Maths & Science Week 2024
Our Maths and Science Departments lined up an amazing schedule of activities last week, launched by our Year 12 Reps in assembly all the way through to the annual Year 8 Crest Fayre on Friday. With Pi recitals, a Maths Feast, animal workshops, escape rooms and more, there was never a quiet moment!
On Monday we got off to a great start with an informative assembly by our Year 12 Maths Reps who spoke about the importance of Maths within Science.
Animal Workshop
On Tuesday Year 10s enjoyed an incredible animal workshop and got to see or handle an Eagle owl, hissing cockroach, giant millipede, scorpion, tarantula, various snakes and lizards, pygmy hedgehog and squirrel monkey. Handlers Barbara and Harry from Heythrop Zoological Gardens, a private zoo that specialises in exotic animal training using positive reinforcement, taught students about animal characteristics, habitats, food and protective behaviour. As the workshop went on, the students got braver and handled more and more of the animals. It was an incredible opportunity and helped a few people to get over their fear of insects and reptiles!
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Maths Feast
On the same day we were delighted to host the Maths Feast – a fun educational challenge for Year 10 students and tests problem-solving and teamwork skills well beyond the curriculum. Pupils from 12 schools attended the event which was run by Advanced Maths Support Programme (AMSP). Twenty three teams of four students tested their Maths skills in several problem-solving rounds requiring different skills and strategies for success. Awards were given for good teamwork and for the winning team of each round. The other schools involved were: Francis Holland School, Francis Holland School Sloane Square, Chelsea Academy, London Design and Engineering UTC, Phoenix Academy, Riverside Bridge School, The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, The St Marylebone CE School, Rooks Heath School, The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls. Well done to The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School who were the winners!
👏Well done to the 23 teams from 12 schools who tested their maths & teamwork skills in several problem-solving rounds @Advanced_Maths #MathsFeast. @StMarylebone @CardinalVaughan @chelseaacademy @RooksHeath @PhoenixAcadW12 @LDEUTC @ewsmedia
Congrats to winners @WisemanEaling!👏 pic.twitter.com/NEOOuregbF— NottingHill&Ealing (@nhehs) March 13, 2024
New Scientist Roulette Challenge for Year 7
Meanwhile, Year 7s were given an article from the New Scientist by Ms Brown to read, disseminate the facts and present for one minute on the topic for the New Scientist Roulette challenge.
Five students were shortlisted to go through to the final round held at lunchtime speaking about the following topics:
Can plants really transfer DNA? by Allegra VJ
Do dinosaurs sit on their eggs like birds? by Marrisa M
Can red postman butterflies see 2 shades of UV light? By Imi H
Growing cells on bread by Rosie G
Bio-Computers can predict the future by Amelia F
After presenting to the group and judges Mr Jenkins and school governor Mrs Kath Caine, the winners were announced. Second place was awarded to Marrisa and first place was won by Imi. Well done to both for well researched and presented talks.
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House Engineering
The House Engineering Competition, a hands-on engineering event, took place on Wednesday 13th March. Four participants had been chosen from each house in both Year 7 and Year 8 based on responses to a short form they had filled in previously. During the competition, the teams representing each house had the opportunity to create a solution to a real-world problem through engineering. The challenge involved designing an innovative solution, building a functional prototype, and presenting their project.
Throughout the week students were set coding challenges in their Computer Science lessons, with Year 7 particularly enjoying themselves coding VR escape rooms:
Year 7 Computer Science students coding their VR escape room experience as part of our #ScienceWeek! #NHEHSCompSci pic.twitter.com/ZhL3ME9AA3
— NottingHill&Ealing (@nhehs) March 14, 2024
Ugly Animals Assembly
“The cute creatures steal all the glory!”
We enjoyed an entertaining assembly from the Ugly Animal Preservation Society who champion the ugly animals of the world to make the world a fairer and uglier place! From the gob faced squid to the pig-nosed turtle, let’s all find out more & help protect the ugly animals!
Thursday was also Pi Day which we celebrated with our annual Pi recital. It was fantastic to see an amazing number of digits recited by 9 students from Years 7-11. Well done to Frankie, Kassie, Ella, Dain, Saina, Olivia and congratulations to our top 3 – winner Eleanor (206), Rahel and Melanie. We also got creative estimating Pi using tiddlywinks dropped from the upper atrium and making Pi bracelets for charity. Year 7-9 Form groups all helped to make our 548 digit pi paper chain for the atrium too.
As part of an action-packed day, Year 7 and 8 also enjoyed an entertaining science show courtesy of the Royal Institution, all about digestion and energy.
Amazing Explosive Food Show this morning for our Year 7 & 8s as part of our Science Week! Huge thanks to @Ri_Science – we now see food in a very different light! 🔥💩#scienceweek pic.twitter.com/IlW3fvdvIM
— NottingHill&Ealing (@nhehs) March 14, 2024
CREST Fayre
Rounding off a great Science Week Year 8 had the opportunity to showcase their bronze CREST award projects at the CREST Fayre on Friday.
Students worked very hard in groups, producing excellent research and presentations on biology, physics, psychology & chemistry topics. There were practical and non-practical options, with topics including how does high pressure affect humans underwater, what is the effect of lack of light on plant growth, how does pressure change underwater and how does living underwater affect human mental states? Year 8 presented their work to teachers answering questions about their research. Well done to overall winners Daisy G & Aruya P!
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Finally on 19th March we were joined by pupils from North Ealing Primary School in our science labs. A big thank you to Ms Brown and Ms Richardson for the biology lessons which one pupil told us afterwards was ‘the best science lesson ever!’
Y5s from @NEPS_SCH visited us yesterday for a Biology lesson! https://t.co/tFDJhpj7Gi
— NottingHill&Ealing (@nhehs) March 19, 2024
