Our New Science Labs Are Now Open

Science is so important at Hazlegrove. We aim to not only develop our pupils’ understanding of the world around us, but to be curious and to seek out more knowledge; to challenge and find new and improved methods and solutions to problems.

There has always been a need for scientists, but it has become much more apparent how crucial they are to the future of our planet and to the existence of humans.

The two main science labs at Hazlegrove have been in need of an upgrade for quite some time with years of experiments having taken their toll on the cramped, dark classrooms, overused fixtures and fittings and a poorly utilised prep room.

Science transforms all of our lives, but scientific awe and wonder starts at an early age and the classrooms were falling short of being the creative space through which to inspire our young, budding scientists.

Help came in the form of a Hazlegrove family and a jaw-dropping transformation has taken place as a result of their incredibly kind and generous donation to the School.

Science has long been a passion for this family as well as enhancing the learning of children, and the refitting of the Science Labs was a natural choice for them to support. Having had several family members attend Hazlegrove, and with more likely to follow, they were keen to support a school which they believed had added so much value to their children’s lives.

Over the course of a couple of months, the donors visited the School and met with the Bursar, Louis Tuson. Mr Tuson said, “The passion of the donors for science and education was infectious and energised the team working on the project.  To get to know them on a personal level meant we could understand what really mattered to them and draw on their vision for what they hoped could be achieved.  By involving them in the project at the design stage we could run ideas past them and get their input which was invaluable.”

Once the plans were set in place, the School undertook a competitive procurement process to ensure that the funds donated achieved their full potential.  The vision: to create a modern, exciting and inspiring environment in which current and future children of Hazlegrove will learn. It was agreed that some structural changes needed to take place to create spacious, creative zones which include a ‘dry’ area and an ‘experimentation’ area. 

Mr Zach Brown, Head of Science at Hazlegrove comments,’ The design of the labs was carefully considered and the new layout is already having a hugely positive impact upon teaching. There is space to work and to teach, the labs have both a classroom/theory area that flows into a separate bespoke practical area for experiments and investigations. The practical area is designed to allow the teacher to walk down the central area and clearly see, monitor, and support practical learning with full view of what each pupil is doing. Not only this, but it allows every pupil to clearly see the teacher when modelling the practical investigation and giving demonstrations’.

The donating family went even further with their generosity and purchased new equipment for the labs. Mr Brown describes this as being fundamental to inspiring young scientists of the future and went on to say, ‘It will allow pupils of all abilities to thrive in the subject; we have some tricky concepts to teach, but with state-of-the-art sensors and probes that wirelessly connect to iPads, pupils will be able to experience graphs for temperature and pH in real time. We are excited to use ‘Locktronics’ boards when teaching ‘Electrical Circuits’, these will enable our pupils to map out the circuits they create, simplifying the process and giving more clarity. It will make it much easier for pupils to use and apply their knowledge in exam conditions. As well as new sets of digital microscopes that will open up more possibilities to engage with concepts and ideas that were previously unseen and inaccessible’.

Just before term started the donors visited the School to meet with the Science teachers, Headmaster and Bursar.  It is safe to say they were wowed by the final product and even got to ‘experiment’ with some of the equipment they had funded. They said, ‘It really has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to be involved in this project at Hazlegrove and we are thrilled with the final results. The team have obviously worked hard to make all of this possible.  At a time when the teaching of science has perhaps never been so important, knowing that the School is now fully equipped to stretch young minds in this area of the curriculum, and hopefully inspire some of them to be the scientists, engineers and inventors our country needs in the future is a truly wonderful thing.  We have really enjoyed this process and are just glad we could do something to help.’

Headmaster, Mark White said, ‘ Two years ago Science and Technology took centre stage in our STEM Festival. Its aim was to deepen the interest for budding scientists and to recognise the possibilities of scientific enquiry. Two years on, that ambition has resulted in new laboratories through a very generous donation to the School, and for that donation to originate from within the Hazlegrove community is a wonderful testimony to the sense of family that we have here.  As the Head, knowing that children will find inspiration from not only what they learn but where they learn is a very exciting prospect. The labs are now amongst some of the very best offered by prep schools in the UK and they create a wonderfully motivational learning hub’.

As we look forward to discovering all that the new learning spaces will bring to the School, Mr Brown confirms, ‘It has been striking over the first weeks of term what an inspiring environment it is to learn in. Pupils’ eyes have widened as they have entered, there has been a keenness to engage and question to a level that I have not previously experienced. As different classes have left the labs it has been so rewarding to hear discussions about the lesson continue of pupils’ own accord. We feel now that there we are in such a strong position to provide our pupils with a depth of scientific knowledge, as well as the skills and desire to innovate; to make big positive changes in the world.

Looking ahead to the future, Hazlegrove has never been in a stronger position to inspire and nurture a love of science in our pupils. We are now able to provide more opportunities to learn through making ‘hands-on’ connections. It is our aim now to ensure that we tailor our teaching towards learning the skills to survive in an ever-changing world. But importantly, this project has paved the way for improving pupil outcomes, we are in a better position to prepare pupils for the exams that lie ahead.

It is a future of discovery and possibility!’