RAF STEM Day
The Design Technology Department has had an exciting Stem opportunity for our year 7 students who took part in a RAF Mighty Minds event. The fun packed event involved a range of activities which challenged students and helped build confidence with their problem solving, team building and coding abilities. They were faced with the exciting opportunity to build and code robots, using Lego with EV3 intelligent bricks and iPads with software for coding and controlling their robots.
Students followed a busy schedule for the day:
- Phase One – Coding & basic building challenges
- Phase Two – Designed and built a robot in groups using attachments for sensors and motor mechanisms. They practised coding on their competition mats trying to move objects and help rescue Lego civilians
- Phase Three – Final testing of their robots and design modifications for re-runs, judges assessed students work and gave points for successful missions.
- Phase Four – The winning teams were announced to those who scored the highest in all the missions.
In 3rd place: David, Alfie, Zaki
In 2nd Place: Hussain, Nethran, Jay
In 1st Place: Ishaan, Mohammed Khan, Arun Badhan
Students quoted: ‘It’s been a fantastic day we have learnt so much.’
The day gave our students an insight to the endless possibilities of what technology and coding has to offer.
Ofqual Student Guide Summer 2021
Please click here to read the Ofqual student guide to awarding grades in summer 2021.
Tropical Fish Club – Week 6
During Week’s 5 session we are asked to research some fish and creatures that would make up our ‘clean-up crew’, as algae is becoming an unsightly problem in our tank. We managed to short list a good 10 members for this clean-up crew which we plan on narrowing down and ordering in sessions to come.
We also recorded some observations that were different in the tank from last week we noticed that some plants were not growing as fast as others and we plan on recording the same information next week, to discuss if we get a change in growth. As for the other plants, they seem to be thriving in the tank as our snails eat away at the algae.
After recording the growth, we then held a discussion regarding our clean-up crew, and why they are essential in a tank like ours and why it is important to choose our fish carefully as we do not want a huge fish just to dominate our tank or have fish which are too small to see. We also went through on what our shortlisted clean-up crew eat, and considered whether they would become a threat to creatures already in the tank. We wanted to go for bright coloured fish in our tank to make it more pleasing to the eye and have some very unusual looking fish in there and not just have your classic goldfish looks.
We then all went away with the task of seeing if we could add anything further to the list of crew.
Overall, this was a very good productive week.
Ben Yarnall 8G
Week 6
Focus on Education May 2021 No.2
One of my (many!) weaknesses is that I can be a very pernickety linguist, finding it hard to resist interfering when I spot linguistic imperfections or when exacting standards of detail are not met! Viewed differently and charitably, I hope that others perceive this as reflecting high expectations of literacy and a meticulous nature!
I do believe that as a school educating young people we should certainly aspire to high standards of English in all our communications – although I understand that some of the subtleties of grammatical rules may be easier for a linguist to grasp. I also benefited from a traditional training in literacy, devoid of text-speak. I am sometimes tempted to take out a board marker to correct errors in public notices, but literary vandalism would probably not justify such defacement. I was horrified to discover when I first arrived at my last school that the sign on my door read: Deputy Headmasters office – with not an apostrophe in sight! My very first ‘change’ was to replace it – hardly radical, but it spared me nightmares.
Last month, it was reported in the media that the University of Hull believed that requiring good written and spoken English could be seen as “elite”. The university said it was committed to “removing barriers to learning” for students of all backgrounds and that marking students down for poor spelling, grammar and punctuation in exams could be seen as “homogenous, North European, white, male, and elite”.
The Government’s Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan, told the House of Commons:
“I am appalled by the decision of some universities to drop literacy standards in assessments. I think that this is misguided, and, in fact, it is dumbing down standards. That will never help disadvantaged students. Instead, the answer is to lift up standards and provide high quality education.”
Mastery of the English language and high standards of literacy form an intrinsic part of education. Some children have to work much harder than others do over this, and it can represent a significant challenge for those who are dyslexic. It is therefore important that we lend appropriate support as we aspire to those high standards and that the learning of languages is made accessible to all.
Although I have always been a relatively slow reader, I thoroughly enjoy a good book and loved studying literature. Children who read naturally nurture their imaginations, extend their vocabulary and improve their understanding and use of our common language – a language that is gloriously rich. I was encouraged to read the National Literacy Trust had found that the proportion of children who read for pleasure increased last year for the first time since 2016. We also know that the sale of books and audiobooks enjoyed a resurgence during lockdown.
Long live the book – be it paper or electronic!
Stay well and safe.
Be kind to yourself and each other.
Dr Bird
Test Registration Now Open
Please click here to register for the 11+ test.
Focus on Education May 2021
STOP! BE STILL!
I would like to discuss the art of stopping. This may seem like a weird subject and one which perhaps does not warrant any time, but it is actually a crucially important part of life which is so easily overlooked by us all. In our day-to-day lives, we all attempt to promote a state of constant business. I remember as a young teacher being told by a more senior colleague to always ensure that I had a piece of paper in my hand when walking around school. The aim being to always look busy and being rushed! We assume that the person actively ‘doing’ is inherently doing the right thing. The idea of just stopping is wholly counter-cultural. By stopping, we assume it is ceasing productivity. We assume it is out of laziness and we often frown upon it.
However, stopping is essential for both our mental and physical wellbeing. I mentioned this last week when promoting Mindfulness. We need to recognise when we are doing too much of something, whether it is work, sport or anything else for that matter. This is something I certainly struggle with and as such probably means I am the least qualified person to be telling you this. However, I know I am not alone.
During the period of online learning, many of you will have sat at computers for hours, logging off one Teams call and straight onto the next, hardly moving from your desk or switching off. In addition, those students with upcoming exams will feel the pressure of constant work for a seemingly never-ending string of assessments.
It may feel like there is no opportunity to stop, but we should always try to make one.
Stopping for breaks can bring a huge number of benefits. They help you to relax and, although it seems counter-intuitive, they make you more productive. Breaks are essential to offer your brain a chance to recover. But perhaps, the most powerful thing about stopping is the ability to simply clear your thoughts and temporarily escape from external stresses. It is the one opportunity to switch off and take notice of the smaller but equally important things in life.
Therefore, the next time you are feeling overwhelmed with work or are rushing from one lesson or task to the next, just take some time to stop. Even if it were as little as 30 seconds, I would encourage you to use this time to switch off. You will feel better for it and take notice of things you might otherwise miss.
Boketto is a Japanese word, which means ‘the act of gazing or staring into the distance without thinking’.
So later today and over the coming weeks, take a moment to stop and practice the art of Boketto.
Over the coming weeks, the things that we value will return to us. Social events will be allowed; the ability to meet and mix with each other has returned and will return more freely. Life will get busier and more frenetic which is exciting but we will all need to stop too!
Stay well and safe.
Be kind to yourself and each other.
Dr Bird
Tropical Fish Club – Week 5
This week we began by discussing and assessing our plant growth. It had been 3 days since the introduction of injected CO2 in our tank and it has made a noticeable difference to growth! It is now possible to view photosynthesis in action! As the plants release oxygen from the underside of their leaves bubbles collect under the leaves and can sometimes be seen streaming out and rushing to the surface of the water. All of our stem plants are showing signs of new growth. Most visible growth can be seen with the star grass, Heteranthera zosterifolia. The new growth on the Rotalla wallachii is red suggesting that the light intensity/spectrum that we are providing is more than adequate.
We discussed photosynthesis and time cycles. We talked about the ideal time for the co2 injection to begin and end. We decided that injecting an hour before lights turned on and stopping the co2 input an hour before lights-off would be ideal. This would allow adequate supplies of CO2 to dissolve in the lead up to lights so that photosynthesis could be maximised. Turning off the co2 before lights off would allow the excess co2 to be used for photosynthesis and prevent excessive amounts from building up – this can be lethal to aquatica fauna.
We then moved onto discussing the algae which we have also seen an increase in. It is a rather unsightly nuisance and we talked about the dangers of an algae bloom. Mr Short shared insights into how algae build-up can lead to the destruction of our tank – death of plants/animals – as vital O2 is sucked from the water column.
We talked about strategies to manage the algae, including removing it by hand, as well as the delicate balance of lighting/nutrients/co2 and using fish/shrimp to control algae. This also led into discussions about ecosystems/food webs/chains. Adding too many algae eaters could become problematic as once they have eaten the majority of the algae, there would not be enough to sustain their population.
Pupils went away with a research task of consider which species of animals we should stock as well as how many.
We look forward to gathering their ideas next week before heading out to stock up.
Mr Bansal
Week 5
