On 17 March, as part of National Science week, the Science department and 170 intrepid Year 7 students headed to the Observatory Science Centre at Herstmonceux. It was great to be on a school trip and students and staff were also fortunate to be blessed with excellent weather for the day's activities.

Whilst at the Centre, students competed to see which team could build the highest tower and who could work the best as a team to both build and disassemble a bridge. Congratulations to group 8, with Mr Smith, who built the bridge in the fastest time and group 10, with Miss Swyny, who built the tallest tower. Group 1, with Mrs Smith, took the overall prize with a score of 20 points from the two team challenges. Mrs Hobbs’ group, and group 12 with Mrs Cardwell, came a very respectable joint second place with 18 points each. It was wonderful to see the students work together with purpose and a very competitive spirit!

All the students got involved in the experiments and during the Science Show they were entertained by scientists who encouraged audience participation. The theme for this year’s show was space travel and students learnt how astronauts use the toilet in space and what happens when it escapes. Plus, they also found out what happens to the human body when it goes into space – demonstrated using a marshmallow version of Tim Peake.

Once again, astronaut food was a popular item purchased in the shop by students. The water area was enjoyed by all and the outdoor area provided some entertaining moments, especially when the students tried to balance on the giant balance board.

Mrs Cardwell is pleased to say that the staff at Herstmonceux commented on how 

Science Week 2022

On 17 March, as part of National Science week, the Science department and 170 intrepid Year 7 students headed to the Observatory Science Centre at Herstmonceux. It was great to be on a school trip and students and staff were also fortunate to be blessed with excellent weather for the day's activities.

Whilst at the Centre, students competed to see which team could build the highest tower and who could work the best as a team to both build and disassemble a bridge. Congratulations to group 8, with Mr Smith, who built the bridge in the fastest time and group 10, with Miss Swyny, who built the tallest tower. Group 1, with Mrs Smith, took the overall prize with a score of 20 points from the two team challenges. Mrs Hobbs’ group, and group 12 with Mrs Cardwell, came a very respectable joint second place with 18 points each. It was wonderful to see the students work together with purpose and a very competitive spirit!

All the students got involved in the experiments and during the Science Show they were entertained by scientists who encouraged audience participation. The theme for this year’s show was space travel and students learnt how astronauts use the toilet in space and what happens when it escapes. Plus, they also found out what happens to the human body when it goes into space – demonstrated using a marshmallow version of Tim Peake.

Once again, astronaut food was a popular item purchased in the shop by students. The water area was enjoyed by all and the outdoor area provided some entertaining moments, especially when the students tried to balance on the giant balance board.

Mrs Cardwell is pleased to say that the staff at Herstmonceux commented on how polite and well-behaved our students were all day and they were amazing ambassadors for our school. The Observatory at Herstmonceux is a fantastic place to visit for all the family. Evening sessions are available where you have the opportunity to look through the telescopes for a spot of stargazing. If you would like to find out more about the observatory, please follow this link: https://www.the-observatory.org/

 

Well done to all the students who wrote about their day at Herstmonceux. Here are a selection of the best entries from each class: