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What Is a Case Study?

When you’re performing research as part of your job or for a school assignment, you’ll probably come across case studies that help you to learn more about the topic at hand. But what is a case study and why are they helpful? Read on to learn all about case studies.

At face value, a case study is a deep dive into a topic. Case studies can be found in many fields, particularly across the social sciences and medicine. When you conduct a case study, you create a body of research based on an inquiry and related data from analysis of a group, individual or controlled research environment.

As a researcher, you can benefit from the analysis of case studies similar to inquiries you’re currently studying. Researchers often rely on case studies to answer questions that basic information and standard diagnostics cannot address.

Study a Pattern

One of the main objectives of a case study is to find a pattern that answers whatever the initial inquiry seeks to find. This might be a question about why college students are prone to certain eating habits or what mental health problems afflict house fire survivors. The researcher then collects data, either through observation or data research, and starts connecting the dots to find underlying behaviors or impacts of the sample group’s behavior.

Gather Evidence

During the study period, the researcher gathers evidence to back the observed patterns and future claims that’ll be derived from the data. Since case studies are usually presented in the professional environment, it’s not enough to simply have a theory and observational notes to back up a claim. Instead, the researcher must provide evidence to support the body of study and the resulting conclusions.

Present Findings

As the study progresses, the researcher develops a solid case to present to peers or a governing body. Case study presentation is important because it legitimizes the body of research and opens the findings to a broader analysis that may end up drawing a conclusion that’s more true to the data than what one or two researchers might establish. The presentation might be formal or casual, depending on the case study itself.

Draw Conclusions

Once the body of research is established, it’s time to draw conclusions from the case study. As with all social sciences studies, conclusions from one researcher shouldn’t necessarily be taken as gospel, but they’re helpful for advancing the body of knowledge in a given field. For that purpose, they’re an invaluable way of gathering new material and presenting ideas that others in the field can learn from and expand upon.

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Flood Management Scheme – Boscastle

A flood management scheme following the 2004 floods.

Why the Boscastle flood scheme required?

On the 16th August 2004, a devastating flood swept through Boscastle, a small village on the north Cornwall coast.

Very heavy rain fell in storms close to the village, with over 60mm of rainfall in two hours. The ground was already saturated due to above average rainfall during the previous two weeks. Combined with this the drainage basin has many steep slopes and there are areas of impermeable slate that led to rapid run-off. Boscastle is at the confluence (where tributaries meet) of three rivers – Valency, Jordan, and Paradise. About two billion litres of water then rushed down the valley straight into Boscastle within a short space of time causing the rivers to overflow. Additionally, the deluge of water coincided with a high tide.

As the flood happened so quickly local residents had little time to react. Cars were swept out to sea and buildings were badly damaged. Thankfully, no one lost their lives, which is largely due to a huge rescue operation involving helicopters. Million of pounds worth of damage was caused by the flood.

What was the management strategy?

In 2008 a flood management scheme for Boscastle was completed. The solution included both soft and hard engineering strategies.

The Environment Agency has made a considerable investment in flood defences in Boscastle to help prevent a similar flood happening in the future. Working with professional partners, more than £10 million of improvements were carried out. This included widening and deepening the Valency River, and installing a flood culvert to improve flow in the Jordan River.

River Valency Flood Management Scheme

The Met Office and Environment Agency have formed the first of several working partnerships, the Flood Forecasting Centre. Combining expertise in weather forecasting and hydrology has helped to prepare communities for flooding during times of extreme weather.

At the time of the floods, the operational forecast model had a resolution of 12 km, which was too large to be able to represent such a small scale collection of thunderstorms. Since 2004 the Boscastle case was re-run with a higher resolution research model which proved able to resolve the line of thunderstorms with much more accuracy and detail.

What are the social, economic and environmental issues?

Social issues.

The rebuilding projects and construction of flood defences took several years which meant the lives of local people were disrupted for sometime. The risk of flooding has been reduced making Boscastle safer. The defences would not protect against a flood the same size as the one in 2004. The new bridge is not popular with local people as it is out of character compared to the rest of the building.

Economic issues

The risk of flooding has been reduced. Therefore, there is less risk of damage to property and businesses. The flood-defence scheme cost over £4 million. However, the scheme could have been significantly better, though some options were too expensive.

Environmental issues

Biodiversity has improved as have the river habitats. Vegetation in the area is now managed.

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Boscastle Case Study – UK flash flood

The Boscastle Floods: August 16 th 2004.

• A hot day in August (16 th 2004)
• Really torrential thunderstorm 60 mms in two hours
• Really tall convectional clouds
• The remnants of Hurricane Alex

Valley shape

• Really steep sided deep valleys of the R. Valency and the R. Jordan
• The valleys funnel the water down towards Boscastle
• Small ‘flashy’ catchments that funnel water into rivers quickly. 23 sq. km.
• Rivers run off the high ground of Bodmin Moor (relief rainfall)
• Impermeable rocks (slates and granite) and clay soils
• Boscastle built beside the sea on a flood plain at the end of the narrow river valleys.
• Around 1000 residents and visitors are believed to have been affected in this devastating event.
•  Miraculously, there were no fatalities, with only 1 reported casualty – a broken thumb.
• 7 helicopters airlifted 100 people (including 6 firefighters) to safety.
• 29 out of the 31 Cornwall County Fire Brigade stations were involved in the incident. They remained at Boscastle for 7 days, assisting in the clean-up operation.
• 58 properties were flooded, 4 of which were demolished including The Visitor Centre,
• A further 40 properties were flooded in other villages
• 4 footbridges along the Valency Valley were washed away.
• 84 wrecked cars were recovered from Boscastle’s harbour and streets, 32 could still be out at sea.
• The infrastructure damage to buildings and services, could cost up to £2 million.

Future Prevention Measures

• Seen as very exceptional – once in 400 year event – so less need to act!
• No-one actually killed (unlike Lynmouth) – so less need to act!
• Most of the inhabitants of Boscastle are under no illusion, from past experience the village may well witness further floods in the future, but hopefully not on this scale.
• Preventative measures and improvements by the Environment Agency are already under way. They include a new culvert on the River Jordan, upstream of the Wellington Hotel, extending a further 80minto the River Valency.
• Discussions concerning flood risk management in the upper Valency catchment area were also taking place, but no conclusions have yet been reached on further works in Boscastle.

Test Yourself with the Boscastle game….click on the link below

Boscastle Game!!

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Case Study – Boscastle Floods

Floods devastate village.

On 16 August 2004, a devastating flood swept through the small Cornish village of Boscastle.

Very heavy rain fell in storms close to the village, causing two rivers to burst their banks. About two billion litres of water then rushed down the valley straight into Boscastle.

Residents had little time to react. Cars were swept out to sea, buildings were badly damaged and people had to act quickly to survive. Fortunately, nobody died – thanks largely to a huge rescue operation involving helicopters — but there was millions of pounds worth of damage.

Physical Impacts

Responses to the flooding, what happened to cause this event.

Flooding On the day of the flood, about 75mm of rain fell in two hours — the same amount that normally falls in the whole of August. Huge amounts of water from this sudden downpour flowed into two rivers, the Valency and Jordan (which flows into the Valency just above Boscastle). Both overflowed, and this caused a sudden rush of water to speed down the Valency — which runs through the middle of Boscastle.

Destruction of houses, businesses and gardens Floodwater gushed into houses, shops and pubs. Cars, walls and even bridges were washed away. The church was filled with six feet of mud and water. Trees were uprooted and swept into peoples’ gardens. The weight of water eroded river banks, damaged gardens and pavements.

Human Impacts There was a huge financial cost to the floods. This included:

• the rescue operation – involving helicopters, lifeboats, and the fire service.
• the loss of 50 cars
• damage to homes, businesses and land
• a loss of tourism, a major source of income for the area

The flooding also had several other key impacts on Boscastle and its inhabitants. These included:

• environmental damage to local wildlife habitats
• coastal pollution caused as debris and fuel from cars flowed out to sea.
• long-term disruption to the village, as a major rebuild project had to be carried out.
• long-term stress and anxiety to people traumatised by the incident.
• John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Prince Charles visited members of the emergency services and the local GP surgery, which acted as the emergency centre, in the days following the disaster.
• Prince Charles, who is the Duke of Cornwall, made a large donation to a fund to help rebuild parts of Boscastle.
• The Environment Agency is responsible for warning people about floods and reducing the likelihood of future floods. The Environment Agency has carried a major project to increase flood defences in Boscastle, with the aim of preventing a similar flood happening again.
• We are investing in new ways of predicting heavy rainfall events on a small scale to produce better warnings.

In Pictures

Weather chart

Radar imagery

Fig. 2 shows radar pictures at 12 p.m. (midday)  on 16 August.

The rainfall rate key shows how the colours in the image relate to the rate the rainfall is falling. For example, the red areas indicate that rain is falling at between eight and 16 mm per hour.

A line of very heavy rain starts at about 1 p.m. on the moors close to Boscastle. It remains over the area for about six hours. Rainfall rates of at least 32 mm per hour are being measured.

There is more about  rainfall radar  in the weather section of the Met Office website.

Satellite imagery Fig. 3 shows an animation of satellite pictures from 12 p.m. (midday) to 7 p.m. on 16 August.

The thickest cloud is shown by the brightest white areas on the picture. The pictures show cloud forming over Boscastle at about 1 p.m. and staying there for much of the afternoon.

Further information on other websites BBC News website covering the Boscastle flooding BBC News article – Boscastle one year on

Boscastle 16 August 2004 the day of the flood , 2006, Galvin, 61, 29

Web page reproduced with the kind permission of  the Met Office

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Paper 1: Physical Landscapes- Rivers

An overview of mountains and rivers in the UK

Before we get started on rivers, you need to have an overview of where the major rivers, highland (mountains) and lowland is found in the UK.

Have a look at the map below to remind yourself. Rivers are shown in blue and highland is shown in the lighter yellow. Each river and area of highland is labelled with their name.

A drainage or river basin is an area of land that is drained by a main river and its tributaries (small rivers joining the main river).

A river flows through a drainage basin from its source (start) to its mouth (end)

The edge of a drainage basin is known as the watershed.

A confluence is the point where two rivers meet.

• When we look at how a river changes in slope (gradient) across its whole course, we call this a long profile diagram.
• When we cut slices across a river at each stage, to see what its channel and valley shape is like, this is called a cross profile diagram

Look at the diagram below, showing how a river changes along its long profile, and what a cross profile would be like for each stage.

Watch the following you tube clip to remind you about how the River Severn changes from its source to its mouth.

Processes in a river- erosion, transportation and deposition

River erosion

A river flows along its channel made up of its bed and banks.

A river is constantly eroding its bed and banks in four different ways

• Hydraulic Action:  This process involves the force of water pushing air into the cracks of the beds and banks which forces them apart
• Abrasion :  This is the process by which the bed and banks are worn down by material in the river (load).
• Attrition:  Material (the load) carried by the river bump into each other and so are broken down and smoothed
• Corrosion:  This is the chemical action of river water. The acids in the water slowly dissolve the bed and the banks.

Transportation of material

Once material has been eroded by the river, it is often carried along in the river itself. The materials that are carried by the river are known as a river’s load.

This load is all different sizes and shapes and materials. Depending on the river’s discharge (amount of water in a river at a given time) , it can carry more or less load.

It is carried in four different ways by the river depending on its size and the material is.

Source: BBC Bitesize

1) Traction = Boulders and pebbles are rolled along the river bed at times of high discharge

2) Saltation =  Sand sized particles are bounced along the river bed by the flow of water

3) Suspension = Fine clay and sand particles are carried along within the water even at low discharges

4) Solution= Some minerals dissolve in water such as calcium carbonate. This requires very little energy.

Deposition of material

When a river looses energy it drops what it is carrying. This is called deposition.

Erosional landforms in a river- Interlocking spurs, waterfalls and gorges

An erosional landform?? What does this mean?

• Erosional means formed by erosion
• Landform is a natural feature of the earth’s surface you can name.
• Therefore… .Erosional Landform- is a feature on earth made by erosion

Most erosional landforms in a river are found in the Upper Course

• Interlocking spurs

You need to be able to explain how they form. Remember to do this in a sequenced order, expand on each point and link your points together with connectives.

1. Interlocking spurs

2 & 3. Waterfalls and Gorges

Erosional and depositional landforms in a river- Meanders & Ox Bow Lakes

Using what we learnt before…

An erosional and depositional landform  is a feature on earth made by erosion AND deposition e.g. by the riving wearing away material and by the river dropping material

Most erosional and depositional landforms in a river are found in the Middle Course

• Ox Bow Lakes

1. Meanders 

As a river moves through the flatter land of the middle course it develops large meanders (bends). These meanders constantly change their shape and position. However, if you looked at any meander in a cross section, they are very different from one side to the other. We call each side either the outside bend or the inside bend.

The outside bend and inside bend are very different. Look at the cross section diagram below to see how.

As the water flows through a meander the following things occur:

• – Most water is directed towards the outside of a bend
• – This means it flows faster around the outside bend
• – It therefore has more energy and erodes the outside bend
• – This means it is deeper and has steeper banks called a river cliff
• – As most of the water is directed to the outside bend, the inside bend has less water
• – Less water means that it is shallower and slower and therefore has less energy
• – It therefore  deposits (drops) material on the inside bend
• – This builds up to form a slip off slope

2. Ox Bow Lakes

C shaped lakes called Ox Bow Lakes are formed when meanders continually erode.

Depositional landforms in a river- Levees, Floodplains and Estuaries

A depositional landform  is a feature on earth made by deposition e.g. by the river dropping material

Most depositional landforms in a river are found in the Lower Course

• Levees and Floodplains

1. Floodplains and Levees

• Floodplains and levees are formed in the middle and lower course of a river
• Floodplains and leveés are formed by deposition in times of river flood.
• The river’s load is composed of different sized particles.
• When a river floods it deposits the heaviest of these particles first. The larger particles, often pebble-sized, form the leve é s .
• Levees are raised banks right next to the river banks.
• As the water continues to flood further away from the river banks, the sands are deposited next, then the silts and finally the lightest clays.
• This build up of sand, silt and clays leads to the formation of a flat piece of land ( floodplain ) either side of the river- just after the levees.
• Every time the river floods deposition builds up the floodplain.

Levee                                                                                                   Floodplain

2. Estuaries

• Estuaries are formed at the end of a river, where the river meets the sea at its mouth. Many rivers in the UK have estuaries. Think of the River Adur in Shoreham!

• As large rivers approach the sea they have the energy to carry large amounts of fine material in suspension.
• The mouth of rivers with estuaries are flooded by the sea at high tide each day
• The high tide slows their velocity of the river water trying to get out to sea and they lose their energy.
• This loss of energy means that the fine material is then deposited into the mouth of the river
• Over time, the deposited material (sand and silt) builds upwards and at low tide the material can be seen as mudflats
• Eventually these mudflats can develop into salt marsh as can be seen in the picture of Shoreham above.

River Tees Case Study

The exam board wants you to know and understand the following

An example of a river valley in the UK to identify its major landforms of erosion and deposition

We studied the River Tees in Northern England. It is 137km long, and it travels from its source in the Pennine Hills to its mouth in the North Sea.

Have a look at the case study card below to see if it helps you remember the case study.

River flooding

A river floods when it overflows. This is when the level of discharge in the river is too high for it to hold.

‘River discharge is the volume of water that flows in a river per second. Its measured in cumecs – cubic metres per second’.

This can happen for a number of reasons (CAUSES) and is because too much water gets to the river too quickly so it can not carry it away in time and it overflows.

Remember….The quicker rain water gets to a river, the more likely it is to flood.

Human and physical causes of flooding

Look at the diagram below showing some causes of flooding, then read the table underneath it to explain how each cause can make flooding more likely. Try to match each number on the diagram with the explanation below in the table.

Hydrographs

Put simply a  hydrograph is a graph to show how much water gets into a river after a rain storm. It shows the rainstorm and the water in a river on one graph, so you can see how likely the river is to flood after the storm!

An example of flood hydrograph is shown below

The  bar graph  shows the amount of  rainfall in mm  during a storm.

The  line graph  is used to plot the  river’s discharge  which obviously grows larger after the rain has fallen. (think of all the rain water trickling into the river!)

Base flow r efers to the amount of water in the river to begin with, and  storm flow  is the extra water in the river after the storm.

Generally flood hydrographs show  a rising limb  ,where the discharge rises as more rain water reaches the river, followed by  a falling limb.  where the river’s discharge reduces as water seeps out of the river bank and into the ground.

What affects the shape of a hydrograph?

Below are two hydrographs. The one on the left is showing a river where the water level rises quickly after a rain storm and is likely to flood. The one on the right, shows a river where the water level takes longer to rise after a storm and is unlikely to flood. Why do two rivers react differently? Read the information in the boxes underneath to find out why.

River Flooding Management Strategies- The Costs and Benefits

There are two main ways to manage a river to reduce the risk of flooding; hard and soft engineering.

Look at the table below to remind yourself of the different hard and soft engineering strategies and their costs & benefits.

Case Study of a Flood Management Scheme- Boscastle, Cornwall, UK

Boscastle is a small village in the english county of Cornwall. In 2004, they had a severe flash flooding event.

You need to know:

• Why does Boscastle need flood management?
• What is their flood management?
• What issues has the management had?

So why do they need flood management?

Watch the video below to see what happened in 2004

Now watch the clip below to give you an idea of what the village is like now, and how they have tried to protect it

The mind map below gives a summary of why they needed flood management, what they have as flood management and any issues this scheme has had.

If you are finding it hard to read then click on the link below to open a document version of the mind map

Mind map of Boscastle floods

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The Flood Hub

Links to other learning resources.

Browse through the various activities and educational resources below pitched at a range of ages, including those aimed at KS2, KS3, KS4 and KS5 level.

Key Stage 2

Key stage 3, key stage 4 / gcse, key stage 5 / a level, cumbria wildlife trust slow the flow film series – click here.

Watch these four short films, produced by the Environment Agency, explaining how we can slow the flow and help defend our communities from flood water.

Farmland – a natural solution to climate change.

Peatland – a natural solution to climate change.

Floodplains – a natural solution to climate change.

Rivers – a natural solution to climate change.

Geography Southwest Fieldwork Resources – Click here

Geography Southwest is a collaborative resource hub for students and teachers created by enthusiastic Geographers. There are articles, resources, and fieldwork site examples suitable for all ages, from investigating microclimates on school grounds to coastal fieldwork examples.

Save the Children & Lancaster University. Children, Young People and Flooding: Recovery and Resilience – Click here

A group of 30 children between the ages of 6 and 15 expressed their experience of flooding and the impact it had on their lives through the event and the recovery process. They discuss the feelings of fear and anxiety they experienced through the disruption. The research project also investigates what can be done to better support children and young people to prepare for a flood, during a flood event and supporting them if they’ve been affected by flooding.

Rochdale Borough Council – Climate Conversations – Think global, act local – part one – click here

Rochdale Borough Council have produced a short video which highlights some of the effects of climate change, including extreme weather and flooding. It also shows how Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) can be used to help manage the amount of waste water from your property and reduce the risk of flooding.

Canal and Rivers Trust. Canal and River Habitats Activities – Click here

This canal and river habitats activity pack covers life cycles, food chains and the various habitats which can be seen throughout watercourses. There are videos, games, quizzes, and colouring activities.

Climania Board Game – Click here

The free to play climate action game was a project concepted following COP26 between a group of young researchers in Birmingham at the end of 2021. The board game is educating and engaging and aims to inform the public of the role of the built environment in the climate emergency – specifically focusing on urban planning and retrofit.

Don Catchment Rivers Trust Learning Pool –  Click here

This page has educational activity sheets, games like board games and card games, videos, and colouring sheets to help young people learn about rivers.

Mersey Rivers Trust Activities for Children – Click here

Activity sheets created by Mersey Rivers Trust which are suitable for young children. They include scavenger hunts, art activities and shelter games.

The Rivers Trust Schools Hub – Click here

Educational and interactive games suitable for children from 6 years plus.

United Utilities: H20 Hero Wordsearches –  Click here

A pack of 4 wordsearches featured around the water cycle, think before you flush, water safety and a blank one to create your own.

United Utilities: Make Your Own Mini Water Butt –  Click here

An experiment suitable for young children which involves making their own water butt which they can use to collect rainwater to reuse in the garden.

United Utilities: Quiz – What Kind of Water Saver Are You? – Click here

A set of questions which assesses how conscious you are over you’re the amount of water you use.

United Utilities: Think Before You Flush Experiment – Click here

An experiment suitable for younger children to show what happens to toilet paper and flushable wipes when they are flushed.

United Utilities: Yucky Gooey Sticky Sewer Monster Activities – Click here

Suitable for young children, this activity pack has three different colouring activities.

West Cumbria Rivers Trust River Wildlife Activity Sheets –  Click here

Activity sheets which include crosswords, colouring, dot-to-dots, and quizzes.

West Cumbria Rivers Trust, The Adventurous Salmon – Click here

An interactive virtual flip book for young readers who can follow the journey of an adventurous salmon from tiny becks in Cumbria down to the sea.

Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), Create Your Own Mini Wetlands – Click here

Mini-wetlands are tiny habitats that make a big difference. Create your own drainpipe wetland or bog.

Canal & Rivers Trust: Rivers –  Click here

This interactive resource pack follows the River Severn’s journey. The pack covers the history of the river, the lifecycle of the shad fish and how people help the shad to migrate to save the species from extinction. There is a video, activities and plans, fact files, teachers notes and games.

Countryside Classroom: Geography Resources for KS2 –  Click here

Register to access a selection of free resources available for KS2 learning, covering water, climate change, fishing and more.

Royal Geographic Society: Rivers – Click here

Suitable for KS2 level, this 5-lesson resource pack has a powerpoint lesson, lesson plan, factsheets, activities, and worksheets available for download. The lessons cover the journey of a river and how it changes from source to mouth, the reasons why and how a river floods, the River Thames in detail and the formation of waterfalls and their characteristics.

Stroud District Council: ‘The Sound of a River’ downloadable graphic comic – Click here

Written by Stroud District Council and illustrated by a local artist, the book tells the story of Monica, a girl who sets out to find out why her house has flooded. She travels back in time to learn that historical changes made to the way the river flows have not only resulted in the loss of wildlife and plants, but also increased the likelihood of flooding.

United Utilities: All About Water Adventure Pack –  Click here

Suitable for KS2, this booklet provides information on the water cycle, water usage and water safety through engaging quizzes, match ups and experiments.

West Cumbria Rivers Trust: River School Online –   Click here

A pack of 4 virtual lessons which cover key river terminology, freshwater wildlife, pond dipping and restoring a river ecosystem.

BBC Bitesize KS3 Rivers and Flooding Revision Pack – Click here

The BBC Bitesize resource features 5 revision lessons which cover the causes and impacts of flooding, storm hydrographs and case studies. At the end of the revision pack, there is a knowledge check test.

BBC Teach Geography KS3: Responses to Flooding –  Click here

This film provides information for KS3 pupils on how humans can respond to flooding events and how the impacts can be managed or reduced. The hard engineering and soft engineering practices which can be used are explained and the pros and cons of each practice are given.

BBC Teach Geography KS3: River Flooding –  Click here

A short film for KS3 pupils which explains the process from rainfall to flooding. It explains the importance of floodplains and the effects which can be seen when the floodplains have been altered or engineered.

Countryside Classroom: Geography Resources for KS3 – Click here

Register to access a selection of free resources available for KS3 learning, covering heather moorland management, climate change, agriculture and more.

Geography Southwest: KS3 Geography Resources –  Click here

Geography Southwest is a collaborative resource hub for students and teachers created by enthusiastic Geographers. There are teaching suggestions, case studies and investigations relevant to KS3, including a resource pack created by the Royal Meteorological Society which covers weather and climate at a basic and extended level.

Met Office: Weather Resources –  Click here

A pack of resources suitable for 11–14-year-olds which cover, forecasting and prediction, extreme weather, weather and climate, technology and innovation in weather, people in weather and climate and, activities and experiments. Each lesson pack contains presentation lessons, activity plans and experiments.

Oak Teacher Hub Rivers Lesson Pack – Click here

A 13-lesson pack which explains the features of a drainage basin and how this system works, erosion and transportation processes through the river course, landforms and their characteristics, flood risk and management and responding to flood events.

Ribble Life Together River Home Learning – Click here

A course of 17 learning resources and activities which covers the river wildlife, invasive species, food chains, recording and researching river activity and climate change and sustainability. Most suitable for KS3, however they can be tailored for KS2 through to A level.

Royal Geographic Society: Are You Flood Ready? –  Click here

Suitable for KS3 level, this 6-lesson resource pack teaches resilience in the context of water and flooding. There are teachers notes, activities like card sorts and preparing your own flood kit, powerpoint lessons and plans available for download. The downloads cover awareness and preparation for a flood event, case study examples, risk assessing, and alerting communities.

Countryside Classroom: Geography Resources for KS4 – Click here

Register to access a selection of free resources available for KS3 learning, covering water drainage systems, heather moorland management, climate change, agriculture and more.

Geographical Association teaching resources – Click here

Register to access these resources which have been produced by the Geographical Association and the Environment Agency. They focus on the: causes of flooding, effects of flooding, responses to flooding, river and coastal management strategies and case studies. Flood risk and flood risk management are seen through the curriculum from ages 14-19. The GCSE curriculum expects an understanding of river management, along with the causes, effects, and response to a weather hazard.

Geography Southwest: KS4 Geography Resources – Click here

Geography Southwest is a collaborative resource hub for students and teachers created by enthusiastic Geographers. There are teaching suggestions, case studies and investigations relevant to KS4 and GCSE level. There are resource packs created by former Geography teachers which cover higher level flood management, flood resilience, measuring storms and rainfall and flood disasters.

Countryside Classroom: Geography Resources for KS5 – Click here

Register to access a selection of free resources available for KS3 learning, covering flood management, drainage systems, soil quality and more.

These resources have been produced by the Geographical Association and the Environment Agency and focus on the: causes of flooding, effects of flooding, responses to flooding, river and coastal management strategies and case studies. The A level curriculum expects an understanding of the movement of water through the drainage basin, and an evaluation of the ways the coastline is managed.

Geography Southwest A Level Resources –   Click here

Geography Southwest is a collaborative resource hub for students and teachers created by enthusiastic Geographers. The A Level resource pack contains case studies and resource packs suitable for high level Geography, such as drainage basin hydrology created by University of the West of England, Bristol.

Royal Geographic Society: Crazy Paving – Click here

This resource assesses the impacts which have been caused by two-thirds of London’s gardens being paved over to make space for parking and convenience. Urbanisation has altered the flow of the hydrological cycle throughout cities, and this has resulted in an increased flood risk, pollution to watercourses and a loss of habitat for wildlife. At the end of this resource, there are three A level grade questions with example answers.

Royal Geographic Society: Flash Floods in Boscastle Case Study – Click here

A detailed case study following the flash floods which hit a tourist village in Cornwall in August 2004. The case study provides background information on the area, the physical and human causes, the consequences, a comparison against a similar event in Lynmouth. There are some useful A level exam tips at the end of the resource.

Royal Geographic Society: London Under Water – Click here

Two lessons including teaching notes, powerpoint lesson, practice exam questions, articles, and activity sheets about the three major natural threats facing London, flood, drought, and heatwave.