On Friday 11 September, ten Year 13 Biologists, accompanied by Mr Jim Reynolds and Dr Bob Snellgrove, travelled to the Medina Valley Centre on the Isle of Wight. The trip was organised for the A Level pupils to investigate a number of topics relating to their A Level course. Braving the driving rain and wind, the small group of boys and girls travelled south and took the short ferry crossing to Newport, doing their best to dodge late arrivals to the music festival, Bestival, in the process!
The trip was based around conducting survey work at a number of sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSIs). SSIs are some of the country’s best wildlife or geological sites, and include some of the most spectacular and beautiful habitats. Special permission must be obtained from land owners before any research can be undertaken at these sites.
The group spent the majority of their time at the Medina Valley Centre, which is an independent centre specifically created for environmental and outdoor education. The centre specialises in covering the ecological components of A Level Biology courses, encouraging pupils to apply their existing knowledge of physiology and metabolic processes to the species distribution, and the interactions between living organisms in a variety of habitats.
The pupils were split into smaller groups, and spent their time analysing woodland management techniques and salt-marsh succession. This included measuring water quality in freshwater streams and surveying benthic invertebrates in the Medina estuary. The data collected from the trip will be analysed back at the College, before being used in the A Level coursework that contributes to the final grade of the biologists.
