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Posted on March 25th 2024
Year 12 Biology Students Complete Ecology Work in Suffolk
Year 12 Biologists were privileged to visit the Flatford Mill Centre in Suffolk, to engage in a three-day residential trip. Students took part in several sessions in the beautiful fields of Suffolk, completing ecology work for their required practical. Year 12 students Christopher and Maryam report on the experience.
Our class visited Flatford Mill Field work centre in Suffolk, where we explored the natural environment, researched flora and fauna, and participated in activities for our A-Level Biology required practical.
On the first day we were introduced to different sampling techniques by our tutors which we used in our final investigation. We also participated in different team-building activities alongside other Harris schools which was good fun and allowed us to meet new people.
On the second day, we were given a practical to complete in the woods nearby in which we practiced the sampling methods we learnt to identify the biodiversity of different species of plants. In the evening, we had a campfire and were given time to explore, socialise and meet new people. On the final day, we carried out our final practical, using the skills we learned.
Overall, the trip was very fun as well as informative, giving us the chance to explore the British countryside and the species within it.
Christopher, Year 12 Biology student
Day 1: We did the introduction session with our assigned tutor and eased us to different biological techniques for sampling such as Stratified, Random, Systematic. This was very informative as we now have the knowledge of different types of sampling. Our tutor went into depth about each sampling, and which one is relevant for specific scenarios. We later had team games with other Harris Schools, which was good as this was an icebreaker for others and allowed us to get to know each other.
Day 2: We were given a practical which required us to go to the field to investigate. My group used an open quadrat and transect (10 to 10).Then we picked random co-ordinates and placed quadrats and equipment such as penetrometer, light meter and canopy cover to measure the edge and the centre, so that we are able to compare the two results. We later had campfire activities.
Day 3: We put all the skills we learnt together and were given an experiment. Our experiment was: “How does the number of nettles change with decreasing light intensity as you move away from a pine”.
Overall, I enjoyed it because it strengthened my knowledge of ecology.
Maryam, Year 12 Biology student
Flatford Mill Centre in Suffolk.
