Private School News

Lancing College hosts Science Challenge for Preparatory Schools

Lancing College has an outstanding Science Department, which gains excellent academic results and fosters links with major engineering companies and industry in the locality. It also hosts, annually, the very popular Science Challenge for Preparatory Schools. This year, 130 children, aged 10 – 11, from 11 preparatory schools will take part. The project is being masterminded by Dr Giles Preston, Head of Science at Lancing.

On arrival, the pupils will be welcomed by Jonathan Gillespie, Head Master, in Great School. They will then be divided into three groups to specialise in Biology, Physics and Chemistry. To make the venture more exciting, children from different schools will make up each team, so that the afternoon will involve both teamwork and individual effort.

The activities, which cannot be revealed at present, will challenge and entertain the pupils as well as encourage them to work together in solving spatial, analytical and communication problems.

After an hour, the teams’ results will be compiled by the Science department in order to come up with a winning team from each discipline. Each individual will also be graded and, by totalling these results, Dr Preston can also ascertain which school has produced the best budding scientists. The Science Challenge Shield will be presented to the winning school.

As a finale to the occasion, Dr Wendy Swarbrick, who teaches Physics and Chemistry at Lancing, will give the children a lecture on ‘Cool Science’ in Great School, ending with the creation of ice cream with liquid nitrogen. At the end of a very busy and memorable afternoon, the young scientists will be able to tuck in!

The preparatory schools taking part this year are Lancing Prep, Brambletye, Broadwater Manor, Dorset House, Feltonfleet, Great Walstead, Pennthorpe, St Aubyns, St Christophers, Sompting Abbotts and Vinehall schools.