Dallam pupils help restore eroded Hest Bank saltmarsh
Some of our Year 9 students recently had the chance to take their geography learning out of the classroom and into the real world through a hands-on saltmarsh restoration project at Hest Bank.
The work grew out of our involvement in the Morecambe Bay Curriculum and a partnership between Ms Shanley and Dr Suzi Ilic of Lancaster University. Together, they developed a unit of work focused on one of our most important local environments: the salt marshes of Morecambe Bay.
In lessons, students explored what saltmarsh is, why it matters, where it is found, why it is under threat and how it can be restored. They then took that learning a step further by designing and creating their own nature-based solutions to help restore an eroded area of local saltmarsh.
During a workshop in school, students worked with Dr Ilic and a Lancaster University master’s student to build sediment traps using natural materials. They worked through the challenge of designing and weaving their structures, adapting their ideas and making them work with the materials and time they had available. They then travelled to Hest Bank, where they deployed some of their structures.
Saltmarsh is an important part of the Morecambe Bay ecosystem. It helps store carbon, filter pollutants, support wildlife and protect the coastline from erosion. At Hest Bank, the saltmarsh has been heavily eroded over time.
Ms Shanley said:
“The opportunity to work with Lancaster University and the Morecambe Bay Curriculum team has been invaluable. It has allowed our students to go beyond learning about geographical issues in theory and instead work alongside people who are actively tackling those challenges. That has made their learning more relevant, more empowering and more connected to the place where they live.”
The project aligns closely with the aims of the Morecambe Bay Curriculum, which encourages students to connect geographical knowledge with sustainability, local place, and real-world problem-solving. It is also designed to help young people feel that they can make a difference in the face of environmental change, rather than simply learning about it in theory.
Students are now reflecting on the project in lessons, considering how the saltmarsh may continue to change over time, what further actions could support its restoration, and how their own work might be monitored in the future.
Ms Shanley concluded:
“This is the first time many of our students have been able to take part in an activity where they can revisit a site to see the positive impact they are having on the environment. A lot of fieldwork involves seeing, studying and measuring, but this time they have the chance to enact real change.”
