We Won!
A highlight of Autumn term has to be our performance in the Rolls-Royce Schools Prize for Science and Technology. Following a two year long project of bringing hands-on science and maths stations into the school grounds, it was time for the awards ceremony. Having already won £1000 for being in the top 50 projects and a further £5000 for being in the top 6 projects, we were very excited to see what the judges thought of our entry. We were ecstatic to be announced as the winners of the Eden Award for most sustainable project (chosen by the Eden Project) as well as the Employee Choice award (voted for by Rolls-Royce employees)! This has won the school another £5000 to be spent on science, technology, engineering and maths and Mrs Harrison is buzzing with ideas of how to spend it! Thank you to everyone who supported the Forest Schools team with our project and a huge well done to all of the children for the enthusiasm they have shown. A special thanks goes out to the children who volunteered to be in our video and came to the virtual ceremony.
January 2021 Diary
Mrs Harrison
It has obviously been a strange start to the new year, with the school going back into lockdown again. I have been able to continue with my Forest Schools teaching, taking out all of the children who are still in school. When the weather has been kind to us, we have been able to let one group of children use one of the stations when they are out with us. This has meant that a small amount of filming has been completed with the children exploring how each station works and making discoveries for themselves. With very few staff on site, we haven’t managed to film any teachers carrying out lessons with the equipment but hopefully they will send me their lesson plans and I can carry out lessons with the appropriate year group when they are in the woods with me. Unfortunately, I have just been sent home to self isolate so this will have to wait for a few more weeks now.
We are now putting the finishing touches on our final stations and hanging up our speech bubbles with questions to deepen the children’s understanding and thought processes whilst they play. It has been great to see the excitement when a new station is revealed and I can’t wait until the children are able to play freely with everything we have created for them. Our teachers are equally keen to get out and teach investigative skills in such a fun and hands on way. At least by the time we are able to fully utilise the stations the weather will be much improved on what we have right now!
Sorry there are no photos this month but I am writing this diary entry from home.
Miss Cole
This month, I have finished making two Tower of Hanoi sets for our maths investigation station. The year 6 children will be learning about the game in their maths lessons, and will then be able to challenge each other to see who can complete the puzzle in the fewest moves. I have made a scoreboard so that children can record their names and how many moves they took. We have also written questions on speech bubbles to challenge the children to find the rule to work out how many moves are required for any number of pieces.
I have also fitted new pulleys to our pulleys station as the original ones were far too heavy which made it impossible to see the effect of adding more pulleys into the system. Yvonne has planned a science lesson for her Year 5 children to come and investigate both our pulleys and levers stations as part of their learning this term.
Expenses Update
Total Awarded – £6000
Money remaining 20/12/2020 – £974.55
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 18/12/2020 | 6 solar powered car kits | £360.00 |
| 12/01/2021 | Pulleys, glue, wooden dowel | £29.69 |
| Total expenses | £389.69 | |
| Money remaining | £584.86 |
December 2020 Diary
Mrs Harrison
This month, I have ordered a set of 5 solar-panelled cars that our children will be able to construct and use on a sunny day. They come with different sized wheels and tyres that can be added so we can investigate how this changes the speed of the car. The cars will also go into reverse when wired up in the opposite direction, so the children can also learn more about how motors work. We probably won’t be able to use these until the summer term, but I know they will be a hit with the children. I have also been helping Sam finish off our forces station and showing the children how it can be used.
I have also been working with class teachers to show them the stations and explain how they can be used for investigations. Each year group will be filmed using one of the stations to show how there use will be linked to our curriculum.
Miss Cole
This month, I have finished the forces station and it is now up and running. Our year 2 children were really excited to use the new station and enjoyed putting balls and water down the chutes. It was amazing to see how quickly they worked out where each post had to be postioned to get the ball to drop into the next chute.
Our aim was to make this station completely mobile so the children can make any arrangement of chutes that they want. This station will certainly improve our children’s teamworking and communication skills as they have to work as a team to be successful. I look forward to the summer when the weather will be more suited to using this station with water.
Expenses Update
Total Awarded – £6000
Money remaining 20/11/2020 – £1,443.36
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 02/12/2020 | Liquid chalk and wooden dominoes | £35.78 |
| 08/12/2020 | Freestyle channelling set | £307.20 |
| 08/12/2020 | Barra pumping pod and stand | £125.93 |
| Total expenses | £468.91 | |
| Money remaining | £974.55 |
November 2020 Diary
Mrs Swinson
I have been carrying on leading our whole school potato growing challenge. Over the last month, each class has been caring for their potato plant and recording how many leaves have grown and how tall the plant is. This data is being collected and will be used at the end of the project to compare the growth of the plant and the number of leaves produced with the weight and size of the potatoes harvested. My project is now being shared with other schools by our local science hub as a good way of encouraging children to observe plants closely over time. Our next challenge for the children will be to grow strawberry plants and see what conditions the plants need to produce the most strawberries.
Mrs Overton
I have decided to step away from my role official on the Rolls-Royce project as Covid 19 has caused a huge increase in my workload. I remain fully commited to supporting the rest of the team as and when I am needed.
Miss Cole
This month, I have completed the planting up of our sensory garden in the courtyard area. The planting includes a number of herbs that will be used in Year 5 when they are studying the Tudors. Over the next month, I will be finishing this area by adding benches that the children can sit on whilst enjoying the smell of the plants and feeling the various textures. Teachers will use the plants in the area for comparative investigations, making branching keys and watching how plants grow and change over time. They will also propergate plants with their classes by taking cuttings and gathering seeds. These new plants will be grown on and used for their plant investigations in future years.
Mrs Harrison
I have been researching different ideas about how to include solar power at our light station. The plan is to buy small solar panels which children can attach to cars that they have built. This will be a great demonstration of how the energy from the sun can be used as well as demonstrating the limitations of solar power (you need sun for the car to move). They could then investigate how changing the size of the wheels or the tyres affects how fast the car travels. The same solar panels will be used on boats which can be raced along guttering filled with water. It has been hard trying to calculate what the appropriate panels will be but I am learning a lot of physics in the process!
Expenses Update
Total Awarded – £6000
Money remaining 20/10/2020 – £1,493.88
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 16/11/2020 | Timber and wood screws | £50.52 |
| Total expenses | £50.52 | |
| Money remaining | £1,443.36 |
September 2020 Diary
Mrs Swinson
Last month, I introduced a whole school potato growing challenge where each class has been given a potato to grow between now and January. The children will record data about their plant weekly such as how tall it is and how many leaves it has. They will also research how to grow the healthiest potato plant in the hope that their plant will produce the most potatoes. In January, the plants will be dug up and the potatoes weighed and counted. The winning class will receive a golden potato masher as a prize! Later in the year, each class will get a strawberry plant with another challenge to keep it alive and produce strawberries. We thought these activities were particularly important as children missed a lot of their plant based science learning last year. They now have the opportunity to take care of plants, watch them growing and changing over the year and even harvest and eat the produce.
Mrs Overton
I still haven’t been involved in the project this month, but am hoping to rejoin the team in the near future.
Miss Cole
I have been busy out in the woods finishing off some of the stations. I have made a new stand for the steel drum and fitted the instruments with beaters (and flip flops) so the children can start enjoying them. I have nearly finished creating the forces stations where children will be able to build a guttering system to pour water down and then pump the water back to the top again. The children are very excited to see this station completed. Whilst using it, they will learn how they need to position the posts and guttering so that the water flows freely from the top to the bottom.
I have also planted up some of our raised beds with plants suited to different climates and with different frangrances. These will be enjoyed by the children during breaktimes and used by teachers in lessons to teach about plant adaptations, habitats and pollination.
Mrs Harrison
It has been hard making full use of the stations with the children due to Coronavirus restrictions. I have allowed different year groups to use different stations which are related to their learning in order to avoid cross contamination. The year 3 children are currently learning about rocks and have absoluely loved digging for rocks, fossils and gems in our rocks station. They have used the ID guides to identify different rocks and then sort them according to their properties. They were amazed to find we even had a magnetic rock which was attracted to their trowels when they were digging. The year 4 children have managed to complete the skeleton in our human body station and were surprised to discver how many bones the human body has, especially in the spine.
Over the coming weeks, I am hoping to film a different station each week being used so that our final video shows how the children are engaging with each station. I am also currently trying to think of how to develop a light station and make use of solar power.
Quite a lot of the money spent this month has been on good quality boxes and covers for the stations as it has become clear that they need to be protected from the weather so that our children can enjoy them for years to come.
Expenses Update
Total Awarded – £6000
Money remaining 01/07/2020 – £2,114.11
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 09/07/20 | Drainpipe brackets | £8.10 |
| 26/08/20 | Pond dipping boxes | £22.45 |
| 01/09/20 | Decking and blackboard paint | £29.98 |
| 10/09/20 | Plants | £128.85 |
| 09/10/20 | Laminated ID guides | £163.50 |
| 14/10/20 | Trowels x10 | £43.00 |
| 14/10/20 | Storage boxes | £115.38 |
| 14/10/20 | Furniture covers | £108.97 |
| Total expenses | £620.23 | |
| Money remaining | £1,493.88 |
March onwards Diary
When the school went into lockdown in March, I initially had reduced teaching responsibilities and was therefore given time to work on our Rolls-Royce project. Mrs Overton was unable to support the project as much during this time due to Covid 19 responsibilities but Miss Cole was able to support me by making some resources at home and Mrs Swinson wrote the questions to go on our speech bubbles in the woods. Therefore, this diary is a reflection on what I was able to achieve during these strange times. My main obstacle was getting hold of the resources and equipment needed as so many stores were closed or offering limited stock. Below is an update on each station.
Properties of rocks
This station is now finished and ready to use. I have made a table in the woods which four children can use at the same time to sort, classify, identify and test rocks. The rocks have been hidden in a sandpit and the children need to dig them up and then move to the table to find out more about the rock they have found. I have even hidden a few geodes in the sandpit, which the children can smash open to discover the crystals inside. My hope is that this station will really engage the children’s interest in rocks and help them learn more about the properties of rocks. I will be changing the rocks over time so new discoveries can be made each time a child returns to the station.
Plant and minibeast identification
This station is also finished and the boards are ready to be hung up and used in September. Children will be able to identify plants, birds and minibeasts found on the field and playground during break times and in the woods during Forest Schools. The ID guides also have questions on them to encourage the children to think further about where particular species are found and why.
I have also created 6 bags of minibeast hunting kits and 6 bags of pond dipping kits which can be used by teachers who want to take their whole class out looking for minibeasts. The minibeast hunt kits will also be available for independent use by children during Forest Schools sessions.
Maths investigation
These stations will be benches on the field where children can sit and play maths games. We have bought two towers of Hanoi, a four person shut-the-box, and a maths version of jenga. In addition to this, we have an inflatable target to hang in the woods which is a maths game involving throwing sticky darts to reach a particular mathematic goal.
Geometry
Broom handle have been cut to various sizes so that children can work in groups to build 2D and 3D shapes. We have also made labels so that the children can label the particular properties of their shapes. This resource can be used in active maths lessons where teachers can create games to challenge the children. For example, one group might create a list of properties and challenge another group to make a shape which fits the criteria.
Sound
This is another finished station. It proved to be an interesting challenge to construct the station whilst also socially distancing! Children will be able to experiment with how sound is made and how to vary the volume and pitch of a note. The station consists of chime bars made of different lengths and different materials, bell lyres made of different sized metal bowls, tuned wakkaphones made of drainpipes, a steel drum and boom whackers.
Gears
I have bought a set of giant polydron which the children can play with freely to build objects and vehicles of their choice. It contains lots of gears so the children can discover how to construct working models using gears effectively.
Forces
A set of stands and pipes has been ordered so that the children can create their own systems where water flows from one pipe to the next and eventually into a bucket to collect it. I have purchased a water pump so that the water can then be pumped back to the start again and reused. I hope to develop this station further once it is set up and I can see how the children are using it. Our volunteer grandparents have also built us an onager catapult which ties in nicely with both our science work on forces and the Year 3s study of the Romans. The children will get to explore how a catapult works and how to get it to fire further or more accurately. They will also get to make their own slingslots and see who can shoot a piece of paper the furthest distance.
Human body
I really enjoyed using my pyrography pen to burn an outline of a human skeleton into a table in the woods. This skeleton perfectly matches the bones buried in the sandpit so that when the children dig up the bones they can find where on the body they belong. They can then label each bone in order to learn their names. I have also purchased a robotic hand so that the children can see how bones and muscles work together to make movements. I have nearly finished a working model of an arm which will be added to the table as well. Children will be able to try different materials such as elastic or string to connect the bones in the arm and discover which material is most like our muscles.
Materials
This station is located in a courtyard area within the school. I have constructed a large wooden frame and attached different materials such as wood, metal and fabric. Children will be able to use this wall in science lessons to learn the names and the properties of different materials. There are labels available to add to the wall. I have also made giant wooden letters that spell out the word ‘materials’ which will be covered with different objects made of various materials. Teachers can give these letters out to groups in order to initiate discussions on why objects are made of certain materials rather than others. I am planning on also adding a rusting area to this display so that children can watch over time how certain metals rust and others don’t.
Plants
The wildflower plugs were planted by key worker children around our apple trees and flowered beautifully. Hopefully, they will set seed and flower every year so that children can use them to identify and name plants and to compare different areas of our school grounds.
We are planning on giving plants and seeds to every class this year so that they can see how they grow over the whole year. It seems particularly important to do this as most year groups missed their plants topic in science this year due to Covid 19.
Light
Our volunteer grandparents at school are currently building me some giant periscopes to be used in the woods. I have also purchased a vertical and a horizontal sun dial which I will put up in an appropriate place.
Other developments
An extra station that I have introduced is focused on bridge building. I have made a life sized Da Vinci self supporting bridge that the children can construct and walk over. I am also hoping to make other styles of bridges that they can also build independently. Teachers can teach how these bridges work in lessons and let the children make miniature versions. They can then come out a build a large one as a team.
Uncompleted stations that I would still like to work on over the coming months are classification, weather, life cycles, statistics, Earth and space, decomposition, a horizontal pulley, a marble run, something solar powered and a nature table. I am unsure how much time I will have over the Autumn term to complete these ideas, but I have £2,000 left in the budget so should be able to achieve them all over time.
The winning logo for the stations was chosen as an amalgamation of two entries that we couldn’t choose between. Sam put the two together to create this final design. Well done to Olivia Winton and Mia Cutler who entered the winning designs.
Obviously, our project has not progressed in quite the way we intended as the children were meant to make more of the stations themselves and get to use them over the year as more were introduced. The stations that had been completed proved to be extremely popular and were definitely increasing the children’s love of science. The children who have been attending school have helped with tasks where it could be done safely and have been excited to see the project developing. Come September, Forest Schools will commence
again and I can’t wait to see the children’s reaction to the new stations. Teachers have spent more time outdoors than usual and have commented on how great our woodland area is. This should mean it won’t be difficult to persuade them to bring more of their learning outdoors and make use of the stations relating to their year group. We are planning on having a whole school celebration of the project where every class will come outside and take part in an investigation using one or more of the stations. This will be a proud moment for me as this project has been a huge part of my life this year (and will be for years to come).
Expenses Update
Total Awarded – £6000
Money remaining 20/02/2020 – £4,901.54
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 11.02.20 | Wooden speech bubbles | £137.50 |
| 12.02.20 | Data loggers | £635.00 |
| 03.03.20 | Sand and compost | £117.09 |
| 17.03.20 | Drainpipes, plywood | £134.26 |
| 07.05.20 | Broom handles, marine ply, wood | £208.70 |
| 13.05.20 | Sandpits | £116.67 |
| 26.05.20 | Materials for feely wall, saw, varnish | £163.29 |
| 23.06.20 | Water pump and stand | £114.99 |
| 24.06.20 | Plant pots | £21.13 |
| 25.06.20 | ID guides | £52.29 |
| 25.05.20 | Wooden maths games | £78.62 |
| 25.06.20 | Sundials | £41.89 |
| 25.05.20 | Drainpipes | £41.50 |
| 27.06.20 | Hose pipe | £165.01 |
| 27.06.20 | Steel drum, boomwhackers | £221.49 |
| 29.06.20 | Giant polydron | £302.43 |
| 01.07.20 | Polydron bag | £15.59 |
| 01.07.20 | Pod dipping equipment | £220.00 |
| Total expenses | £2,787.43 | |
| Money remaining | £2,114.11 |
February Diary
Mrs Harrison
Our music area is progressing well and we now have three octaves of chime bars and a set of pagoda bells. Our next project is to make a giant wakkaphone out of drainpipes. The purpose of this area is for children to investigate sound. They will be able to explore how the length, thickness and material of pipes affects their pitch as well as how to make sounds louder or quieter. Year 4 children will also use this area to carry out science investigations involving pitch.
We have also started building our rocks investigation station. This comprises of a large sandpit filled with various rocks, fossils and crystals. Children will be archaeologists and use trowels and brushes to uncover the treasures and then try to identify them. There will be a table containing identification guides in order to name each find and then an area where they can be tested to discover how hard they are, if they are porous and how they were formed. Using this information, children will be able to classify them into groups of their own choice using an interactive Carroll diagram.
Miss Cole
The wildflower seeds planted by the children are growing well. When they are large enough (and the weather improves) they will be planted around our apple trees to create a wildflower meadow. The children are currently learning what plants need in order to grow healthily. Once the meadow is complete, it will be used by classes learning the names of common plants as well as by those investigating the life cycle of plants and the construction of classification keys to group plants. It will also be used to compare which plants grow in different habitats (playground, field, wildflower meadow, marsh, pond).
Mrs Overton
This month I have ensured that all staff have completed the baseline survey and a sample of 5 children from each class have completed the children’s survey. We selected a mix of gender, ethnicity and included disadvantaged children in this survey. This will provide the baseline and we have planned to repeat the survey later in the year to check for impact.
Mrs Swinson
We have held our Milton Mount Rolls Royce Project Science Week where each year group worked on preparing a work station. In year 5 we learnt about 2D and 3D shapes and built miniature kits to determine how many sticks of each size will be required to make sets of shapes e.g. regular 5,6,7,8 sided shapes and irregular 5,6,7,8 sided shapes. Over the next couple of weeks, children will also be answering problem solving questions and giving estimates for costs of each set. Examples of work achieved during the week are being collected and a display will be created depicting highlights from the week.
Expenses Update
Total Awarded – £6000
Money remaining 20/01/2020 – £5,467.17
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 08/01/2020 | Copper bowls/room handles | £56.64 |
| 14/01/2020 | Various items of wood | £398.11 |
| 28/01/2020 | Skeleton | £33.75 |
| 21/01/2020 | Data loggers | £77.13 |
| Total expenses | £565.63 | |
| Money remaining | £4,901.54 |
January Diary
Mrs C Harrison
The materials for our music area have arrived and we have started constructing a few sets of chimes using plastic and copper piping of different sizes. The children are measuring and cutting them accurately so that they are tuned correctly. We have also bought a set of copper bowls to make a giant set of pagoda bells.
It was great to welcome Ellie, our Rolls-Royce mentor, to school this month and show her around. We were able to show her what we have completed so far and where we are planning to put other stations.
Miss S Cole
I have been growing wildflower seeds with my gardening group in order to create a wildflower meadow in our school grounds. This area will be used in the summer term to investigate plant growth and variety.
Mrs C Overton
This month I have written the baseline survey for all staff and children about their attitudes and experiences with Science, particularly focusing on practical, investigative experiences. The staff have completed their survey and children will do it next.
Mrs Y Swinson
I have planned activities for each year group for our Rolls-Royce STEM week in February. Early years are investigating which is the sunniest wall in the school (in preparation for the construction of a wall mounted sundial). Year 1 and 2 will be setting up a weather station which will be used throughout the school to collect data to be used in investigations and data handling. Year 3 will be exploring properties and uses of rocks and making their own rocks and fossils (to be used in the evolution station). Year 4 will be investigating sound balloons and setting up fair tests. They are also constructing the instruments for our outdoor sound station. Year 5 are making 2D and 3D shapes and preparing labels to be used when making the geometry station. This activity will combine skills of measuring, angles and knowledge of materials as well as mathematical shapes. Year 6 will be investigating how periscopes work and then designing and making their own. They will then design a giant periscope that they will construct and put in the woods.
Expenses Update
Total Awarded – £6000
Money remaining 20/11/2019 – £5,523.81
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 27/12/2019 | Copper piping | £56.64 |
| Total expenses | £56.64 | |
| Money remaining | £5,467.17 |
December Diary
Mrs C Harrison
I have planned the sound station and ordered a variety of materials such as copper and plastic pipes in order to create an area where children can make their own music during Forest Schools. The instruments will also be used by Year 4 during their Science lessons on how to change pitch. Our year 4 pupils will make this station during their Forest Schools sessions in the spring term.
Miss S Cole
I have completed my plan for the new materials station/sensory area in the courtyard and have started ordering the necessary materials. I have also assisted Mrs C Harrison with designing the sound station.
Mrs C Overton
We have had another very productive meeting discussing equipment that we need to buy and our next steps. I have been working on putting a baseline survey together about STEM subjects in the school – both teacher confidence in using the outdoor area and also children’s perceptions of memorable learning in STEM.
Mrs Y Swinson
The ID station resources are done and ready for use. Meanwhile, we are planning a whole school science week starting 10 February 2020 when each year group will be responsible for designing and resourcing one station. We can’t wait to see what ideas the children come up with!
Mrs T Groves
Mrs T Groves has unfortunately had to leave the project for now as she is off work until the summer. We hope to welcome her back to the team on her return to school and wow her with the completed maths investigation stations.
Expenses Update
Total Awarded – £6000
Money remaining 20/11/2019 – £5,564.63
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 02/12/2019 | Wooden planks | £40.82 |
| Total expenses | £40.82 | |
| Money remaining | £5,523.81 |
November Diary
Mrs C Harrison
This month started well with my visit up to Derby to meet the other finalists and to have a look around some of the Rolls-Royce buildings. After this, I went to the Science museum in London for this year’s awards ceremony. It was fascinating to see science in action at Rolls-Royce and to learn a bit about the type of STEM careers available to our pupils. It was also great to be able to experience the awards ceremony so we know what to expect next year.
Back in school, I have completed the levers and pulleys stations and introduced them to the children. They quickly discovered that by placing the fulcrum in the most efficient place, a child could be lifted off the ground with the push of just one finger. The pulleys are already proving very popular, with children working out how to attach a handle to the hook so that other children can hold on and be lifted off the ground.
The competition to find a logo and name for the stations has closed and we are currently looking through the entries to choose a winner. We have also acquired a router so that signs can be made and placed next to each station.
As we had a lack of chemistry stations planned, we have been thinking how this could feature more prominently. It has been decided that our sensory garden will also be a materials station. This is going into a courtyard area at school that is used by children who need a relaxing space to go to. Our aim is to use a variety of materials which are shiny, smooth, rough, magnetic, soft etcetera which will benefit the children using the area but will also be a great resource for teachers as they will no longer have to gather objects for their materials lessons.
Mrs S Cole
I have been working hard with my gardening group to prepare areas in the sensory garden for planting. We have also been growing plants from seed and cuttings to be used in this area. I have completed drawings of what I want the sensory garden to look like and have liaised with Clare about how to include the materials station with what we are doing.
Mrs C Overton
This month, I have sourced materials for the identification and classification station and got these ready to prepare. We had a meeting to discuss the next stages of the project and I have also ensured that this is discussed with the Headship team. We are keen to make sure that this has a high focus throughout the school, through regular assemblies and in the school newsletter so that parents are involved. We have also discussed how to ensure that our project includes the wider community, such as inviting local pre-schools to visit and also other schools.
Mrs Y Swinson
The stations I said I would undertake (plant and minibeast id) have been resourced and are awaiting mounting onto the agreed format. Also we have been considering how to include different chemistry strands into our outdoor learning. We are considering letting children investigate decomposition of organic matter by creating a wormery, observing corrosion in different materials rust by hanging various materials and encouraging children to observe what happens to them over time. A further investigation we are hoping to include is a study into the impact of rubbish on the environment by getting children to part bury different items, letting them observe whether they decompose and if so, how long it takes. We are also investigating different soils and how they settle by creating bottled samples which can be turned then left so that children can explore for themselves the different layers in our soil structures. A further soil ph study area is under consideration where hydrangeas are planted in separate containers and each plant is watered with different water-based solutions to change the ph of the soil and thereby also the colour of the flowers. Soil testing kits would also need to be provided. Lots to do!
Mrs T Groves
I have bought a small version of the Tower of Hanoi in order to see how one works. During a maths lesson, I worked with some children to see how they approached the problem. From this, I have decided to initially have only three rings for the children to use and then add extra rings as they are ready to progress to a harder challenge. It has also been decided to put the game vertically on the side of a shed so that it can be accessed all year by the children, even in bad weather.
Expenses Update
Total Awarded – £6000
Money remaining 20/10/2019 – £5,977.08
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 23/10/2019 | Woodsplitter | £24.99 |
| 04/11/2019 | Pulley blocks and rope | £336.59 |
| 12/11/2019 | Logs | £50.87 |
| Total expenses | £412.45 | |
| Money remaining | £5,564.63 |
October Diary
The aim of our project is to develop a range of STEM challenge stations around our school grounds in order to provide opportunities for our pupils to have first-hand practical experiences of real world science and maths. We will be setting up Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Maths stations inside our school woodland and around the rest of the school site which children will have access to during Forest School sessions, break times and lessons. They will be set up in a way that allows pupils to explore their natural curiosity about the world around them as well as providing prompt questions to make them think deeper about what is happening and why. The same challenge stations will also be used in practical lessons by class teachers where the focus will be on improving our pupils’ science and maths investigation skills.
Mrs C Harrison
As the project leader, this month has been an exciting time for me as I have been sharing our plans with the pupils, teachers and parents at school. The pupils have all had an assembly introducing the project and asking for their help with creative ideas of how the stations could be developed. A competition has been launched to find a good name for the stations as well as a bold logo to help identify where each station is. This has created a huge amount of excitement around the school and I have already received some brilliant ideas from the pupils. Each year group has also been given the task of choosing one station to help develop. The suggestion is that pupils pick a science or maths strand that they have already been taught so that they have the knowledge needed to think of creative ways of allowing younger pupils to learn actively. Parents have been informed of the project through the school newsletter and asked if they would like to come in and provide practical help.
I have already been able to make use of the expertise of our Rolls-Royce mentor with the design of our pulleys station. She has been able to advise us on how to set up a pulley system and where to source the equipment from. I am now at the point where I am ready to order the pulleys and ropes and set the system up. The other station I have been working on is the levers station which comprises of large logs (the fulcrum) with planks over them (the lever). The children will be able to use these simple machines to discover how the length of a lever affects the force needed to lift on object.
Miss S Cole
As my main area of interest is gardening, I have decided to create a sensory gardening within our school courtyard. This area will be filled with sensory plants that the children will be able to sit amongst, touch and smell. I have set up a gardening group who are learning how to take cuttings of appropriate plants, divide plants to make more and grow plants from seed. We have also been collecting seeds in order to grow new plants for free!
Over the coming months, we will be growing plants for teachers to use in science investigations. This will mean the school will save a lot of money as we will no longer need to buy plants or flowers for biology lessons.
Mrs C Overton
As deputy head, I have been able to raise the profile of the project both within and outside the school. I have been kept up to date with the progress being made and disseminated this to senior management and the governing body. I have chosen the classification station as my personal project and have started researching how this can be implemented.
Mrs Y Swinson
Resources for our plant, tree and hedgerow and mini-beast identification stations have been sourced and downloaded from various websites e.g. OPAL. These ID sheets will be edited to ensure they relate to our school environment then laminated and mounted onto boards.
Mrs T Groves
As maths co-ordinator, I am very keen to implement more active maths into our school. I have therefore taken the lead with the maths investigation station. I am currently sourcing materials to make a giant Tower of Hanoi and have come up with more ideas for maths challenges that could be built in the school grounds. As well as this, I have met with the maths team to come up with challenging questions that will be displayed around the investigations to prompt deeper thinking.
Expenses Update
Total Awarded £6000
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 07/10/2019 | Plants | £22.92 |
| Total expenses | £22.92 | |
| Money remaining | £5,977.08 |