Year 10 Geography Fieldwork

Urban regeneration in Stratford

School trips are well-regarded for offering enriching experiences beyond the classroom. They support personal development, enhance social skills, and create memorable moments, all of which contribute to a more rounded education. These excursions play a vital role in helping individuals grow both academically and personally, making them an integral part of a balanced educational journey. Their impact extends far beyond the lessons they complement.

Sometimes, school trips play a crucial role in the completion of an exam course, and this was certainly the case with a rewarding trip taken last week by our Year 10 students to the Olympic Park in Stratford, Newham, East London.

This was an important – but nonetheless enjoyable – field trip that formed part of their AQA GCSE Geography coursework.

Equipped with waterproof jackets, comfortable walking trainers, packed lunches, mobile phones, and clipboards (phew!), our students followed a full itinerary that included visits to more than half a dozen key sites in and around the Olympic Park area.

Students were tasked with investigating the effectiveness of urban regeneration in the area since the 2012 Olympics. They collected accurate fieldwork, including primary data from environmental quality surveys, as well as analysing secondary data such as historical photographs to compare changes over time.

The Griffin Reporter caught up with several students after the trip to hear their feedback. They all agreed that visiting different parts of the area was a real eye-opener. Some areas closer to the Olympic Park had clearly been regenerated well – probably, they concluded, due to their higher visibility in the immediate aftermath of the Olympics. However, there were clearly areas that still showed significant deprivation.

“One area was littered with beer cans, drug paraphernalia, and signs of people sleeping rough on the streets,” noted one student. Another said, “The streets looked unkempt, and shops were closed and boarded up.”

One student reflected on urban regeneration, observing how investment in buildings and infrastructure had clearly been made in key areas that, even a few years ago, had been very neglected. They also mentioned gentrification and the impact that investment in an area has on the demographics of its inhabitants.

Suffice to say, the students did an excellent job with their research. The Head of Humanities, Ms Harrington, commented, “Students were exemplary in their behaviour during the trip and were a real credit to the school, displaying excellent values whilst out and about. It was a real pleasure to take them on the trip!”