These pupils aren’t sluggish!
As the new school year begins, 17 of the pupils returning to Sir John Lawes School in Harpenden may have an extra boost, having taken part in a leadership project designed to develop their confidence, teamwork and presentation skills.
The challenge
The pupils were given a challenge: to design a solution to the problem of slugs destroying crops on farms. They set about researching the issue on a visit to Annables Farm on the outskirts of Harpenden, learning about the real problem farmers face from slug damage. The pupils then visited Rothamsted Research, where they spoke with expert scientists studying ways to control agricultural pests and learned about ‘push-pull’ methods of crop protection.
The project
The project took place in the summer term, and was organised by the school working alongside Farming and Countryside Education (FACE) – a national charity that works with schools and farmers to increase knowledge of food and farming among children. To deliver the project, Sir John Lawes School also partnered with the Farmschool http://www.countrysideclassroom.org.uk/place/view/4654 ,local farmer Ian Pigott and Rothamsted Research, which receives strategic funding from BBSRC.
Tackling the slugs
The pupils, then in year 7, worked in groups of two or three to research and design a new way of protecting crops from slugs in five sessions. They then presented their innovative ideas to an audience including farmer Ian Pigott and a representative from Rothamsted Research, who were involved in judging the presentations. Also attending the presentations were parents, school governors, an organic farmer, the environment correspondent of Radio Verulam and representatives of local environmental charities. Team ‘Slug-Atomic’ won the prize for best idea, proposing a field border that could trap the pests, killing them with salt.
Impact on the pupils
Following their presentations, 94 percent of participants said their knowledge had improved about why farming is important and about the challenges farmers face. A student participating in the scheme said: “I have noticed I have become more confident and my team skills have improved”, and another added: ““I would recommend this project to other schools because it makes you look deeper into the solutions and you learn new things”.
Cherie Button, Student Services Manager at Sir John Lawes School said: “I really am in awe as to how all the students came together and worked so hard to produce fantastic results. All of the students had really gained a knowledge and insight into the problems they were trying to resolve and for their ideas to be taken away and further thought about is fantastic”.
The roll out
The pioneering scheme aimed to increase awareness of farming issues, as well as developing the pupils’ abilities, and, following its successful trial in Harpenden, organisers hope to roll it out nationally.
If you are interested in setting up a collaborative project with a farming or countryside theme, do get in touch with Countryside Classroom info@countrysideclassroom.org.uk
