By Mrs McPhail (Geography Teacher)
The A level Geographers have once again taken to the streets of Bedford for fieldwork. As part of the Geography A Level specification the students have to make a study of a local place for the Human Geography paper. It is great to be able to maximise our use of time and step out of the gates and start fieldwork in Bedford straight away. Next Friday (15th March) we will be taking both A Level and IB Geographers further afield to the Yorkshire Wolds and investigate the contrasting seaside resort of Scarborough.
We walked a set route through Bedford from the school site to Queen’s Park and back. This is a trip we do to look at changes that are taking place and to observe at first hand the different areas of the town that make Bedford what it is. The High Street with new paving areas around the Faces and a single lane of traffic in the High Street continues to reflect the aims of the local council in trying to boost the centre of Bedford which like many towns in the UK struggles to increase footfall. This year we saw the Ghost signs in Lime Street and saw the amazing renovation of the Salvation Army shop which reminds us of Bedford’s historic past. The torrential rain we experienced last Thursday didn’t stop the students collecting data and was certainly helped by eating some dinky doughnuts from Lena in the legendary kiosk near the Harpur Centre.
At 12 different sites the students observed people and peoples use of space, completed Environmental Quality surveys and used a GIS app on their phones to complete a survey that we had pre-planned. Capturing data in ‘real time’ is fantastic and allows Geographers to analyse and present data using complex skills. The information gathered provides key material for the Changing Places unit in the Human Geography paper and is vital preparation for the NEAs (Non-Examined Assessment coursework) that the students will complete independently this year.
The fieldwork route ended at the Higgins Museum which holds a permanent exhibit called Somewhere in England where the students looked at the history behind Bedford’s growth as an important town and the Great Bedfordians section which highlights the key influencers throughout time. Sir William Harpur being one of them.
