Ask pupils to write stories on what would happen if the sea rose sufficiently to make the eastern parts of England uninhabitable. Where would the refugees go? How would they be welcomed? What impact would this scenario have on your community? There are great possibilities for all kinds of writing, from fiction through to news reporting. An internet search on “coastal erosion” will provide supporting material, including a short archive film of the Essex floods of 1953 at www.movinghistory.ac.ukarchiveseafilmsea7floods.html. Rudyard Kipling’s “The Dykes” at www.happisburgh.org.ukvillagekipling.html also offers vivid and inspiring imagery.