An interview with the Field Studies Council
To find out more about how students can benefit from field studies school trips, we spoke to Mel Cousins at the Field Studies Council about how immersive outdoor education benefits children, and helps teachers inspire their class about the natural world.
What are your most popular courses with Schools?
FSC is probably best known for our A level and GCSE fieldwork – half of geography A level students visit one of our field centres and one in four of A level biology students.
We have also been working hard to offer exciting experiences for lower key stages too and last year welcomed over 20,000 primary school pupils.
I hear your tutors are experts in their fields, what kind of training and qualifications do they have?
We have carefully developed a team of gifted field teachers who have a real passion for the outdoors so they can bring it to life for students. All our tutors must have a relevant degree in something like geography or biology. Trainees at FSC spend longer in training than some spend in their entire employment at other organisations! Then throughout their career they must remain up to date with skills like first aid and relevant subject training.
FSC centres also hold the LOtC Quality Badge which means we have been assessed and deemed to provide high quality teaching, as well as managing risk effectively.
What are the most valuable skills that students will learn on a visit to the Field Studies Council?
Everything we do is centred on first hand experiences. Depending on the course attended students will develop a host of relevant practical skills from measuring river flow to spotting their friends on a ropes course. These skills will relate closely to curriculum requirements and often help with exams when students often find it easier to write about something they have actually done.
Experiences at FSC centres also help with skills like teamwork, confidence, assessing risk and independence. Even within the centre on residential courses where young people are expected to make their own packed lunches and tidy up after mealtimes – everything helps them to grow and learn as individuals.
Is it just field studies that you offer? And what areas of the national curriculum can you cover?
Although we have a lot of experience in field studies FSC also offers a wide variety of adventure and exploration courses – anything which will inspire young people about the natural world. We cover a whole range of national curriculum subjects including geography, biology, maths, history, English, arts and physical education.
We find increasingly that schools and colleges are looking for courses tailored to their needs – which we can work with teachers to create.
What is your most popular location and why do you think that is?
Each FSC centre is different and schools all have their own favourite so it’s hard to pick one! For geography Blencathra, located on the slope of a mountain in Cumbria, is hard to beat in terms of views with its dramatic panorama over the Lake District, but for studying sea life Dale Fort on a coastal peninsular in Pembrokeshire is perfect with just a few steps from the centre to the rocky shore.
Having a choice of 18 locations around the UK helps schools pick the one that is most suitable for them.
How do you think hands on field study experiences are more valuable than classroom based learning?
We hear all the time that visits to FSC have been memorable experiences for students and teachers. Being immersed in a subject on a trip really helps with understanding, and having one of our field teachers delivering courses enables school teachers to observe and assist students in a way not possible when they are teaching in the classroom.
Our courses are designed to complement work back in the classroom and also to inspire children and young people about the natural world, taking in its sights, sounds and smells and getting their hands dirty.
Here are some comments from students and teachers who visited last year:
"River transportation came up in the exam, I just sat there and pictured Juniper Hall and the river tillingbourne.. it made that question really easy"
"Students came away from the course with a real hands-on experience of ecology, and this is benefitting them in their final A level year as they are showing a much deeper understanding of this topic."
"The weekend was great. It helped me to really understand and 'bring to life' what I learnt in the classroom from textbooks."
Field Studies Council Amersham
44
Set in South Buckinghamshire, within the Chiltern Hills, visit Amersham Field Centre for fun and engaging primary or secondary one day outdoor field trips for geography or science.
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Field Studies Council Amersham
Margam Discovery Centre
38.5
Visit this centre set in the Margam Country Park, surrounded by beautiful parkland to explore. With easy access to a wide variety of field sites it is an excellent base for fun outdoor activities, geography and biology trips at all ages.
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Margam Discovery Centre
Nettlecombe Court Field Centre
41
Field Studies Council Nettlecombe Court has excellent access to the Somerset coast as well as Exmoor National Park and The Quantocks Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Visit for fun outdoor activities, geography and biology trips at all ages.
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Nettlecombe Court Field Centre
Bushcraft with the Field Studies Council
41
Experience amazing outdoor locations at Field Studies Council’s network of UK Centres. Our courses are all focused on students being immersed in the natural world. They also make use of the beautiful surroundings including using bushcraft skills.
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Bushcraft with the Field Studies Council
Dale Fort FIeld Centre
41
Dale Fort is set in a spectacular location high on the cliffs within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, giving superb views over the sea. It has access to a wide range of sites for biology, geography and adventure activities at all ages.
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Dale Fort FIeld Centre
International Baccalaureate Diploma
41
Residential fieldwork created specifically for International Baccalaureate Diploma students in geography, biology and ESS. Field Studies Council has a network of UK Centres to choose from, many with easy transport links for UK and major airports.
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International Baccalaureate Diploma
Slapton Ley Field Centre
37.5
Slapton Ley Field Centre is located within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to field sites in Dartmoor National Park and urban centres in Plymouth and Torbay. Visit for residential geography and biology trips at all ages
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Slapton Ley Field Centre
London Field Sites
44
Field Studies Council uses sites across London including parks and urban spaces to deliver exciting fieldwork and outdoor learning day trips. We work in partnership with The Royal Parks and the London Borough of Lewisham at some of these locations.
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London Field Sites
Juniper Hall Field Centre
41
Located in Surrey, Juniper Hall field centre is easy to reach but surrounded by the beautiful countryside of Box Hill. Visit for fun filled residential outdoor activity, geography and biology trips for all ages.
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Juniper Hall Field Centre
Preston Montford Field Centre
41
Preston Montford has easy access to a wide range of sites from the South Shropshire Hills AONB, to Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, Ludlow, Birmingham and Snowdonia. Visit for fun outdoor activities, geography and biology trips at all ages.
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Preston Montford Field Centre
Millport Field Centre
41
Field Studies Council Millport has purpose-built accommodation and teaching spaces which provide an excellent base for a range of courses. Just 10 minutes by ferry from the mainland. Great base for fun outdoor activities, biology and geography trips....
Millport Field Centre
Castle Head FIeld Centre
41
With easy access to both the coastline of Morecambe Bay, the glaciated uplands of the southern Lake District and the lakes of Windermere and Coniston, FSC Castle Head is ideally situated for a wide range of field studies and adventurous activities.
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Castle Head FIeld Centre
Bishops Wood Field Centre
44
Surrounded by stunning ancient woodland Bishops Wood has a unique and sustainable centre building. It offers a range of fun and engaging primary or secondary one day outdoor field trips for geography, science and history.
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Bishops Wood Field Centre
Field Studies Council - London South East
44
Five fantastic locations in the South East offering fieldwork for all ages to bring the curriculum to life. The choice of day and residential centres include a huge range of excellent urban and rural field sites from Box Hill to Bushy Park.
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Field Studies Council - London South East
Epping Forest field centre
44
Epping Forest field centre, is situated in the heart of Epping Forest, an area of around 2,400 hectares of wood-pasture. Visit Epping Forest for fun and engaging primary or secondary one day outdoor field trips in London
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Epping Forest field centre
Flatford Mill field centre
41
Visit Flatford Mill field centre for fun residential geography and biology trips at all ages. The centre was our first field study centre set up during the 1940’s, set amidst quintessentially English countryside of the Dedham Vale in Suffolk.
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Flatford Mill field centre
Rhyd-y-creuau Field Centre
41
Rhyd-y-creuau field centre is set in the beautiful, rugged landscape of the Snowdonia National Park, making it an inspiring and fun location for your school geography, biology or primary school trip.
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Rhyd-y-creuau Field Centre
Blencathra FIeld Centre
41
Blencathra occupies a dramatic setting at 300m up the south facing slope of Blencathra with an unparalleled panorama across the Lake District National Park. Visit for residential geography and biology trips at all ages.
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Blencathra FIeld Centre
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