PCF’s education programme works across projects to engage learners of all ages with sustainable development and well-being around our coasts. We make education an integral part of our projects and work closely with coastal organisations, businesses and individuals to offer learners a variety of educational resources and experiences.
Coastal Curriculum for Schools
The Coastal Curriculum is our schools’ programme and seeks to inspire futures generations about our coast.
- We work closely with teachers to create activities that meet the needs of the new curriculum and learners.
- We work in partnership with coastal experts from a range of organisations to give learners a genuine insight into the challenges of sustainable management of our coast.
- We promote coastal careers especially those linked to STEM subjects.
See the Coastal Challenge Days for further information including examples of visits to the coast.
We believe it is really important for learners to visit our coast so they can engage with the issues and the people who are involved first hand. We are also committed to the responsible use of our coastline and the benefits of spending time there for health and well being, and make sure we build opportunity for this into our visits.
Why PCF?
PCF was established to deliver Integrated Coastal Zone Management for the coast of Pembrokeshire and beyond. Educating the next generation is a core part of guaranteeing a sustainable future of our coastline and its communities. PCF’s independent stance with a large network of stakeholders put us in a unique position to provide engaging experiences for learners incorporating different perspectives on the future of our coast.
Our Coastal Curriculum programme is a free programme for schools and reflects the diverse nature of PCF’s work relating to coastal issues and opportunities. We work with primary schools, secondary schools and further education. Our programme is flexible so we can develop activities to meet the needs of the learners in a particular setting and we work closely with teachers to establish what is needed.
Tavernspite Primary School visited Amroth Beach
Pupils from Tavernspite Primary School visited Amroth Beach to investigate climate change and sea defences. With the help of a Coastal Defence expert they measured sea defences and worked out the cost of different types of sea wall. They were able to measure current sea levels and the impact of sea level rise and storm forcing on the village. With PCF education staff pupils also investigated the village’s coal mining past, the impact of coastal processes and see evidence of changing sea levels in the cliffs and the remnants of an ancient forest visible at low tide.
Milford Haven Secondary School Renewable Energy
PCF in partnership with the Darwin Experience organised field trips for Milford Haven School Y7 science classes studying renewable energy. We worked with several companies visited a commercial-scale wind turbine situated close to the school and met with the site manager (and former pupil at the school), who told them about the turbine and her career in renewable energy. Pupils then visited Marine Power Systems’ WaveSub’ device in Milford Haven Marina. This is a wave energy device that has recently been tested out at sea off the coast of Cornwall. It was back from testing and pupils met with the test engineer who explained how the device worked, his role in the development and showed them prototype components. Back in school pupils were challenged to investigate the power output for different size turbine blades on a model wind turbine. They conducted their experiment and presented their findings to the rest of the class.
“Thanks for the time and the expert input. The team were really engaging and the students responded with enthusiasm. Work was pitched perfectly -so the students were confident to explore complex concepts” – Milford Haven Secondary School
Waldo Williams School visit to Broad Haven
Waldo Williams School in Haverfordwest visited Broad Haven beach on a Coastal Challenge Day. The theme of the day was “Human impact on the environment”. Pupils met with Pembrokeshire Coast National Park area ranger Chris Taylor to explore nature on the coast path, the work of the National Park Authority in keeping the area special, and his work in the clean-up following the recent loss of shipping containers close to Pembrokeshire. PCF staff and pupils used nitrate test kits to investigate the water quality of the stream on the beach. In the afternoon pupils did a litter pick on the beach and public areas in the village and compared what they found in the two areas.
