On Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th September, 70 GCSE geographers travelled north to the Sperrin Mountains where they spent a day in the River Roe collecting data for their controlled assessment task that will make up 25% of their overall grade in June.

Visiting 8 sites along the long profile of the River Roe, they practiced their fieldwork techniques to collect measurements of the width, depth, velocity, bedload size and bedload shape. Starting at the source of the river in the Glenshane Forest and following the river down through farmland and into the town of Dungiven, pupils were able to note the site characteristics that will enable them to fully interpret their results back in the classroom.

For the geographers this was an experience that brought their textbook to life, with meander terms like fastest flow and river cliff becoming much easier to grasp when standing in your wellies, knee deep in water!

Well done to all of the Year 12 pupils who challenged themselves and went beyond their own comfort zone on the day to successfully collect their data. And thanks to all of the staff who assisted to make it possible.