Tuesday 25 September was beautiful, sunny and warm as Year 6 pupils, armed with clipboards and packed lunches, headed to the seaside. Their first stop was Brancaster Beach. Group 1 walked between the salt and freshwater marshes and held a lively debate about whether or not the sea defences should be maintained there.

I enjoyed the debate, especially listening and building on other people’s ideas. George

I loved the debate because we could all have a chance to make our points about specific people and have a better understanding of how we might spend money on sea defences. Fope

Meanwhile, Group 2 was on the beach learning about erosion, deposition and transportation whilst also discovering what sea defences there are at Brancaster. Did you know that these have been so effective that some of them have almost disappeared?

I enjoyed the talk on the beach and seeing the sea defences, we have discussed and learnt about, in real life. It made it more exciting to learn. I love the smell of the sea! Clemmi
I never knew the community cared so much about sea defences and protecting the people and buildings nearby. Loïc
I felt a bit sad as I didn’t realise the sea was destroying the land and how important defences are. The gold club members care a lot about preserving the area and their club. Jerome
It would be cool to see how marram grass defends the land during high tide. Andrey and Jay

The Groups swapped activities before the short coach ride to Hunstanton, where everyone tucked into their packed lunches and then headed to the cliffs. Here, they discussed the age, colour and composition of the different layers of rock that can clearly be seen, before becoming beachcombers trying to find examples of each type of rock on the beach.

I found it interesting to learn that the rocks from Hunstanton date from the Cretaceous era. Harbin
I was amazed at the different types of rocks on the cliff; they looked like a painting. William
I loved having time to explore the earth and rocks and seeing how the land changes. Mouboni
It was very interesting going back to a place I’ve visited before but seeing all the things I’m learning about in Year 6, especially the sedimentary rocks. Nicky

The sun shone on Year 6 all day, as they used their thinking toolkit to be active learners and critical thinkers. And the ice creams were delicious!

I liked our VIP bus and having time to spend with my friends out of a school for a day. Ahmet
I loved stopping off for an ice cream treat. Katie
I thought the day was really exciting because I got to learn about geography in real life. Sammy