I think that this is the most beautiful thing I have ever professionally created.

On Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, 7 Explorer and 7 Pioneer went on fieldwork to Treak Caverns and Mam Tor in Castletown as part of their STEM fieldwork. It must be said that the aerial drone footage of the Derbyshire hills from our DJI Spark is stunning, yet this is not why I think it is so beautiful.

In a country where I feel as though we are losing the true purpose of education, the footage captures an authentic kindred spirit of togetherness from our students – engaged within a joyful and wondrous exploration of the landscape. This is what we stand for, and as a school – this is who we are.

There are so many hidden and not so hidden analogies and metaphors within the movements of the students, that once I had finished editing my footage I just sat there and watched it at least 20 times (in total silence except for its hypnotic soundtrack). I know all of this sounds a bit weird, but I will look back on this video in years and decades to come knowing that we were out there… just trying to make a dent in the universe by exploring its beauty.

Unbelievable.

The final week of last term contained two Celebrations of Learning (CoL) from 7 Pioneer and 7 Explorer, and as a school we were delighted with both events.

For those of you who may not have attended a CoL, our expeditions always culminate with a public event where students present their learning to a wider audience. We believe that this brings an element of authenticity to proceedings. Furthermore, our expeditions always have a product, and this represents in some way students’ learning and connect with the wider world.

Such an authentic wider audience also ensures that students step up to the plate in terms of working hard, and working as a Crew as students have to show courage and integrity in being able to articulate their learning to parents and visitors. As a result of this, every single student (regardless of ability or background) was able to stand up and formally address those who came to the CoL.

The Guiding Question (GQ) for Y7’s expedition in STEM was ‘What has chemistry and physics got to do with cooking?’ and was entitled ‘Chefistry‘. The CoL consisted of students explaining their understanding of the GQ by using subject specific language and terminology. Parents were also given an ‘Exit Ticket’ where they too had to answer the Guiding Question. The centrepiece of the CoL revolved around students taking orders for a meal and a team of chefs boiled eggs, prepared toast and a served a drink with ice. Essentially, students were able to use their understanding of Physics and Chemistry to explain how cooking works, and whilst this was a very ambitious CoL, our students pulled it off!!

A special thank you to Mr Smith who led the Chefistry expedition with support from Mr Pearson and Mrs Duffield. Sine FM also deserve a special mention for supporting the students’ recording of the audio in their professional radio station studio. P.S. Check out the final product videos from 7 Explorer and 7 Pioneer here.

It was great to see 15 of our students in voluntary Extended Study today!

As you may be aware, our expedition in STEM is entitled ‘Chefistry‘, and students are busy finalising their work for the forthcoming Celebration of Learning on Wednesday 21st February 17:00-18:30 for 7 Pioneer, and Thursday 22nd February 17:00-18.30 for 7 Explorer.

Remember, students may attend Extended Study as a place to complete their homework, or work on anything that will help to improve their learning. It is open Monday to Thursday until 4:30pm.