Prep School pupils enjoyed a brilliant Curriculum Day exploring science, nature and art through a variety of exciting workshops and trips.

We welcomed Pulse CSI to school to work with our Year 8 pupils. During the morning, the children discovered many of the techniques and processes involved in forensic science, including fingerprinting and looking for trace evidence.  In the afternoon, pupils applied their skills to a mocked-up crime scene, using their new knowledge and team-working skills to solve a mystery. 

"It was really cool," says Charlotte B. "I loved doing the crime scene and playing with the equipment and trying to solve the crime, although it did drive me a bit crazy trying to work out the evidence!"

Year 7 pupils, meanwhile, headed out to the Henry Moore Foundation to see some of his incredible sculptures and artwork and explore his studios.  They learnt that Moore was inspired by natural shapes, like bones, stones, and shells.  After lunch, there was time to sketch some of the larger sculptures in the sunshine, focussing on adding shadow and shading.

Years 4 and 6 enjoyed up-close encounters with members of the animal kingdom at Woburn and Whipsnade Safari Parks, discovering more about habitats, food chains and animal adaptations.  They loved spotting the black bears, sleeping lions and some cheeky monkeys. 

Year 5 ventured to Epping Forest Centre for a hands-on geography field trip to support their current work on rivers.  During the morning they took soil samples while in the afternoon they walked through the forest to Loughton Brook where they took some field measurements from the source of the river. 

Finally, Year 3 found out all about the science behind sound. They enjoyed a 'sound walk' around the grounds before taking part in a special workshop with Tim from Whizz Pop Science. Tim led them through some practical experiments involving tuning forks, balloons and ping-pong balls as they explored sound waves. There were plenty of astonished faces as the children learnt about vibrations and how to amplify sound with simple household objects like string and cups. Mrs Hembrough also lent her expertise, showing how vibrations are used in musical instruments.

What an enriching way to start a new academic year!