“The good quality of leadership throughout the school is driving the development of teaching and learning …”
Ofsted Inspection Nov 2007
Specialist School Information
Year 4 Term 1
Summary of achievements and progress
We are now in our fourth year as a specialist college and we have already had a very busy first term. We are seeing the impact of our hard work across all areas of the school community. The innovative use of ICT has become fundamental to improving learning and teaching in every classroom in every subject. ICT suites can be found in MfL, Music and Design and Technology, as well as a class set of wireless laptops in Science. Every subject area benefits from new ICT technology, such as interactive whiteboards and visualisers.
Science enrichment activities have blossomed this year, providing stimulating learning experiences outside of science lessons. Mr Latif runs Science club each week after school on a Monday afternoon. We regularly welcome 25 KS3 students, who engage in practical activities such as making slime and fire writing! Whilst too cold to work outside in the science allotment, the Eco-Reps have made some fantastic signs for the vegetable beds, in a cross-curricular project with the Technology department. The signs can be seen in the photos below:
We are aiming to ensure that all year groups have the opportunity to participate in a science related trip or activity throughout the course of the year, and our Year 8 students have enjoyed a trip to the Natural History Museum in London. This was organized in collaboration with the Geography department, helping the students to make links between subjects. Our gifted and talented and more able Year 10 and 11 students were also given the opportunity to extend their understanding of Astronomy when they visited Greenwich Observatory, during which the students enjoyed the planetarium and practical work involving telescopes. Furthermore, our Year 11 students interested in following Science as a career were given a presentation by Dr Katy Johnson, who works in Kruger National Park, studying and filming the wildlife out there. The students found this a fascinating insight into the possible careers that Science qualifications enable you to follow.
In October, 80 year 6 students and their parents were welcomed to THS to try taster lessons in Science, Maths and ICT. This was a resounding success, with parents and students alike, learning new skills. Many parents enjoyed the opportunity to have fun with their children, who found the whole experience incredibly exciting. Some even commented on how stimulating the lessons were compared to their school days and they wished that they could attend THS themselves!
Our links with the local community continue to grow. Our Primary feeder schools will all be attending Science investigative work and Maths and ICT gifted and talented sessions throughout the year. Working in partnership with BT, the BT Hothouse challenge gave 80 year 10 students a fantastic opportunity to learn new communication, planning and team building skills. The regional finals were held at THS which culminated with a live video link to partner schools in America. We have also been very lucky to have the support of IBM, who has supported 24 Year 10 students in ‘mock’ interviews, supporting students in preparing CVs and skills important in interview situations. The feedback from IBM was very positive and they will be returning in January to present Business and ICT assemblies. THS continues to support the Y centre and HACVs.
BT Hothouse
The Science department is currently liaising with Novartis, Ceres Power and UCL to help engage our students with local scientists and organizations so that they get a real feel for scientific career opportunities. Representatives from Ceres Power will be delivering a presentation to our Year 10 Triple Scientists in March, on their revolutionary work on Clean Fuel Cell Technology. We are also hoping to involve UCL in our Science club activities, designing chemical rockets with a web-cam attached to film the launch.
Watch out next term for ….
SCIENCE:
4th January: After School Revision starts for Year 11 exams
14th January: Year 11 Biology Exam (25% of 1 GCSE Grade)
18th January: Chemistry Exam (25% of 1 GCSE Grade)
20th January: Physics Exam (25% of 1 GCSE Grade)
3rd March: Year 10 GCSE Exams (25% of 1 GCSE Grade)
28th January: Primary School Year 5 Investigations
5th March: Primary School Year 5 Investigations
10th March: Ceres Power presentation to Year 10 Triple Scientists
11th March: G&T students to deliver investigative work to Year 2 students at Trafalgar Infant School
17th March: Solving a Crime Day with our G&T Primary students
26th March: Inflatable Planetarium visiting THS for our Year 8 students
12-21st March: National Science and Engineering week. Themed activities across the whole of the school on the topic ‘What on Earth…?’ Watch this space for more news!
MATHEMATICS:
21st January: Year 11 Module exams
Every Wednesday from 6th January to 10th February, G&T sessions to be run after school to Year 6 boys.
Every Wednesday from 24th February to 31st March, G&T sessions to be run after school to Year 6 girls.
4th February: Intermediate Maths Challenge
24th February: Team Maths Challenge