Cranford Review 2016

Seven Sisters Country Park Field Trip
During Activities Week seven staff took various groups of students from year 7, 8, 9 & 10
to Seven Sisters Country Park near Seaford. This trip arose from work we have been doing
in geography and our main aim was to try and build on work we have completed with all
geography students in their lessons and introduce a practical element to increase understanding.
We began each trip by walking up a nearby hill to get a view of the nearby meander along the
river followed by a walk down onto the beach at which point we would have lunch followed by a
demonstration of longshore drift using oranges which showed the direction of the current on the beach.
Once completed, we walked further along the beach to the chalk cliffs and demonstrated the type of
geology that made up the cliffs, in this case chalk which is a soft rock. The students were amazing
and really engaged with all aspects of the trip. We were really fortunate to have good weather which
made the experience even more fun.
Gerry Lee (Geography Department)
Building Norman Castles
During Activities Week, the History Department offered an activity to students involving the
building of a model Norman castle.
Students spent the morning recapping the events of the Norman Conquest in 1066 before looking
at how and why the Normans used castles. We examined the shocking fact that motte and bailey castles
were used to control the Anglo-Saxons and stop rebellions against William I. We even managed to
explore a 3D virtual simulation of a motte and bailey
castle which helped students to understand just how
they were constructed.
In the afternoon students were challenged to use their
creativity to make a motte and bailey castle out of
cardboard and paper. The picture shows how their hard
work paid off, as our castle was historically accurate
and even featured a working drawbridge.
Henry Burke (History Department)
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