William Farr School in Welton is a near neighbour to ALNR, and for a couple of years the A Level Geography students have used the Reserve as part of the practice for their coursework requirements.

This is what they said:

On April 24th, 2025, A-level Geography students from William Farr School visited Ashing Lane Woodland as part of our practice NEA (Non-Examined Assessment) preparation and fieldwork days.

The focus of our study was to compare managed versus unmanaged woodlands. We began our day at Willingham Woods, where we collected data using a range of fieldwork techniques. We then moved on to the coppiced woodland in the Co-Op Wood at Ashing Lane to carry out the same methods for a fair comparison. Our data collection techniques included measuring soil pH, infiltration rates, light levels, carbon storage in trees, and species diversity. To study species diversity, we set up a 10x10m grid and used a random number generator to select three sets of coordinates. 

At each coordinate, we placed a quadrat and recorded the percentage cover of each plant species within it. Some of our findings included the fact that soil pH was slightly lower in the coppiced deciduous woodland (6.08) compared to the unmanaged deciduous woodland (6.16). Light levels were higher in the coppiced woodland compared to the unmanaged woodland, averaging around 14,577 lux and infiltration rates were quicker in Ashling Lane, taking on average 30 seconds less time than in the unmanaged woodland.

This fieldwork day gave us valuable hands-on experience with data collection techniques that we can use in our own NEAs and it also provided us with inspiration for possible investigation topics. We would like to sincerely thank everyone at Ashing Lane for allowing us to visit and sample the woodland. The experience has greatly supported our A-level studies and enhanced our understanding of real-world geographical research.
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Lucy Pepper, Lauren Stringer and Ruby Dawson – Year 12 Geography Ambassadors

Thanks for allowing us to use Ashing Lane as a site for our coursework practice and trials. The students had a great time and many of them are now choosing to develop their practice into physical, woodland based work.

Christopher Mattley, Geography Department, William Farr School