Science comes alive

ST Mary’s school governor Steve Brogan ushers Year 4 pupils into the Skylab

3 More Image(s) In Gallery

Giant snails, Skylabs, Darwin and quantum physics . . .

SCIENCE Week proved a huge success in schools throughout the borough, with hundreds of pupils taking part in activities and experiments.

At St Mary’s, High Crompton, it took an out of this world twist when a mobile planetarium came to school. Pupils explored the native American and Greek stories behind the constellations in an inflatable Skylab in the school’s hall.

Now they can’t wait for the next clear night to spot them in the night sky.

Pupils enjoyed daily science activities and learned about Galileo — 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy to commemorate the 400th anniversary of his use of a telescope to study the night sky — while Year 6 visited Crompton House School to try out science experiments in a laboratory environment.

Deputy head teacher Joelle Hardman said: “The children love the activities and get so excited about their learning.”

A group of 40 gifted and talented pupils from Royton and Crompton School saw science come alive when they attended the Oldham Sixth Form College for a day of fun experiments and lectures by Bob Cywinski, professor of quantum physics at the University of Huddersfield.

The action-packed day cemented the college’s status as a hotbed for science study, with increasing numbers of students taking up the subject at the collegey.

The college is currently developing a £15 million science centre, due to open in 2011, and plans to organise more activities for school pupils across the borough to fire their interest in the subject.

Abby Johnson (pictured) wasn’t squeamish when she got up close to a giant African land snail during a double celebration at Broadfield Primary School, Hathershaw,

The brave seven-year-old was among the pupils and parents who took part in science workshops to mark the Hathershaw school’s 25th anniversary and Science Week.

The theme of the week was naturalist Charles Darwin, who was born 200 years ago and published his “On the Origin of Species” 150 years ago.