Cuddington Croft pupils learn about the appliance of science

​​Year Five pupils from Cuddington Croft primary school are being encouraged to reach for the stars after their recent trip to London’s Science Museum.

The outing took in two of their recent study topics, ‘To the Stars’ – about space – and ‘Poles Apart’ – about magnets, forces and the North and South Poles, as they were given the opportunity to see at first hand some of the spectacular exhibits in the world-renowned venue in Kensington.

First up was the ‘Exploring Space’ exhibit, where they put their weeks of space study to good use, learning about rockets and satellites and seeing a full-sized replica of the Eagle lunar module which landed the first men on the moon in 1969.

After that they moved on to the ‘Making the Modern World’ section of the museum, where they were treated to a journey through 250 years of technology and innovation, learning the stories behind many of the items they use every day.

“It was a fascinating day out and the children absolutely loved it,” said Year Five teacher Sorel Taylor, who organised the trip. “We’d done so much work relating to these topics before we went that they knew a lot about them before we’d even arrived, but to get up close to things like the Eagle module really made it come alive for them in a whole new way.”

After a break for lunch, the pupils from Cuddington Croft, a member of the GLF Schools group multi-academy trust, were treated to a special interactive show called ‘Feel the Force’, about topics such as gravity, air resistance and magnetism, with several pupils and staff members being called up on stage to take part in experiments.

“This trip was hugely helpful – they’ve come back to school far more excited about science as a result, and counting down the days until their next lesson,” Ms Taylor added.

“We learnt so much from the trip, and now we’re putting that newly acquired knowledge into action in the classroom. Going to somewhere like the Science Museum helps the children understand how what they’re learning at school applies to the wider world, and really motivates them. They thoroughly enjoyed their day out, and you can see the benefits in the work they’ve produced.”