YES@Swindon Academy

In 2010, Swindon Academy embarked on a new project, Young Experimental Scientists to introduce Year 6 students to the kind of work they will be doing in Year 7. On 8 and 9 July 2010, students began to learn to think in a scientific way following the style of Charles Darwin through exploring science and problem solving skills in a series of workshops inspired by Darwin's own experiments. The two days culminated in a Science Finale at which the groups of mixed Year 6 and 7 presented their findings as dance, drama, verse or art to Randal Keynes, trustee and great-great grandson of Darwin.

The project actually started with a two-day Continuing Professional Development programme for the secondary and primary teachers involved in the project. The first day at Down House inspired the team through understanding Darwin's great ideas and his ways of working.  The second at the school started  the planning process for the Science Finale in July.

Swindon Academy has planted a circuit of trees  in a corner of their playing field, thereby creating a 'thinking path' for students, just as Darwin created  his thinking path, the Sandwalk,  at Down House where he lived and studied.