#635: Getting ready

I mentioned the podcast with Mary Colwell in the previous post.

In this podcast she describes her thoughts on when it should be launched..

I’m absolutely convinced it should be launched when it’s ready to be launched. And much as after this long and rather torturous journey, it looks like now being a reality, I think it would be a great mistake to rush it through. I think what we need to do is get everything right. We need to get really good textbooks written.

We need to get really good support materials out to teachers. I would love to see a whole bank, a sort of library of the country’s greatest naturalists giving lessons on whatever turns up in the syllabus. So you’d have Tim Birkhead talking about seabirds. You know, you’d have the perfect people to teach young people about whatever is in the syllabus.

Now, that’s gonna take time, and that will take time to develop well. I think let’s now take our time, get it right, get schools feeling confident and teachers feeling confident that they’re supported enough to teach it, and then we launch it out onto the world.

If it’s rushed through, it has the danger of being a little bit shoddy, a bit insubstantial. It won’t fire the young people’s imaginations about what natural history is. The biggest problem we have is that most people have forgotten what natural history is. They think it’s about climate change and sustainability. We’ve forgotten that it’s about animals and plants, creatures. It’s about the living world around us and knowing that living world intimately, and that takes time to develop those materials because they’ve been lost. They need to be brought back together again and presented in exciting and enticing ways that make natural history such a relevant subject going forward in their lives.

She goes on to say:

I would love to see a greater connection between natural history, as in the studying the subject, and the connection out to all the other parts of life. All the art, the music, the poetry, the literature, the history, the geography, the mathematics. Everything that we do can be traced back to nature, can be traced back to the forms, the sounds, the sights, and the wonder of the natural world.

And the more that nature is put into this much broader context of the human experience of being a living, breathing mammal in this extraordinary planet, the more we can make our relationship with nature evident everywhere in our drama, in everything that we do, then I think that will just slowly build the awe and wonder, which is what sustains all of life.

Caroline Lucas also describes access to green spaces...

We know that access to green space in England and Wales is hugely unequally spread, and we know that people from lower income backgrounds, people from ethnic backgrounds and so forth, are far less likely to have access to green space.

So it feels to me that we need to do far more to make sure in the development and planning space that we build in access to green space right from the start.

#630: Insectageddon

A page from the current issue of the 'Geographical' magazine on the decline in insects which spells trouble for many ecosystems as they a crucial part of the food web.

I have a subscription to this magazine, and it would be a useful source for those planning to teach GCSE Natural History.

#623: Big Butterfly Count

The Big Butterfly Count is now underway. Organised by the Butterfly Conservation charity, this is an annual Citzen Science opportunity for students. 

This starts in mid July - some schools will still be working, but this may need to be set as a holiday (or perhaps a pre-task for those who will be starting their GCSE courses in the following September - or between Years 10 and 11)

We will be aiming to produce a resource of this nature - a sort of summer preparation pack of activities to help introduce some key natural history skills for students so they can get up to speed with what to expect.

Download a butterfly ID check sheet here. (PDF download)

I'll be taking part between now and the end date in August.

#615: OPAL

The OPAL resources are hosted by Imperial College.

I have several of these in physical format.

OPAL is the Open Air Laboratory.

Check them out

#521: National Tree Week 2025

The resource pack from the Tree Council for this year's National Tree Week has been made available as a PDF download via this link.

The week itself runs from the 22nd to the 30th of November.

By the way, for an excellent book on British woodlands check out 'British Woodland' by Ray Mears. A lovely book! It's in my library...

#500: Still waiting...

When I started this blog back in January 2023 it looked like we might have a draft specification for the GCSE Natural History fairly quickly... we had had the original draft consultation and OCR were taking up the task of developing some resources and other support materials.

Image: Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license

A new specification would need all the related documents, including sample assessment materials (SAMS), materials and training for teachers who might be considering teaching the course, a textbook perhaps and support for schools who might decide to go with a new and unknown course, compared with a subject like Geography which was well known and had all the support materials in place already (presumably). 

With the fieldwork that is going to be involved in the new qualification, this was going to need some additional thinking and this may also be one factor influencing schools given the cost of some fieldwork.

The National Education Nature Park has done a lot of work in this area promoting local and school-based work.

Still waiting then... and hoping that the next OCR Consultative Forum meeting may offer some news...  although unfortunately it's been scheduled for a day I can't make.

#459: Kate's Green London Toolkit - free to download

Some new resources from Kate Stockings as part of her role as a National Park Ranger for the London National Park City. She has looked at a number of projects which aim to make London greener, healthier and wilder.

She has produced five fact files of these projects helping to make London greener, healthier and wilder. 

They are part of the Toolkit for Educators.

#416: Norfolk Wildlife Trust - case study

I think a useful focus for some of the work that goes on once the new course is taught will involve the work of the many Wildlife Trusts that there are in the UK.

These are often based on activity within counties. It may be worth checking whether you have a local Wildlife Trust.

I have put together a list of the Wildife Trusts - and a link through to a website where you can visit them easily. Along with that, I've put together a case study of my local Wildlife Trust.

I have just received my new membership card and parking permit for my local wildlife trust for 2024-5. I thought it might be worth adding a case study.

Case Study: Norfolk Wildlife Trust

I've got quite a few pictures of Norfolk Wildlife Trust locations as well, which will be in the Flickr folder of images I'm creating - all CC licensed for teachers who will perhaps need to create their own resources as they may not have the budget for class sets of any official textbook that emerges - and there is likely to be at least one of course.

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust's website is here.

The trust was actually the first local wildlife trust to be founded.

The original land was at Cley next the Sea in North Norfolk. This is the NWT Reserve I have visited the most over the years that I have lived in the county.

It had previously been used for wildfowling: the shooting of wild fowl such as geese.

Duck decoys can still be seen marked on local maps. Where is your nearest duck decoy?

Like all Trusts, they publish an annual Impact Report - these would make useful resources to interrogate to see the sort of work that is carried out to develop and protect habitats.

The most recent Imapct Report for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust is here.

Their 2023 strategy is called Wilder Norfolk for All.

#369: Back to School for the National Education Nature Park

...for the second year of this project... plenty of things planned during the year ahead...

They have launched a Hidden Nature Challenge to be completed in October, with a chance to win some prizes.

#364: Sycamore Gap: a GA resource

A new(ish) resource which can be accessed and used by members of the Geographical Association. I am considering adding a section of this to my teaching this year.

Sycamore Gap is a significant landmark in Northumberland where three distinct features combined: a natural and dramatic dip in the physical landscape about halfway along the 80-mile run of Hadrian’s Wall, itself an ancient monument and reminder of the power of the Roman Empire, and until recently, a lone, 300-year-old Sycamore tree. The site has UNESCO designation and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Arguably, it will still be known as Sycamore Gap because of its story.

The tree has stood for hundreds of years, perfectly framed by the landscape, thrilling locals and visitors alike until it was deliberately cut down, under cover of darkness, sometime between the evening of 27 September 2023 and the following morning. 

The loss of the tree has caused an outcry and reaction of public grief.

These materials are designed to help children think about some of the issues this story raises. What do they know about Sycamore Gap? Where is it? Have they been there? Why and how do certain landmarks hold such meaning? What is the cultural impact of this and other significant landmarks on our lives? Whose place is this? Who decides what happens here?

While these materials provide a relevant and current context for developing geographical substantive, disciplinary and procedural knowledge, they also model how you might investigate other landmarks with particular significance to your own local community and landscape and the emotions they engender in people.

Complete Materials:PowerPoint
Teachers Notes
Photo Activity
Individual Resource Pages:

Sycamore Gap 1: What’s the geography story?
Sycamore Gap 2: What can images and maps tell us about landmarks?
Sycamore Gap 3: Why can we see so many stars?
Sycamore Gap 4: Changing views
Sycamore Gap 5: How do we feel about it?
Sycamore Gap 6: A Gap in the landscape
Sycamore Gap 7: Why should we value trees?
Sycamore Gap 8: What would be your ‘tree of the year’?
Sycamore Gap 9: Change
Sycamore Gap 10: How do we fill the Gap?


Thanks to Steve Rawlinson, Tessa Willy, Sharon Witt and Margaret Mackintosh for feedback, edits and ideas.

#349: Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts

A new (to me) YouTube channel features a number of short videos produced by Bill Sutherland.

Each video explores a different ecological concept.

For example, here is a video on Fens.

Notes included:

Fen are groundwater-fed, base-rich habitats. 

They arise where rainwater permeates spongy calcium-rich rocks, resulting in mineral-rich water. Calcium carbonate dissolves to produce bicarbonate, which acts as a pH buffer, keeping the pH neutral. Where the water table in the ground intercepts the ground level the water comes out as springs or seeps into the fen. So fens are wet, ground-fed, base-rich habitats. The seeping water moves slowly so the soil surface has little oxygen- is anaerobic- so the vegetation rots slowly forming peat. This, in turn, means fens are low in the key nutrients of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, as these are locked up in the peat. The calcium can also bind the available phosphorus reducing the fertility further. The fen community includes specialist plants that tolerate low oxygen conditions, calcium carbonate deposits and low nutrient availability. The diversity in geology, hydrology, topology, fertility and disturbance results in a mix of open water, low habitats, dense vegetation and woodland, which provides a huge diversity of habitats and species. Cutting vegetation and grazing no doubt have kept habitats open whilst peat digging has created many habitats we now consider important. Once drained, these well irrigated, base-rich, high organic content soils are attractive for farming. Hence less than 1% of fens remain. The remaining sites are complex to manage. Maintaining the hydrology, water quality and disturbance is key. 

Filmed at Thelnetham Fen, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, reserve.

#290: British Ecological Society

The British Ecological Society is one of the organisations which students may be introduced to.

The BES has an educational section of its website of course called 'Learning and Resources'.

This includes a range of useful materials.

We will add this to our list of relevant organisations that teachers may engage with.

Ecology will be a big part of the final specification.

#256: Fieldwork resources - every Friday

Chloë Searl is an independent field studies tutor on the Isle of Wight. She also works as a CPD consultant, examiner and award-winning resources writer. 

She is also the current Chair of the Fieldwork and Outdoor Learning Special Interest Group of the Geographical Association. 

You can follow their Twitter feed on the link below.
@GAFOLSIG

Each Friday she shares a resource linked to fieldwork, and several of these have the potential to be put to use to those teaching the GCSE Natural History. This week's resource is a useful sheet that can be used to assess the human impact on ecosystems and habitats in an area.

This is sheet #93, so it's probably worth checking back through the feed for previous resources, or check the website.

🌍🔍#FridayFieldwork

Every Friday I showcase a resource which might make planning and delivering geography fieldwork a little easier. This week...

Human Impact Survey (Ecosystems and Habitats)https://t.co/SybBwsW1SJ pic.twitter.com/hCoGoka5Wv

— The Island Geographer (@theislandgeogr) March 8, 2024

#230: 'Geographical' Magazine

When the draft specification (finally) emerges, there will be a need to resource it for the teachers who are going to teach it. This will need to be done with some urgency.

One option that should be considered by those who have back issues of relevant journals is to revisit those to identify suitable articles. 

One such journal is the RGS-IBG's 'Geographical' magazine. 

I've had a departmental subscription for many years.

In many issues there is an article which is linked to some of the likely themes in the new specification, and as they are written for a general audience, this is going to be of value to both staff and students. A limited amount of content is also on the website.

You can also arrange for a subscription to print or digital. The digital option includes access to an archive of past issues. This would be a particularly valuable way to build up a library of suitable articles.

#223: Forestry and Land Scotland

Forestry and Land Scotland is an organisation which has a broad remit, and manages land in Scotland. They have a LEARN section on their website, which contains some useful resources which may well be of value for those teaching the new specification.

These include the following:

- an ID guide to help identify Scotland's tree species

- the lifcycle of a piece of wood from seedling to finished product - exploring the various products from forestry may be relevant

- Scotland's heritage

- activity sheets

There's also a Future Forest podcast.

#217: Hedgelink

Hedgelink is a useful site to go to for anyone teaching about the value of hedgerows.

Hedgelink brings together organisations and individuals with a love of hedgerows. We share knowledge and ideas to encourage and inspire everyone to take action to manage, protect and conserve our hedgerows for the future.

They provide a range of resources on the value of hedgerows, which are not always guaranteed to remain where they have been for (potentially) centuries. There is plenty of information elsewhere on the importance of hedges in creating the enclosures of land and marking boundaries.

They have a Hedge Hub with all related resources. This CPRE guide is a useful one, for example, as it describes the techniques for investigating the origins and age of hedgerows by looking at the variety of plant species they contain. This might include an investigation into Hooper's Rule for ageing a hedge.

Wikipedia explains more

Hooper's rule (named for Dr. Max Hooper) is based on ecological data obtained from hedges of known age, and suggests that the age of a hedge can be roughly estimated by counting the number of woody species counted in a thirty-yard distance and multiplying by 110 years.

Max Hooper published his original formula in the book Hedges in 1974. This method is only a rule of thumb, and can be off by a couple of centuries; it should always be backed up by documentary evidence, if possible, and take into account other factors. Caveats include the fact that planted hedgerows, hedgerows with elm, and hedgerows in the north of England tend not to follow the rule as closely. The formula also does not work on hedges more than a thousand years old. 

The founding father of contemporary Local Studies W.G. Hoskins, also pointed out that the number and types of species vary from county to county, which casts further doubt on Hooper’s Rule as an accurate dating tool. So unless it can be verified with historic records, it cannot stand alone.

Hooper's scheme is important not least for its potential use in determining what an important hedgerow is, given their protection in The Hedgerows Regulations (1997; No. 1160) of the Department of the Environment, based on age and other factors.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedge

Hedges are of particular significance in the landscape in Devon - see link here (PDF download)

#209: Plantlife

Plantlife is one of the organisations which will be on the list we will create, identifying websites of groups which may well prove useful for teachers preparing to teach the new specification.

The organisation has the following Mission:

Our mission is to secure a world rich in wild plants and fungi.

Wild plants and fungi underpin the health of our environment. They can help us to resolve the climate, ecological and societal challenges which we face.

Protecting them will lead to a world full of colour, beauty and life while allowing the plants and the animals which depend on them to thrive.

Those teaching the specification might be interested in their strategy document. There are opportunities for schools to get involved in their work.

The Advice and Learning section of the website is worth visiting too.

This includes a learning section to help identify plants and fungi with an illustrated database of plants and fungi which are searchable on a number of criteria.

There is also a Meadows Hub giving advice on how to manage this sort of ecosystem. I have blogged about this separately.

#156: Fungi 4 Schools

I imagine that many people will be turning to a legacy website produced by the UK Mycological Society when it comes to learning about fungi. 

It was produced by David Moore and despite the 'old-fashioned' look, still has a wealth of information by following the links.

They have a GCSE age student resource page, which has a series of useful materials.

Explore the World of Fungi.

I discovered some really useful activities.

What's your Favourite Fungus? for example.

There's a Supermarket Challenge activity which I will probably update as well.

#146: Wildlife and Countryside Link

The Wildlife and Countyside Link is a website which draws together a growing number of wildlife organisations. There are 80 organisations at the time of posting... which as you can see is an increase on when I took the original screenshot below...

There is likely to be a focus on wildlife in the new specification, and the work that they do. 

Many of these organisations have also previously expressed support for the GCSE Natural History.

Wildlife and Countryside Link's members are here and there is an overlap with the supporters information on the OCR Hub.

A report is also mentioned on the home page currently as part of a campaign.

New analysis suggests that without major change the Government will miss its landmark pledge to protect 30% of the land and sea for nature.

Three years after the pledge was made (28 September 2020), the charities say Government has made:

1. No progress in protecting more of the land and sea for nature
2. No progress in improving the condition of existing protected sites
3. No progress in policy changes needed to support future improvements

Almost three-quarters of Brits (73%) do not have confidence that the government will meet its commitment to meet 30x30 or its target to stop the decline of wildlife (73%).

The page currently has a header describing the new Nature2030 Campaign.

#69: Linnean Learning

Linnean Learning is a website and Twitter account which shares resources created by the Linnean Society.

Their three Linnaeus-inspired values are:

1. Going outside and exploring in nature makes us happy and healthy
2. Our understanding of the natural world requires recording and sharing
3. Learning about life on Earth is vital to sustaining its future

They have both Primary and Secondary sections.

There is a selection of animated videos which some will find helpful when putting together a library of YouTube clips, particularly useful for homework tasks, or prior viewing ahead of a lesson where a new idea is going to be introduced.

This resource is listed in a directory of resources which are being prepared as part of the suite of unofficial resources that I am currently working on in anticipation of the release of the specification at some point.

What other websites do you think might form part of such a resource?