Other activities
We are often involved in offering enrichment activities which in the past has involved the following.
- Being involved in the “researchers in residence” program; having a specialist paediatric research scientist come in and support pupils develop their understanding of development of cancer drugs.
- Guest speakers such as the Northumberland biodiversity officer.
- School “role play” models on the development of an “avian bird flu” pandemic.
- Visits to the Newcastle Centre for Life to investigate emerging gene technologies and practice these.
- Visits to Newcastle University for sessions on blood testing, drugs effect on enzyme activity, clinical diagnostics.
- Visits to Cockle Park Farm to investigate human impact on the environment and the need to manipulate organisms.
- Collaborative sustainability work at Cresswell Hide along with The Dove Marine Laboratory and Merck Sharp and Dome.
- Developing bat boxes.
Biology Fieldtrip.
All year 12 pupils have the opportunity to spend a week in the summer term at the beautiful Loch Lomond putting real biological skills into practice, it’s an intensive but rewarding week summed up in the comments by Frankie Cole from the summer 2009 trip!
“I’m not gonna lie to you: signing up for the biology field trip may actually entail an aspect of biology work.
Although it was pretty challenging (suicidal), I wouldn’t have had it any other way; all of this work was compensated for by the utterly ridiculous events that would follow.
This included minibus races, jumping about on rocks, seeing the staff dressed as ****** (their clothes outside of school), annihilating Greavo with buckets of water, and several impromptu games of ultimate frisbee- NO RULES.
On a serious level, if you’re taking biology in year thirteen, get yourself to Loch Lomond; no exaggeration: I could have cried, it was that good.
It’s fun, it’s exciting, and…aah….it’s a great way to stay in shape.”
