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The Geography Department started the year off embracing the cool January temperatures by taking Year 11 out to Tower Hamlets, East London on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th of January. This fieldwork was conducted as part of the GCSE Paper 2 which asks questions about familiar and unfamiliar urban fieldwork studies.

The geographers were looking at how deprivation differs within the Borough of Tower Hamlets - comparing the business focused Canary Wharf with the vibrant hub of Brick Lane. Students completed an environmental quality survey, land use survey, and questionnaires at each site. The most difficult task was to do the questionnaires, as people did not want to stop and talk to us. In class as addition to this, we studied the census and the Multiple Deprivation Index as secondary data to see if this supported our primary data collection. Aside from the data collection task, students also had the opportunity to explore both Canary Wharf and Brick Lane - taking in some of their culinary delights, while the staff enjoyed their Crosstown doughnuts.

One highlight for many of us was taking the IFS Cloud Cable Car across the Thames - it gave us a skyline view of the borough and the two areas we were studying. It was interesting to hear the observations of students of their perceptions of each area. Canary Wharf was perceived as very wealthy, modern and business focused but very clinical and, as one interviewee mentioned, “soulless”. At Brick Lane, which although surprised some students by the level of graffiti and litter, they felt it had a real vibe - with a lot of students enjoying the vintage clothing, art, and book shops.

The cold weather also gave us the excuse to grab a hot chocolate or coffee while exploring. On return to school, students are now going to present, conclude and evaluate their findings to help them have revision materials to support their exam.