Engage and enthuse pupils in science - with fun!

7th February 2015, 10:00am

Share

Engage and enthuse pupils in science - with fun!

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/engage-and-enthuse-pupils-science-fun

The 2015 TES Schools Awards have officially opened for nominations. Over the next few weeks we’ll be profiling some of the innovative teaching methods and initiatives of the last year’s winners. This week we’re focusing on Sevenoaks School in Kent, winners of the 2014 science award.

Teaching staff at Sevenoaks School believe that science education isn’t just about lessons, but should also be about inspiring passion for the subject and sharing this with the local community.

This philosophy is translated into a week-long annual event that is hosted by the school and sponsored by charities and local businesses.

The free event, which celebrates science and engineering, was created as a way to offer the school’s facilities and resources to the wider community, thus ensuring that a lack of resources isn’t a barrier to engaging local children and allowing them to fulfil their potential in science.

For last year’s event - which coincided with climate week - polar explorer Paul Rose and the British Antarctic Survey team taught pupils about the food and equipment they use on expeditions. Other highlights included a snow day with live ice sculpting and a double-decker zoo bus complete with snakes, lizards and geckos.

In total, more than 50 shows, lectures and workshops took place, ranging from foundation and key stage 1 activities right through to highbrow lectures.

However, these stimulating sessions are not confined to an annual event. Sevenoaks upholds its school motto - “Engage before you educate” - with special events held throughout the academic year.

Graeme Lawrie, director of innovation and head of science and technology said:  “Everyone deserves these opportunities and Sevenoaks School is in a perfect position to offer them.

“My staff here at the school are terrific, we don’t pay them extra for this and they give up their time freely. This award from TES is a perfect way to show my appreciation: it is their hard work, dedication and passion for the subjects that makes achievements like this possible, and I feel very lucky to have been part of such a sensational team. The TES award for science is a prestigious and sought after accolade that I am very proud to have been fortunate enough to receive as a representative of our faculty here at Sevenoaks.”

For more information and to enter, visit the TES Schools Awards website.

Find a wealth of information on the new primary and secondary science curriculums and free downloadable resources to inspire your science classes on TES.

 

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared