Clarendon Sixth Form College

16 January 2024

Students at Clarendon Sixth Form College turn the tables to run masterclasses with young pupils.

Nine students studying A-level sciences, mathematics and applied sciences have been delivering masterclasses to local primary school pupils to help bridge the gap between primary, secondary and further education.

The sessions, which have been organised as a partnership between Clarendon Sixth Form College, the Royal Institution and Ogden Trust, took place over six weeks at Alder Community High School in Hyde.

The project is aimed at giving pupils in depth knowledge of topics that they may not learn about at school, such as the speed of a rocket, the constituents of a nucleus and building electrical circuits, through motivational and engaging teaching methods.

For the last of the six sessions, the pupils were given the opportunity to learn about rockets and the forces that apply to them, by building and testing bottle rockets with the help of the college students. Each bottle rocket was tested to see how far it would fly after being given fins, wings and a nose cone.

Joshua Selby, curriculum lead for physics at Clarendon Sixth Form College, asked students to be involved in the project after seeing the benefits it could bring to their future careers. He said: ”This was a brilliant opportunity for our learners to develop leadership, teamwork and public speaking skills, with all of the students enhancing their skills in pedagogy. Regarding the primary pupils, they displayed enjoyment in learning something new and discussed the new physics that they had learnt with their friends. I am proud of our learners who stepped up to the challenge in an unfamiliar environment. They can now add this brilliant learning experience to their CV and UCAS applications to show they have what it takes to teach, lead and develop the skills of others.”

To find out more about science and A-level courses at Clarendon Sixth Form College, visit the college website or call 0161 908 6600.