We were delighted to welcome Year 5 pupils from a number of local primary schools recently for our latest Murder Mystery Days.
The days gave the children the chance to experience life in a secondary school setting, meet some of our staff and take part in an exciting science-based investigation. They also offered a great opportunity for pupils to see how science can be used in real-world situations, including careers linked to policing and forensics.
More than 100 pupils joined us for the first event in March, with children visiting from Leyburn, BAWB, Cambrai, Hipswell and Middleham & Spennithorne Primary Schools. We then welcomed more than 50 pupils from Le Cateau Primary School for a second Murder Mystery Day on Friday 24 April.
During the day, the children were split into five investigation teams and challenged to solve the mystery of our “murdered” IT manager. Each team visited a series of workshops to gather evidence, test ideas and work out who the culprit might be.
The workshops included examining the crime scene for clues, interviewing suspects, carrying out flame tests on a mystery powder, analysing fibres from clothing, and investigating emails, fingerprints and other digital evidence. Later in the day, each group presented their evidence before the culprit was finally unmasked.
Joanna McGowan, Head of Faculty - Science, said:
“Days like this are a brilliant way to bring science to life. The pupils get to use equipment and techniques they may not normally have access to in primary school, while also seeing how science links to real careers in areas such as policing and forensics. The pupils worked incredibly well together, asked thoughtful questions and threw themselves into solving the mystery.”
Josh Hadfield, KS3 Progress Leader, added:
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for Year 5 students to experience what life at secondary school is like, meet some of our staff, start to familiarise themselves with our school environment, and build confidence for the exciting transition to secondary school when the time comes.”
We really enjoyed welcoming the pupils into school and seeing how enthusiastically they approached each part of the investigation. A huge well done to everyone who took part - there were some excellent detectives in the making!
