Educational Visits Award

Presented to the educational establishment that can demonstrate a commitment to providing students with a range of subject specific educational visits in order to further their learning experience.

2009 Winner: High Tunstall College of Science, Hartlepool

High Tunstall’s extensive educational visits programme has been developed over a number of years, and is firmly linked to the College’s science specialism. Skills fostered through the specialism are reinforced through learning outside the classroom and abroad.

An annual Science College Visit was established three years ago and has an ever increasing number of able Scientists participating. High Tunstall prides itself on being the only 11-16 Secondary School worldwide to have regular links with Yale University. Students have the opportunity to attend Science lectures and seminars and gain hands-on experience working in Science labs with academics at Yale University’s Science Faculty. This has helped to raise Standards in Science over the last three years.

An annual joint Science and Geography field trip to the Lake District with students and staff as learners and action researchers developing skills relevant to the curriculum and beyond has now been well-established. Standards in Geography have risen from 64% in 2008 to 92% in 2009 with numbers of entries increasing.

Concepts related to a scientific approach, such as clarity of presentation and communication. This is echoed in other curriculum areas, such as Modern Foreign Languages. Following a  successful educational visit focused on developing students’ confidence in using the target language, standards at Key Stage 4 rose to 98% A* - C in 2009. As a result, this provision has now been widened to all three foreign languages on offer at Key Stage 4. A town-wide programme for the most able, gifted and talented students culminates in a visit to Greece, and entails a year-long preparatory programme with students planning the visit.

High Tunstall has embraced learning outside the classroom, which has helped to bring about excellent levels of progress and standards of attainment.

Commended:

The Downs School, Newbury
Castlechurch Primary School, Staffordshire