Maths Schoolhouse Trips

This post service provides a listing of maths schoolhouse trip destinations. I've included v recommendations hither together with I promise that readers volition add together their ain recommendations together with experiences inwards the comments below. I'd similar to prepare upward a comprehensive listing of trip destinations all over the U.K. together with maybe include a few overseas trips too.

Although I've led a handful of maths trips over the years, I've never taken a whole twelvemonth grouping out of school. All of the trips I've planned involved relatively small-scale numbers of students. It tin survive difficult to justify the cost together with fourth dimension involved inwards a cohort-wide maths trip. That's non to state that enrichment isn't important, but it may survive to a greater extent than practical to select maths enrichment into schoolhouse (see my post about in-school speakers together with workshops for details).

1. Legoland
I latterly visited Legoland Windsor for a demonstration of their Lego Robotics - Space Challenge workshop. I was absolutely blown away past times how vivid it was. This maths together with programming workshop is aimed at Key Stage 2 together with 3. It was genuinely fun together with I intend most kids would come upward away from this workshop excited close coding. Legoland is expensive for families to catch hence I idea it wouldn't survive a feasible pick for schoolhouse trips, but I stand upward corrected. School trips are alone £12.25 per caput for secondary schoolhouse children at peak time, summation £2.50 for a workshop together with £3 for lunch, hence you're looking at nether £20 a caput summation go (full cost details here). The robotics workshop takes 45 minutes together with students pass the residual of the 24-hour interval enjoying themselves at Legoland, which is i of the country's top attractions.

2. Racecourse Days
Racecourse Days accept house at 59 racecourses all over the country. Examples schedules are available here. I've heard bully things close these trips. Activities include visiting the Weighing Room, which is where jockeys prepare themselves earlier each race. Students notice out close the human relationship betwixt weight together with surgery inwards racing together with how the handicapping organization works. In the 'Photo Finish' activity, students beak over distances, the status of the going together with other factors that may touching on a horse’s performance. They also larn close the technology scientific discipline of the photograph complete together with winning distances, summation approximate some closed finishes for themselves. Sounds fascinating to me - together with it's all free! So the alone costs involved are travel, lunch, insurance together with schoolhouse administrative fees.

3. Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park, close Milton Keynes, was Britain's principal decryption institution during World War II. It's a pop destination for school trips. It offers a diversity of facilitated i hr workshops, suitable for Key Stages 3, four together with 5, amongst specific focus on history, mathematics together with computing. The cost is £10 per head. Information close secondary workshops is available here. The maximum capacity for students is 180 hence if y'all come upward from a large schoolhouse (mine has 240 inwards a twelvemonth group) you'd cause got to dissever the trip over 2 days.

4. London Museums
There are loads of destinations for maths schoolhouse trips inwards London. I cause got listed a few here:

The Bank of England Museum. 

This is my personal favourite (I did the graduate grooming scheme at the Bank of England dorsum inwards 2002). The museum's i hr 'Pounds together with Pence' beak is aimed at Key Stage 2 together with three together with encourages students to intend close the value of coin together with prices together with their spending together with saving decisions. 'Keeping on an fifty-fifty keel' is aimed at Key Stage four together with 5 - it explains what the Bank does to an fifty-fifty keel proceed inflation low, keep trust inwards its banknotes together with proceed the fiscal organization stable. Admission together with presentations are all gratis of charge. Note that these trips are alone suitable for smallish groups (up to 50). 

Greenwich

Royal Museums Greenwich (including the Royal Observatory, National Maritime Museum together with the Queen's House) are adept destinations for maths schoolhouse trips. We visited them during my PGCE class together with I was especially taken amongst the Queen's House - I loved its wonderful Great Hall (a perfect cube).

Workshops at the Royal Museums Greenwich include 'Maths together with the Milky Way' for Key Stage three together with 4, in which students explore the scale together with diversity of planets inwards our Solar System together with inwards other planetary systems inwards our Galaxy Galaxy using a arrive at of mathematical techniques.

The British Museum

The British Musuem's 2 hr teacher-led Maths Challenge looks similar fun. Groups of students rotate through upward to ix activities inwards dissimilar galleries, completing challenges which focus on developing students’ mathematical thinking. I especially similar the chore inwards which students await at a colossal granite arm inwards the Egyptian sculpture gallery together with endeavor to produce upward one's involve heed the size of the statue that this arm came from. The maximum grouping size is 70. 

The Mathematics Gallery at the Science Museum

The novel maths gallery is due to opened upward inwards Dec 2016 together with volition undoubtedly survive an first-class destination for maths schoolhouse trips. Similar locations farther afield include the Museum of Mathematics inwards New York together with the Mathematikum inwards Germany.

5. Maths Lectures
The most inspiring matter I've done since becoming a maths instructor was attend a 24-hour interval of Mathematics inwards Action lectures. I took twenty Year 12s along together with it was brilliant. Maths Inspiration events are similar. This national programme of interactive maths lecture shows for 14-17 twelvemonth olds features an awesome line-up of speakers such equally Matt Parker together with Hannah Fry.

The Royal Institution runs Masterclasses all over the country. These events typically accept house on Sabbatum mornings, amongst schools sending a small-scale grouping of their keenest Key Stage three mathematicians.

Incidentally...
The best schoolhouse trip I've always been on was genuinely organised past times my previous school's Physics Department. I paid to become along. We chartered a plane, took off from Gatwick inwards the flush together with flew over the Shetland Islands. I saw the Northern Lights (amazing!) together with awe-inspiring constellations. Our bird circled for a spell together with hence flew abode the same night. It was i of the most wonderful things I cause got always experienced, demonstrating the ability of a adept schoolhouse trip.

The sentiment from my window...

Please add together a comment below to permit me know your schoolhouse trip recommendations together with experiences. Thanks!