Biology Residential

The Y12 and Y13 Biology classes went on a residential to the Field Studies Council near Dorking — here’s how the experience went.

On their first day there, the sixth formers split up into small groups and carried out various practical investigations across the fields of Juniper Hall. They investigated why holly plants lose their spines as they get taller, tried to estimate the number of snails in a pond (through capture-recapture) and even set some traps to catch mammals, with one containing a mouse the next morning! On day two, they spent the whole day at the beach in Brighton, surveying down the shore to see where different species could be found — and they also enjoyed a campfire under the stars with marshmallows to boot.

Here are some of their thoughts:

“It taught me valuable practical skills that helped with answering exam questions since we physically did them ourselves, helping me to remember the steps.”

“It wasn’t just a learning experience for science, but also for each other, I feel like I gained an idea on how different our lives are.” 
“Juniper Hall was really useful in developing my approach to practical work — but I think sitting under the stars and seeing more than in London truly changed my outlook on things.”

Ms Black | Science Teacher