Professor Brian Cox opens the Faraday Science Centre at St. Paul’s Trust School
Professor Brian Cox unveiled a plaque in the school’s new rooftop science garden today and gave the inaugural science lecture in the school’s state of the art Willoughby Theatre.
As the first Faraday Science School in London this project seeks to promote innovative, interactive and exciting ways of teaching science as part of the £300 million St. Paul’s Way Transformational Project. St Paul’s Way Trust School is undergoing a £40 million renovation and, with over a million pounds in funding from the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, it is fully equipped to take part in Project Faraday which is a radical plan to improve the teaching of science. The creation of the Faraday Centre at St Paul’s Way Trust School is particularly appropriate because it sits right between “Tech City” and the “Royal Docks Enterprise Zone”; the areas identified by the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London as London’s prime locations for the growth of new businesses in technology and the knowledge economy.
Lord Mawson OBE, Director of Andrew Mawson Partnerships, is the Director of the St. Paul’s Way Transformational Project in Tower Hamlets, and is encouraging relationships to grow between science, education, and the local community.
The project, named after the chemist and physicist Michael Faraday, who worked in the East End encouraging an integrated approach to science which pioneered principles of innovation and entrepreneurship, seeks to promote interactive and exciting ways of teaching science. The school is taking lessons out of the classroom and into the school grounds and beyond. Project Faraday is enabling pupils to learn using the latest technology and resources in state of the art laboratories. It is also nurturing links between science and the local community. The new health centre, currently being developed across the road, is actively fostering a working partnership with the school so that science is seen as a vital part of this community’s development.
Commenting on the opening, John Middleton, Head of Economic Development at LTGDC said:
“LTGDC’s investment in St Paul’s Way Trust School has enabled state-of-the-art science facilities and teaching programmes which have been a vital catalyst in the school achieving Project Faraday status. Putting science at the heart of the curriculum will allow students to make the most of the health and science job opportunities that are being created in the local community.”
The science results have risen from 29% to 47% in one year for dual or triple award. It is predicted that, by summer 2011, 60% of students will gain at least a dual award in Science. LTGDC have recently granted a further £15,000 to build the new rooftop garden to help improve engagement and attainment in biology. This garden captures the integrated nature of the project and is at the heart of the school’s desire to get both students and staff thinking outside the box!
The new school building, which opened in January 2011, also has its own theatre, art gallery and sports facilities. It has facilities and resources which the whole community can utilise. SPW Trust School has leading partners in the world of education – including Queen Mary University, The Institute of Education, University of East London and King’s College London – who form a Trust that plays a leading role in governing the school. This is helping to drive forward the improvements that have already started under head teacher Grahame Price and is creating pathways for students to engage with some of these most prestigious universities including Oxford. Over the last year the results for 5 A*-C including English and mathematics have gone up from 29% to 46%. The projection for summer 2011 is set to be much higher.
