The Class of 2026!

This July, we were joined by four Year-12 students, from across Devon and the UK, for their work experience. Read on to learn about what they got up to during their week with us...

Byron's Week

I was lucky enough to spend my work experience week at Wembury Marine Centre, where I hoped to broaden my knowledge and understanding of marine science.

Across the course of the week I took part in three Shoresearch surveys, where we would go out onto the rockpools and try to find (and photograph) as many species as possible. Along with teaching me how to ID each species we found, it opened my eyes to many of the tiny creatures I used to completely miss, such as brightly coloured sea slugs or beautifully striped squat lobsters.

On top of this, I was able to help out with two separate school groups where we took them on Rockpool Safaris across the intertidal zone. Additionally, we used beach scavenger hunts as an excuse to teach them all about the different seaweeds strewn across the strandline before taking them back up to the centre, where we helped them make bookmarks out of their finds.

A blue and white cyanotype showing the outlines of various seaweeds.

Another part I enjoyed about the week was the cyanotype workshop I was able to both take part in and help to run. We were taught some of the logistical side of the workshop before we went out and gathered different dry seaweeds and plants to use ourselves. We arranged them on specially treated cyanotype paper which, when exposed to sunlight, turns a deep blue, leaving the parts covered with our finds bright white, creating a sort of photograph!

For the final day of the week we got to take part in a snorkel safari, where I found a sea cucumber, a cuttlefish and one person even saw a Conger eel, though it slipped away before I could spot it!