Lightwater Village School pupils get to grips with science topics

A term’s studying of space exploration reached a peak recently for Year One pupils from Lightwater Village School when they paid a visit to the Winchester Science Centre to see some of the subjects they had been learning about put into action.

A group of 59 pupils and helpers explored the Centre under the guidance of Key Stage One leader Dawn Bourne, who said it was a fascinating experience for all involved. “The centre is full of interactive exhibits, and visitors to the centre are encouraged to self-direct, rather than follow a set route,” she explained.

“With children of this age in particular, that’s a great idea as it allows them to follow their interests, literally. They started off with some general science exhibits, learning about things like friction and batteries, before moving onto the space exhibits, which was what they were most interested in. The planetarium was fascinating, as they had a chance to learn more about the planets and solar system, building on knowledge they had already acquired in the classroom.”

The trip was an end of term highlight for pupils at Lightwater Village School, which, like its partner school Hammond, is a newly-joined member of the GLF Schools group, a Surrey-based multi-academy trust which now runs over a dozen schools across the south east, based on a model of strong collaborative learning.

“Later in the day, after their stint of space exploration, the children got back to looking at some of the other science-themed activities in the centre, and they really enjoyed themselves, as the exhibits were perfectly judged in terms of explaining complex topics in a way the children could understand’” said Ms Bourne.

“They were enjoying themselves so much it was tough work prising them away from the place at the end of the day – but the great thing is they’ve brought that knowledge and enthusiasm for the topic back to the classroom, particularly in relation to Tim Peake’s mission on the International Space Station, and as a teacher, that’s all you can ask for.”