On Wednesday 29th November, students and staff at The Hereford Church of England Academy welcomed Nerys Shah from the Royal Institution to their school.
Shah is a science presenter with the Royal Institution, an independent charity which creates opportunities for the public and scientists to explore science together.
During the visit, students from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 were lucky enough to watch the National Institution’s ‘Energy Live’ Science Show, which featured lots of practical and real-life examples of energy in the world. Students and staff were amazed by the vast number of examples linked to everyday objects and items, many that they had no considered before.
The experiments and demonstrations featured plenty ofbangs, sparks and explosions, exactly what many young people want to see and the perfect type of experiment to get an audience engaged.
At the end of the school day, staff from other local Secondary Schools joined Hereford Academy staff for a session – delivered by the Royal Institution – to help with their Continued Professional Development (CPD).
The session focussed on context and debates in the science classroom and everyone who attended found it very beneficial and enlightening.
Then, in the evening, Nerys Shah delivered a Community Show about rocket science which was attended by students and staff from The Hereford Academy, as well as a number of Primary Schools from around Herefordshire.
In the show, Shah analysed and broke down many of the factors that Rocket Scientists have to consider as part of their work, including visual examples for the audience to enjoy.
Mr Will Taylor, Assistant Headteacher at The Hereford Academy, said:
“We are incredibly proud to have welcomed such a renowned organisation to deliver sessions here at The Hereford Academy. It was a memorable day for all involved and was a huge opportunity for everyone who attended one of the sessions.
“The exciting, practical based delivery was very well received by staff, students and our visitors, and the sessions will live long in the memory. We are now hoping to host another visit from the Royal Institution in the future and this is something we would very much look forward to.”
