Year 13 Biology Field Trip before Autumn Term 2022 - October

Right before the Autumn term started, 66 of our Year 13 Biologists went on a 3-day Biology Field Trip at FSC Juniper Hall with their Biology teachers – Su, Rob and Wendy, Physics teacher – Gavin and Maths teacher – Richard.

ERFAN

Overall, the biology trip to Juniper Hall was a valuable experience and a much-welcome change from traditional classroom learning. The range of sites we visited was interesting, with engaging teachers and many opportunities to ask questions. A particular standout was the river site, where we put class learning into action with kick-sampling, which I found to be the most interesting due to the multitude of invertebrates living in the river. I would recommend all students to take part in the trip, especially for the exposure to UK woodlands which many of us were unfamiliar with before.

JULIANA

Thank you for an excellent and successful Biology Field Trip this year! I have learnt a lot and gained unforgettable memories from these three days.

I really enjoyed throughout the trip, courtesy of the great planning for each day. The tutors (I was in Laura’s group) are knowledgeable and friendly, and taught me greatly about ecology and sampling. From day 1, studying the effects of coppicing and forming our own hypotheses gave us great background knowledge before we hiked up to the mountain. Although the walk was tiring, we were awarded with great scenery along the way, and given clear instructions to collect our data. It was enlightening to then learn about the ruins of a tower we saw at the bottom of the hill as we crowded around it, listening to Daniel’s engaging tales. Not only had I deepened my knowledge about Biology, but I also learned more about Dorking and its history.

Being one with nature is another highlight of our experience–days 2 and 3 are most exciting, as we tread up trails to Mickleham Downs and a freshwater stream. For the former, we immersed ourselves into the “forest” with seeds clinging eagerly to our clothing; in the river, we were nearly knee-deep in the churning waters. While taking great joy in setting up quadrants and doing kick sampling, we also had a hands-on experience in sampling, something we had only learnt from our textbooks and could only fathom in real life. This consolidated our knowledge, but more importantly, stretched what we knew to whole new levels–I could never imagine the difficulty of setting a level quadrant on bushes of bramble, nor the strength needed to deliver equal kicks to the riverbed. These factors are commonly overlooked when learning from a 2D textbook.

Moreover, many thanks to the catering team for their delicious meals after every exhausting day, which energised us and welcomed us back into Juniper Hall with warm smiles. I can still taste the brownie ice cream dessert from my memories!

Last but not least, thank you to the wonderful housecleaning team for their behind-the-scenes efforts in providing us with clean sheets and a tidy room.

It has been a joy to go on the Biology trip, and it has no wonder been one of the highlights of my summer. Leaving with my newfound knowledge and amazing memories, I wish everyone all the best!