Principal's Message 23 September 2019 Dear Parents, Today I spent some time in a Year 5 classroom as they took on the ‘egg drop challenge’. This is a fun problem-solving activity where students design a way to get an egg to safely land after being dropped from a great height. The children had designed a range of parachutes and protective cradles for their eggs, with the aim of trying to protect them during their ‘flight’ from the second floor. The children showed a very clear understanding of forces as they worked, particularly those of gravity and air resistance. They were able to suggest relationships between the variables being investigated, for example ‘the bigger the parachute, the slower the fall’. The students also demonstrated quite a bit of resilience when some of their parachutes became stuck on the way down! Failure is the fate of many a scientific investigation…Some of our youngest EYFS students were watching the experiment and really enjoyed seeing the older children test out their parachutes! Practical lessons such as these really engage our students and foster a curiosity and interest in the world around them. Science encourages us to make careful observations, record accurately and explain our findings. These are just some of the reasons science is considered a core subject in our curriculum. I also visited a Year 12 Biology AS level class this week and am happy to report the same engagement and enjoyment by our oldest students. By participating in a Kahoot quiz they were able to compete against each other and enjoy some friendly jokes while they competed against each other. Learning should be fun, whatever the age of the learner. I still come to school to learn something new every day and I still have fun while doing it. Why not ask your children what they learnt today? And if they cannot tell you, start by telling them something you learnt today. Liz Lamb Principal Categories Principal's Message Discover more Principal's Message Principal's Message 20 January 2020 Principal's Message 13 January 2020 Principal's Message 02 December 2019 Principal's Message 26 November 2019