Science - Focusing on Interactivity
- Duration: 15:00 minutes
- Subtitles available
- Published: 21 12 2007
- Licence information for Science - Focusing on Interactivity
- Part of the series Improving GCSE Results
Summary
Four years ago, Park View School in Birmingham was on the verge of special measures. Under new leadership, the school has become one of the most improved in the country, more than doubling its pass rate for GCSE science.
Headteacher Lindsey Clark attributes this dramatic change to a new system of pupil tracking, the charting of individual academic progress and a focus on forging better links with parents and the wider community.
As part of these whole-school improvements, science lessons have been overhauled to make them more interactive, and more industry visits are arranged to see applied science in action.
To reward achievement in science, the school also ran a competition that challenged pupils to design a system to support life on Mars. The lucky winners got to travel to NASA in the USA - we see how their trip went.
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Comments (4)
my year 11 class said why is there no english people on the video.
I believe Park View School has considerably improved, particularly since I completed my secondary education at the school - around six years ago.
Students seem to be a lot more eager to study and by staff and parents working together, students will have a lot more support and motivation to do well.
Whilst attending my last parent's evening with my farther, a teacher said I should forget further education and just train as a plumber - emphasis the point of drive and motivation given to students at the time!
Thankfully, I did not take that route and now I'm in the middle of my final year at university, studying Computing.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the governors, staff and pupils for their success!
I was rteally impressed with the students and how confident they come across. Also the teaching looked great fun.
woooooooooooo hooooooooooooo i go to dat school