Fairfield High School for Girls
Tradition. Vision. Learning.
Science College
As a Science College we use our specialist status to add to the dynamic environment within the school. This helps raise standards of achievement and the quality of teaching and learning in science and mathematics which in turn, leads to whole school improvement in performance.
Fairfield Science College works to provide a centre of excellence in scientific, technological, enterprising and vocational education in the local community. The school is an active contributor to local and national developments within science and mathematics.
We will encourage young people to pursue science and mathematics beyond 16. This will provide them with appropriate learning pathways so they develop the skills needed to be active citizens within an increasingly scientific world. We wish to support progression into employment, further training and higher education according to individual abilities, aptitudes and ambitions.
Fairfield Science College is an active partner in a learning society with local families of schools and their communities, sharing resources and disseminating good practice.
The 5 Key Principles of Specialist Schools are:
- Develop excellence in the specialist subjects (Science and Maths)
- Ensure the specialist subjects have an impact on whole-school improvement
- Work with designated partner schools in the local area to raise standards of learning in specialist subjects
- Work with the wider community to help meet its educational needs
- Function as an outward facing centre of excellence in education
Café Scientifique
Our successful Café Scientifique events have allowed groups of Year 6 pupils from our feeder primaries to visit Fairfield to attend interactive discussions led by experts in particular areas of sience. Our most recent session saw pupils taking a look at "Fossils Through the Ages"
Science Bistro
Every year there are two Science Bistro events, where the families of our pupils are invited in to the laboratories to take part in a series of fun science challenges. Recent activities have included building the tallest working lighthouse, building the strongest bridge and building working wind turbines - all having to be completed with the minimum of resources!
Cubs & Brownies
The Science Department regularly helps packs of Cubs and Brownies from our local community as they attempt to complete their Science Badges. With Fairfield teachers leading the sessions, the cubs and Brownies have completed tasks such as investigating the effects of exercise on pulse rate, growing crystals, comparing the growth of different seeds and making bird feeders.
Target Mars
Each year our 5 primary school partners send a team of 6 year 5 pupils to take part in an interactive science day. Each team has to race to Mars performing experiments, making models and doing quizzes on the way.
Dead on Time
This is an annual science week for 30 Year 8 students who had to solve a murder by using CSI type techniques.
Planetarium
Mr Andrew Green who is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society brings his inflatable dome to Fairfield to take the pupils on a journey through the night sky.
Birds of Prey
Ben Potter arrived at Fairfield with 6 birds of prey, 3 Eagles and 3 Vultures. This was a new event for 2010 and proved very popular with the girls learning how the birds came to be owned by Ben, and what their life is like in the wild. They also saw them fly and in the case of Arthur, one of the buzzards, walking as well as flying. There were plenty of questions at the end of the two hour event.
Healthy Eating
Each year a demonstrator shows the year 7’s how to make a healthy pizza as well as learning how different food types are essential to a healthy life. They are taught what illnesses might occur if they do not eat a varied diet. The cringe factor is when they are shown a heart and told that this is the sort of meat that goes into burgers.
Year 6 Visit
Local primary school students visit Fairfield and participate in lessons and activites.