Last week in Science some Year 10 students attended East Durham College for an authentic science experience. They worked with people who used science within their job to help them connect their learning from the classroom with the world of work, and what fun they had! The students learnt all about selective breeding and genetics through the study of horses, cows, sheep, pigs and goats. In addition to learning about the breeding of these animals they learnt about how the farmers monitored growth and watched as data was collected from some one week old piglets.

They used their Maths knowledge to work out the average mass of a piglet and considered how much food would be needed to increase mass but also allow profit for the farm. The students loved the animals, and many were brave enough to stroke them. Students also had the chance to see animals from exotic locations including many reptiles. They learnt about the conditions needed for the health of each organism and how to promote calcium by adding light which allows for vitamin D production and the prevention of brittle bones. The students had an incredibly memorable day and we look forward to working closely with the college in the future.