On Wednesday, along with some of my Computer Science peers, I attended a trip to Hertfordshire University to see the Spectra Building. This building facilitates the physics, computer science and engineering units of the university. I found the experience very eye-opening and my favourite part of the building was the astrophysics department, where there were multiple flight simulators and where university students had been designing their own model planes. After that we took a tour of the campus, including the accommodation. This really helped to visualise what life as a university student might look like. The whole trip was very interesting and I extremely enjoyed it. 

Corin N- Year 9

On Wednesday, 14 computing students went to Hertfordshire University. In the morning, we visited the new £100 million building which is home to physics, engineering and computer science. Some of the things we saw there were: the flight and driving simulator – which was one of the highlights of the trip for me, the human-robot interaction (HRI) research and the advanced engineering sector including testing cement, constructing cars and planes/drones. Just before lunch we received a presentation about career paths after secondary school.

After lunch, we were given a tour by two of the students studying there. They showed us the accommodation, where we got an insight into how they live if staying on campus. We also saw their Learning Resource Centre, which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Additionally, we saw their science building, film, music and media building and art/design gallery.    

Overall, I really enjoyed this trip and would recommend it to Y8s, who are taking computer science, as it gives a helpful insight into university life.

Timothy W- Year 9

On Thursday 20th March, we took 2 teams of year 10s to compete in the AMSP Maths Feast competition in Stevenage. This is a student enrichment event, whereby schools select teams of the best year 10 mathematicians to compete against other schools. 

The two teams had to work together in a myriad of unusual maths questions designed to put their problem solving and teamwork skills to the test, with the Maths feast theme providing different skills and strategies for success with each course. 

The two teams scored well, with one team finishing in the bottom third, and one in the middle, of the 24 competing schools. Well done to those students who took part: Joel D, Lily V, Reuben K, Lucy W, Bobby S, Henry G, Mia K, Isabelle K!

On Wednesday 14th February, year 9 Computing and IT students had the opportunity to visit The Centre of Computing History located in Cambridge. 

The day was packed with enriching activities. Students had the opportunity to look at the development of games. They attended a workshop on the development of Robots and the uses of Robots throughout history. Students interacted with a Robot by having a conversation with her, she danced and went for a walk. We then looked at the development of technology and how devices progressed over time, the way storage mediums changed. In the final session students programmed a Raspberry Pi to flash lights and move the car.