This course provides an opportunity for schools with low student numbers to tackle different fieldwork enquiries across a range of fieldsites.
Fieldwork investigations will prepare students for designing their independent geographical investigation. Students will have the opportunity to collect data (individually or in groups) and then work on their own to contextualise, analyse and report their work to produce and independent investigation with an individual title that demonstrates required fieldwork knowledge, skills and understanding.
Slapton Ley Field Centre is located on the Start Bay coast in South Devon and is surrounded by Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve. The Ley is the largest natural freshwater lake in the South West and is separated from the sea by Slapton Sands, a barrier beach. The 214 hectare reserve has been managed by Slapton Ley for over 50 years as an “outdoor laboratory” for education and conservation, and boasts a rich mosaic of habitats including ancient and coppiced woodland, freshwater lake and stream, shingle ridge and rocky shore. The centre offers visitors of all ages the opportunity to experience a unique outdoor learning environment in combination with specialist teaching and facilities.
Small Group or Individual Student Days are designed to bring together individual students, home educated students, schools with small cohorts, or students who were unable to attend a residential or alternative trip. By bringing groups together you do not have to pay for a minimum number of students.
These courses are for groups of 9 or fewer students from any one school.
To ensure the safety of all participants on our day and residential small groups courses, any child, or group of children from an individual school or home-education group, aged under 18 years must be accompanied by a responsible adult, eg teacher or parent. Other adult learners eg mature students or those who have recently turned 18 are welcome to join the course.
Please bring lunch for the first day, all meals are provided from dinner on your first day to packed lunch on the final day.
The price of the course includes
- Accommodation in shared rooms (single rooms for adults where available but cannot be guaranteed
- Food from dinner on day 1 to packed lunch on day 3
- In-course transport to fieldwork sites during the course
- All course teaching
- Equipment, wellies and waterproofs if required.
- Accompanying staff and adults are charged at half the student rate plus VAT.
Example Timetable
This is an example timetable
Day 1
Afternoon
Teaching starts at 14:00
Coastal Processes, Systems and Management
Students will be encouraged to apply theoretical understanding of coastal systems to investigate how coastal processes shape the landscape and evaluate the effectiveness of coastal defences.
Evening
Statistics Workshop
Students will be introduced to both descriptive statistics and statistical tests, to understand when and how to use them.
Day 2
Morning and Afternoon
Rural Changing Places, Totnes
The market town of Totnes, a Transition Town since 2006, will be utilised to explore themes of resilience, sustainability and globalisation as well as concepts of place and regeneration.
Evening
GIS Workshop
Students will be introduced to GIS, shown how to utilise ArcGIS to present data (ideally collected during the course), add secondary data and how to generate their own surveys using Survey123
Day 3
Morning
The Water & Carbon Cycles
Students will apply theoretical understanding of the hydrological and carbon cycles to practical fieldwork within the Slapton Ley catchment area and National Nature Reserve.
Teaching finishes at 12:30
What's Included
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Expert Tuition -
Free Wi-Fi -
Full Board Accommodation -
Hot and Cold Drinks -
In Course Transport -
Picnic Lunch
Opportunities to attend this course
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Mon 21, September 2026 14:00 - Wed 23, September 2026 12:30
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Mon 01, February 2027 14:00 - Wed 03, February 2027 12:30
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Mon 22, March 2027 14:00 - Wed 24, March 2027 12:30
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Mon 20, September 2027 14:00 - Wed 22, September 2027 12:30
