High flying pupils sample secondary life

An uplifting day of fun experiments and new experiences gave primary pupils a taste of life at secondary school when they spent a day at Knowsley Park Centre for Learning.

More than 500 Year 6 children from schools across Knowsley and surrounds enjoyed a ‘Flight Day’ at the Prescot school, during which they made their own parachutes, designed beautiful butterfly wings, got up close to barn owls, and even tried out their own ‘flying’ techniques.

The day saw primary and secondary students working together on mini projects, and was a chance for the Year 6 pupils to see the fantastic facilities that Knowsley’s secondary schools have to offer.

The pupils were thrilled at the chance to get into a real science lab and find out more about the science behind flight, using the unlikely combination of nappies and feathers!

There were plenty of other activities, also based around the theme of flight in the drama studios, humanities and English departments. They even wrote their own poignant messages on ‘Doves of Peace’ in PSHCE (personal, social, health and citizenship education).

In technology, pupils labelled balloons and filled them with helium for a great balloon race. And the whole day was covered by students in the journalism team, who reported the highlights as the activities progressed.

Judy Walker, headteacher of Knowsley Park Centre for Learning, said: “Once again, flight day was a great success. It is always lovely to welcome in pupils from neighbouring primaries and let them find out first hand what it’s like to learn in a secondary school like ours.

“All the subjects took a really imaginative approach to the theme of flight, and the result was some really fun sessions which I’m sure the children learnt an awful lot from.”