Stratford for Urban Fieldwork

July 2024
As my 9th year of teaching draws to an end, I’ve lost count of the number of field trips that I’ve done to Stratford, East London. In my role as HOD it was always our destination for urban fieldwork at GCSE (with visits at A-Level too) and in my current role as Trust Lead, I visit with 5 of our 7 schools. Periodically I see fellow geography teachers arguing online that we should move on from Stratford as a location for urban fieldwork; that with the London 2012 Olympics no longer part of students’ lived experience that we should look for new locations instead. Additionally, some people argue that staff and students have “had enough” of visiting Stratford. In this blog, I’m wanted to talk about how, and why, I continue to use Stratford for fieldwork and share some ideas and thoughts to consider for this location.

Let’s start with some arguments that we should move on from Stratford. As is obvious from my continued visits, I disagree with this. Yes, as teachers we visit year after year but each time I take a GCSE cohort to Stratford, for the vast majority, it is their first time in the area and their first time seeing the Olympic Park development. Whilst the London Olympics might not have been experienced by students, it’s clear when visiting the area that this was the catalyst for vast and much broader regeneration. Each time I visit the skyline of Stratford has changed again and the regeneration continues apace. We may be 15 years into the transform of the area but there’s plenty more to come (including the Carpenters Estate- more on that below). Whilst there are plenty of other options of regeneration in London to study, few have the significance of what has occurred in Stratford. This graphic is excellent for showing this visually (screenshot from lessons below).

Kings Cross, Battersea Power Station and Brent Cross Town are other popular options in London but personally, for me, these are better as A-Level locations. What makes Stratford so well-suited for GCSE fieldwork is the stark contrast between the ‘old’ and the ‘new’. Whether your investigation is focusing on the success of regeneration, inequality or deprivation, the contrast between the East Village and other areas such as the Carpenters Estate allows for rich geographical conversations and comparisons. In my experience, this stark contrast is particularly powerful for lower ability students for whom the different areas are distinct and thus memorable- advantageous for when they have to recall their fieldwork in GCSE exams.

When it comes to secondary data, few regeneration projects (currently) compare with the wealth of data that is available for Stratford. The 2011 census took place before anyone had moved into the East Village but by the time of the 2021 census, it was home to thousands. The data available for the area is thus invaluable and another reason to use it for fieldwork.

So, how do I run fieldwork in Stratford? Well, over the years I’ve used various different models and areas but my current model for GCSE is a comparison between the East Village and the Carpenters Estate. This won’t be possible for too much longer as regeneration on the Carpenters Estate begins shortly after 20 years of uncertainty. However, for the time-being, my top tips and ideas for using Stratford for urban fieldwork are given below:

1. Stress the significance of the regeneration of this area when explaining the rationale for visiting Stratford. The Olympics feel a lifetime (or longer!) ago to students and so I’m finding it increasingly important to explicitly set the scene of how 2012 kickstarted regeneration in this area and just how significant the change has been. As above, this graphic is excellent for that.

2. Personally, I’d argue strongly that questionnaires should not be used as a data collection method. This is partly because of the number of schools that we know use the East Village and Carpenters Estate comparison and therefore the (understandable) reluctance of local people to answer student questionnaires. Imagine living locally and knowing that every day of the working week you risk crossing paths with a student asking you what you think of the area… irritating, right? However, more seriously, I think it’s raises questions about ethical fieldwork. After all, what are we expecting will be the answers given in the Carpenters Estate? That residents and local people will acknowledge how run-down areas of the estate are? That local people will acknowledge the poor environmental quality and lack of investment into the green spaces and housing in recent years? Personally, this doesn’t sit comfortably with me, and I think we have plenty of other options for high quality data collection without questionnaires.

3. This one will sound obvious to many but based on the comments I overhear from some; I don’t think we should assume anything… Before entering the Carpenters Estate, explicitly talk to students about their volume and language when walking around. In my opinion, students should be explicitly reminded that these are people’s homes and that there is a community that live here. Yes, students will likely argue that the quality of housing and environmental quality is lower than that of the East Village but they need to watch the comments they’re making as they walk around- and this sometimes goes for staff too!

4. Building on the above, encourage students to look critically at the regeneration of the East Village and stress the sense of community in the Carpenters Estate. There are lots of resources to help with this but be sure to build in a reading of the ‘Support Wall’ into your walk. It’s also worth pointing out the community gardens and newly painted mural on the estate to students too.  

5. To achieve the above, I would advise that, where possible, students walk in small, supervised groups around the Carpenters Estate. So many school groups use it now that we must think about our impact. I long ago stopped allowing students to wander freely around for their data collection and instead we do it in a far more structured way- ensuring that I can encourage the criticality mentioned above.

An example booklet for GCSE fieldwork in Stratford can be downloaded here. Hopefully this blog has given you some food for thought about using Stratford for fieldwork but all comments, additional ideas and suggestions welcome!