heart of heartlands lessons
Teaching and learning is the heart of what we do at Heartlands. This year we launched The Heart of the Heartlands lesson which is what you will see in great lessons in our school – our principles of learning in practice.
Science and Engineering Week
15TH MARCH 2019
This weeks blog has been written to help celebrate Science and Engineering week. Julie Huckstep, Head of Faculty for Science, and Oliver James, Head of Faculty for Computing and DT, speak about the ways in which Science and Engineering has been promoted at Heartlands High School.
Science
At Heartlands High School we are always planning for the end in mind, and this includes students' future careers. In this week's assemblies 'STEAM Careers' were introduced to students, which are careers that involve Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. Great Britain remains the sixth largest manufacturer of technological goods in the world, however the careers available in manufacturing and production are changing. Employees are required to think deeply as creative problem solvers as well as work in multi-disciplinary teams and be effective communicators. We develop this skills in students through taking practical approaches in science lessons and opportunities on SEARCH days, such as the Year 8 Forensics Investigation. Incorporating this into our lessons improves engagement and enjoyment for the students.
Engineering
Engineering is unlike other school subjects. On the one hand, it is a practical subject where students are asked to demonstrate that they can prepare, modify and join materials to create products that solve a problem. On the other, they need an excellent understanding of maths and science, and they are asked to apply this understanding when, for example, using their understanding of chemistry to choose the most appropriate materials for a product or using efficiency equations to calculate the performance of a household appliance.
Engineering has proved a very popular choice among Heartlands students since it was first offered as a KS4 option in 2016. The first cohort of engineering students gained excellent results in 2018, and as their teacher, I witnessed a greater willingness to engage with learning. Perhaps this is because they saw engineering as a career, rather than simply a subject or skill. Over the past two years I have taken the time to understand the range of engineering courses available in the local area for further study after Heartlands. I have been able to advise students on the most appropriate courses for them, including the Engineering BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma at Conel and CANDI, which has been the most popular choice among our Alumni.
We continue to develop Engineering as a school subject. This year our year 10 cohort have begun a new engineering course, the Level 1/2 Technical Award in Engineering. We’re also in conversations with local and London-wide engineering organisations, as we believe it is important to strengthen classroom learning with engineering site visits and advice from experts within the bewildering number of different engineering disciplines. We hope that student choices for engineering, which is at the heart of everything we interact with in our lives, will continue to rise.
Heartlands High School, Station Road, Wood Green, London, N22 7ST
Contact: Mari Williams, mari.williams@heartlands.haringey.sch.uk | www.heartlands.haringey.sch.uk