Challenge Day Report

What a brilliant Challenge Day we had last week! 

Year 7 visited the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth for challenge day. This is part of their geography curriculum, as they have been studying marine ecosystems. At the aquarium the had a tour and did coral reef workshops, where they got experience practical activities demonstrating the threat to coral reefs from climate change. They even got to use VR headsets to experience coral reefs around the world!

All Year 8s entered the ‘Sustainable Futures Innovation Challenge’ run by the Royal Academy of Engineering. After looking at sustainability and skills used within innovation, the students came up with creative solutions to tackle some of the biggest problems that are creating carbon emissions and impacting our environment. Choosing one of four themes - travel and transport, food systems, our homes and habits, and our lifestyles and what we consume - students thought of an innovation in technology or society or an innovative system or product that could help address a specific problem they have identified within that bigger theme. Projects ranged from magnet powered cars and eco beauty products to green supermarket buildings, solar planes and eco sanitary products. This list was endless and quite frankly, inspiring.

Year 9 took part in a "Problem Solving Challenge Day" that was  supported by the University of Exeter and the University of Plymouth. Students were set problems from the departments of Engineering, Geology, Mathematics, English and Computing, which allowed them to develop their independent thinking skills, in providing solutions to a number of different tasks.

For Year 10, we held a "Mock Assessment Day" to give the students a taster of the sort of experiences that they may experience when undertaking an assessment day when they apply for universities or apprenticeships. As well as various problem solving tasks, students heard from a current apprentice and then rounded the whole day off with a review of the skills that they had developed.

The Year 11s had a range of exciting and informative opportunities for the day. The Navy came in and delivered some activities focused on team work and communication skills - students built communication towers from oversized meccano, had to support each other through spider webs and cross 'volcanoes' using tyres.   The students also had valuable sessions on Relationships, Money Sense and Managing Anxiety pre-exams. Those that took part found it really worthwhile and a great day with friends doing fun activities. 

The "Blue Zone Day" for Year 12 introduced them to a wide variety of new skills from Samba Band and Street Dance to Yoga and making their own bath bombs!