News From the School - with thanks to Kate Stubbs
Visit to Bletchley Park
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In March the whole of Year 8 visited Bletchley Park Museum in Milton Keynes, the top-secret site for code-breaking during the Second World War and where breaking the code and deciphering the enemy’s messages is estimated to have shortened the war by up to three years saving millions of lives in the process. The visit supported the History curriculum, Creative and Critical Thinking and the Computing curriculum and earlier in the year students had completed a topic on the history of computing learning about Alan Turing and Tommy Flowers, the creators of the machines which deciphered the Nazi Enigma coded messages.
The students were split into five groups and took part in a variety of activities throughout the day. They were given a guided tour of the museum site and given an insight into what life would have been like for the many young adults conscripted to work there in top-secret during the war. Lunch was eaten in one
of the restored original huts and then students were given some free time to explore the numerous exhibits
including the original versions of the Enigma machine and working replicas of Turing’s Bombe.
They then took part in a simulation of intercepting intelligence exactly as the young women working at Bletchley Park during the war would have done including learning to decipher Morse code and then using an original Enigma machine alongside copies of a genuine Nazi code-book to decipher enemy messages and save British troops.
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Smallpeice Trust - Girls into Engineering
The “Girls into Engineering” course was an eye-opener for me. Throughout the stay at the University of Warwick I discovered new possible career paths, engaged in exciting new opportunities, made wonderful friends and overall had an absolutely amazing experience. The course took place over three days and in the beginning, I was rather nervous but not only were my team members and the instructors friendly and approachable, the projects and lectures were fascinating too. We received an insight into many engineering companies such as Leonardo, Transport for London and Jaguar Land Rover, learning about their broad range of careers and graduate schemes - some of which peaked my interest. Additionally, we had inspiring talks from other companies including GE Aviation, as well as a design engineer, Chloe Agg. One of the best parts of this course was the design-and-make projects and I was lucky enough to partake in two of these, Jaguar Land Rover and Leonardo. In the Jaguar Land Rover project, we were able to build and model our own mini offroader (lovingly named the Arlonator by our team); and in the Leonardo project we created our own functional robot to explore an undiscovered island. We also had an exclusive tour of the new engineering facilities at Warwick and saw 3D printers, driverless cars and the development of batteries for electric cars. There was fun to be had too - movie nights, discos, sports activities - never a dull moment!
It was very exciting to stay on the campus, getting a taste of university life, meeting new people and having a sense of independence. So, if you’re looking to find creative ways to use an ice cream machine or perhaps build an elaborate tower of drinks cans, I can guarantee this course will provide plenty of entertainment along with an unforgettable dive into the world of engineering. This Smallpeice Trust residential course has really set my sights on future opportunities and jobs and I still have my team’s mascot, a balloon with a drawn face named Arlo!
Emilia Santamaria-Crew
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