Diary Entry - June 

Butterfly survey

Students and staff have identified 8 and filmed two from 59 British butterflies, to date. These are: the Brimstone, Small White, Orange Tip, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Common Blue, Comma, Speckled Wood. The latter two, were filmed on the video. We are set to continue this work for the foreseeable future.

Science in building materials

We have done some serious lessons on building materials for which the grounds were a useful and easy-to-use resource. Pupils who could not go out very far have benefited by studying so many different kinds of materials and buildings and then thought about how those materials arrived in situ.

This month we have spent some time in the grounds and made use of those earlier lessons gathering information and working on it

During our surveys we had noticed that archaeology remained on site from the site’s previous use. Originally, the site was an old estate and then a farm. The archives contain many photos of this transition. We also noticed many plants, lichen, algae, trees and fungi now inhabit these areas. The materials found were Portland Stone, Sandstone and early Victorian Yellow brick made with kiln-made local clay and lime mortar and gravels. 
                              
Then and Now

Wild plant survey Natural History Museum BR3

As expected May and June have been very busy months for finding plants and insects. The students doing their exams have not been so involved but the younger students have been out looking at some of these. Sometimes there are chance encounters with certain species like butterflies, but we have found a number of insects especially the shield bug which they really had a good look at in the lab, in order to identify it and smell the noxious fluid from its glands!

The wild plant survey has now identified 60 named species, listed into seasons and divided into: annuals, biennials, climbers, geophytes, herbaceous perennials, large shrubs, marsh plants, parasites, perennials, shrubs, trees, water plants and woody perennials. These have been further listed using both common and Latin families. We have now completed the spring survey and continue with the summer, after the official date of the end of the project. We intend to apply to the Kent Wildlife Trust who we notice offer field surveys. This would be a further opportunity to get the assistance of the wider community involved in Science. Our total represents 10% of the possible listed by the Natural History Museum resource for postcode, BR3. When we started many students did not recognise very common plants like bluebells and buttercups or recognise many bird and bug species. That has changed. Some of our students chose to write their creative pieces this week based on the woods and the plants they had recognised.

 

                                                
  
              

Bird species survey SBPB

The survey now has identified 60 species. New species include: Mute Swan, Mallard, House Martin and Swift. We have now moved to the summer survey and members of the public have agreed to come and do this. Tree creepers were reported by our horticulturist to be nesting. The second nest box, without a camera, is inhabited by Great Tits:

Great Tit

All the 11 Blue Tit fledglings have safely left the nest with the camera. We are hoping for a second brood. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the young people as they watched the latest instalment, every day. It must be said that staff were as fascinated as students and an excellent lesson on variation and inheritance

Spotting and astronomy telescopes

Much time has been spent in research, feasibility, development, procuring of equipment in this area, as well as familiarising ourselves technically with their possibilities.

Using her cross curriculum skills with the art class, after unpacking the telescope with glee, one student used her interest in astronomy to paint an astronomical subject, after Turner and another, on a field trip photographed the Moon. Another identified the Plough and Venus. We have registered with National Schools Observatory for time on their facilities. This will be up and running in July. So a good start. We plan a visit to the Science Museum to see the exhibition of “1001 Islamic Inventions”:

                             
 The Moon                              1001 Islamic Inventions - Science Museum June

 
Science is everywhere
…When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world… 

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."
  (My First Summer in the Sierra- John Muir Naturalist 1838 – 1914)

Everyone associated with the project has gained from the hard work. Staff, students and the public, who was not science orientated, have gained considerably from the project experience.

To give two examples, where most people involved before the project would have walked past a patch of ground and seen a nebulous patch of weeds, they are now in a position and want to identify at least 10% of these as wild flowers with fresh appreciation and knowledge, as they have studied these in detail and identified the plant physically and by both its common and Latin names. This is a life-changing experience for many.

A further example is being able to use cross-curriculum teaching. This has led to the learning of, say history, which is relevant to science and visa versa. By taking the historical approach from Delphi, studied by the students, then using the Delphic method in our global warming studies we have been able bring both topics alive, enjoyable and relevant. One student had heard about the Oracle at Delphi but they had no idea this could be relevant to a modern scientific problem – evidence which relies on science, not politicians and gives confidence levels using probability methods.    

We would love to win this prize because as a special school, we are not in the public eye, resources are slim and we have had to deal with anonymity. We would spend quite a slice of the funds on training and mentoring, at all sites for both staff and students and development of this project using GPS technology. The project has raised more questions than answers.

We would like to thank everyone who helped with this project both mentors and the public alike but especially those “techies” who worked their magic behind the scenes. Not least, Dr. John Ivens, the head, who allowed this to happen.

Back to main school page