North Lakes School kick-started the Autumn Term with a ‘whizz bang’ week of extraordinary Science to launch the new era of Science teaching and learning in school; what a week it was! From enthusiastic guest speakers to Science shows with explosions – we were thrown out of our comfort zone and encouraged to be wowed by the Science around us.

One of our many visitors during the week was our Chair of Governors, Dr Martin Duke, who explained the three key aspects of being a true scientist: observe, question and measure. Following this, we put our new scientific skills to the test, watching a range of experiments that he surprised us with. He then proceeded to visit each class in turn, to further challenge our thinking about pressure and physics. The children certainly thought outside the box, beginning to question each other about what was happening.

Later on during the week, we were then lucky enough to be visited by two Science teachers from UCC: Mr Davidson (the Head of Science) and Mr Harnett. They brought the roof down with a series of explosions that secured gasps, wows and screams from the audience! Year 6 are lucky enough to be taking part in the North Lakes Space Academy, a collaborative project run by Mr Harnett, where Year 6 pupils plan a rocket launch that will take place at UCC in the Summer Term. Many thanks to all of our guests for their excellent contributions to the week and help making it as successful as it was!

During the week we searched for budding scientists amongst our pupils, giving the children key aspects to think about over the course of the week. It was certainly a difficult decision for the teachers to decide – with many of our pupils demonstrating excellent scientific questioning, investigative skills and a super curiosity to discover intricate details. However, at the end of the week, the decision was made, with one child from each class donning a white lab coat and glasses to collect their certificate and prize.

The Science curriculum and enrichment currently a focus in school and if anyone is able to offer us some help or has background in Science and are willing to come and share your experiences with us then please get in touch.