlights: Geography

We have had a really exciting year in the Geography Department. One of our key focuses has been on fieldwork and, in this review, you will find the wide variety of what Channing students have done. Rather than just undertaking fieldwork, our students understand the route to enquiry as set out by the Geographical Association.

The Geographical Association’s enquiry route hinges on collecting diverse data to answer geographical questions. This data is then presented effectively and analysed to identify patterns and relationships. Students then conclude by interpreting their findings before evaluating the entire process and their conclusions. Mrs Blake has spoken about the Battersea Power Station fieldwork on the Royal Geographical Society’s podcast, Ask the Geographer. Do have a listen.

I also must mention the amazing Iceland Geography trip in the October half-term, which was the most incredible experience for our GCSE geographers to explore the land of ice and fire with all the incredible landscapes and opportunities on offer. Thank you to David Pelton, Jacqui Newman and Gurvinder Bhamra-Burgess for accompanying us in Iceland.

Now here is a review from our students of the field trips they have taken part in this year and the geographical skills they have gained.

Lastly, I must thank my amazing Geography colleagues: Andrew Boardman, David Pelton and Sarah Walker, who are integral to all aspects of delivering first-rate Geography to Channing students — from organising fieldwork and Geography Clubs to lectures and day-to-day delivery of cutting-edge Geography lessons to all our students.

Mrs Blake
Head of Geography

Geography GCSE trip to Iceland
by Alexa L-B

Over the October half-term, a group of GCSE geographers were lucky enough to get the chance to go to Iceland — the land of fire and ice. It was a great opportunity to learn more about volcanic processes and landforms, and see these right in front of us.

After touching down in Reykjavik, we made our way to a bridge overlooking the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are visibly pulling apart — a perfect example of plate tectonics in action. After a good night’s sleep and a trip to the Viking Restaurant, we headed off to Skógafoss, one of the biggest waterfalls in the country, where we all enjoyed getting soaked before making our way to the Sólheimjökull glacier, where we were greeted by our guides for an exciting walk on top of these remarkable landforms. We even got the chance to drink the water from the glacier!

Day three took us to the Kerid Crater, a striking volcanic crater lake in the south of the country, before making our way to a tomato farm to learn more about geothermal energy — a handy byproduct of the country’s volcanic activity — where we also got the chance to try the tomatoes and make a quick stop at the stables next to the farm to see some Icelandic horses! After this, we headed to Þingvellir National Park, the site of the old Icelandic Parliament, and ended the day with a trip to the local supermarket!

On our fourth day, we took a break from the road and visited the Sky Lagoon — a great way for us to recover from all the early starts! Sky Lagoon is a thermal spring powered by geothermal energy, where water is pulled up from the Earth’s surface and is full of detoxifying properties. We enjoyed a fun spa session where we followed a seven-step ritual, including a plunge pool, detoxifying body scrub, a sauna and a gut health shot to finish the experience. After we dried off and had some lunch, we explored the city of Reykjavik, visiting the local shops and the nature museum, where we watched their Northern Lights show and explored their very own ice cave, which can reach temperatures of up to -10°C! To finish this action-packed day, we enjoyed burgers at the Hard Rock Cafe — typical Icelandic cuisine!

After another supermarket trip — arguably the most important cultural experience of the trip — we took the coach to the Lava Show, where we got to see real lava before us and learn more about it. For our final stop, we went to the FlyOver Iceland simulator, where we watched two pre-flight shows on Icelandic folklore and culture before the flight itself, which allowed us to see many of Iceland’s stunning sights — all from the comfort of our seats, which to our surprise, moved around and featured weather effects! We got back on the coach one last time and drove to the airport to say goodbye to Iceland.

The Iceland trip was a truly extraordinary experience, blending adventure with education. It allowed us to deepen our understanding of key geographical concepts — from tectonic processes and climate change to energy sustainability and tourism management. But more than anything, it encouraged us to see Geography not just as one of our GCSE subjects, but as a way to understand and appreciate the world around us. A massive thank you to the teachers who made this trip possible — we all had an amazing time thanks to all your hard work!

Year 8 Battersea Power Station Creative Fieldwork
by Emilia M

Our Year 8 trip to Battersea Power Station in March let us see a new side to Geography and explore a type of trip usually reserved for older students and their unique studies. Our trip was designed to look at more qualitative data and the sense of place, rather than traditional quantitative values. Each of us received a booklet to fill in while there that covered many areas of this. To arrive at Battersea, we took the Underground, which we discovered beforehand had some risks attached when completing our risk assessment, such as getting on the incorrect train. Luckily, this did not occur!

When we arrived, we started to use aroma maps to discover the scents in certain areas, decibel scales to evaluate the sounds, and mood meters to describe how we felt whilst there. On the most memorable part of the trip, we all got to experience Lift 109, which took us to 109 metres over London. We looked at mood meters here as well. The view was spectacular! Later on, we enjoyed our lunch while drawing a diagram of the interior of Battersea Power Station to label with our data. The journey back was a great end to the day as we travelled on the UberBoat along the Thames and saw many iconic London landmarks such as the London Eye. A huge thank you to Mrs Blake and all the staff who accompanied us on the trip for making it so enjoyable!

Year 10 Two Days GCSE Fieldwork
(Epping Forest and the Olympic Park)

Olympic Park
by Coco C

Year 10 visited the Olympic Park as part of our Geography GCSE fieldwork, exploring four contrasting sites: Stratford New Town, East Village, the Copper Box area and Hackney Wick. Our aim was to investigate how the 2012 Olympics impacted different parts of East London, both positively and negatively, to assess the quality of life in regenerated and non-regenerated areas.

Throughout the day, we used a variety of fieldwork techniques to gather data. At each location, we made detailed field sketches and completed bipolar surveys to assess factors like housing quality, safety and general appearance. We also recorded car number plates to estimate the age of vehicles, giving us a sense of economic status in the area. One of the highlights was conducting questionnaires in East Village, where we spoke to local residents and heard first-hand how they felt about the changes in their neighbourhood.

The process involved more than just collecting data — it also required us to consider the subjectivity of geographical analysis. Our perceptions of quality varied significantly between our year group, and factors such as time of day, weather conditions (it was a clear, sunny day) and personal bias can all influence results. To improve the reliability of our findings, we applied three different sampling methods: random, systematic and stratified.

We enjoyed our lunch break in the sun at a peaceful spot in the Olympic Park. Back at school, we worked in groups to evaluate our findings, create posters to share our conclusions and carried out a risk assessment. To top it all off, we ended the day with pizza and ice cream — a thoughtful treat from our teachers, who made this trip a very memorable experience.

This fieldwork trip was not only important for our GCSE studies, but also helped us understand the bigger picture of how cities evolve and how Geography connects to real lives. A huge thank you to the Geography Department for organising such a fantastic day!

Epping Forest
by Emma F

We all had so much fun and learned a lot from visiting and studying Debden Brook on our GCSE Geography field trip to Epping Forest. We had the opportunity to visit the small river from the source to further downstream, where the brook was sectioned into three sites. At each site, we separated into groups and used equipment to measure the depth, width and velocity of the brook, as well as the features of the sediment at each stage, and recorded our findings.

After a lunch in the sun, we separated into classrooms to study our results and plot our findings on three separate graphs — one for each site — allowing us to compare each site with one another and see if our results matched our original hypothesis.

Our guides and teachers on the trip were extremely helpful, providing us with additional information on our case study. They always made sure we knew what to do once in the river — after getting over the initial shock of standing in water and being fairly certain we were in no danger of being splashed.

Whilst the investigation itself was very wet, it was extremely enjoyable. I think we all learned a lot from closely observing a river ourselves — with wellies to protect us from the water. It was a very engaging experience that will definitely be memorable for all of us as we continue with our GCSE course.

Year 12 fieldwork as part of their A Level studies

Brick Lane and Spitalfields
by Olivia L

In November, Year 12 geographers visited Brick Lane and Spitalfields as part of our Changing Spaces, Making Places topic. Along Brick Lane, we used ArcGIS Survey123 to collect geolocated data, conduct surveys and focus specifically on creative geography, while also making a pit stop at Beigel Bakery for a much-needed treat. Afterwards, we split into groups to explore Spitalfields, where we used stratified sampling to photograph different areas and even introduced Mr Pelton to matcha!

The accurate data we collected formed the basis of our mini pilot NEA, which we conducted in lessons at school.

Walton-on-the-Naze
by Charlotte M

In May, we travelled by train to Walton-on-the-Naze, a town located on the coast in Essex. Throughout the day, we carried out both human and physical fieldwork in the town and along the beach. In the morning, once we arrived in Walton-on-the-Naze town, we walked around collecting data through surveys and observation. We used three different data collection methods, including asking locals about their opinions of the area, as well as taking pictures of the key features of the high street.

After this, we discussed our findings and travelled to a beach further up the coast. We had our lunch and then completed our physical fieldwork on the beach, which included measuring the gradient of the beach and measuring rates of infiltration. Although it was quite windy and cold at times, this trip gave us valuable experience. It was a really fun day and we all learned a lot about how to collect a range of fieldwork, which will help us a great deal with our NEAs in the upcoming weeks.

Battersea Power Station
by Violet S

On 12 March, the Year 12 Geography students went on a field trip to Battersea Power Station, accompanied by the Year 8 Geography students. The main aim of this trip was, firstly, to explore and practise a variety of data collection techniques that will be useful for our upcoming coursework, and secondly, to mentor and support the Year 8 students with their own fieldwork.

One key method we practised was conducting interviews with members of the public around the area. This gave us valuable insights into how people perceive the development of Battersea Power Station and its surrounding environment. In addition, we engaged in a range of sensory activities, including sound mapping, smell tests and texture or ‘feeling’ surveys, where we evaluated how different areas made us feel based on their physical and atmospheric characteristics.

These activities not only helped us collect a diverse set of qualitative data, but also encouraged us to think creatively about how geographical information can be gathered and interpreted. Supporting the Year 8 students also gave us the opportunity to develop leadership skills and reinforce our own understanding of fieldwork techniques.

Overall, the trip was both educational and enjoyable, and it played an important role in preparing us for the practical aspects of our coursework.