Witchford Village College, a secondary school on the outskirts of Ely, has unveiled its three recently renovated on-site science labs, significantly improving science facilities at the school and creating a vibrant and dynamic learning space for everyone to use. Following a successful bid for funding of over £200,000, the work also included the building of the school’s very own large storage room, used for holding equipment for the in-class experiments, and refurbishment of a preparation room and Lab 5. These projects were carried out and completed by the resident site team over the summer holidays.
Newly refurbished, the science labs allow for easy cleaning between lessons and space for social distancing, adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. Part of the refurbishment work included brand-new benches with wipe-clean laminate surface and a new layout of the lab, enabling greater flexibility to complete group work and giving students the chance to section off into their own bubbles.
Bessie Owen, Head of School, Witchford Village College, said: “Despite the unusual circumstances that 2020 has brought to education, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that our students are met with the best possible experience as they continue to integrate into the ‘new normal’ of school life. These refurbishments reflect our new way of teaching and operating and I’m extremely proud of how our site team pulled together to make this possible”.
As well as the project being developed with the school’s safety guidelines in mind, everything has been refurbished to ensure the highest quality learning experience for the students. This has included: new natural daylight LED lighting, which has been built into the ceilings to ensure better lighting conditions for students to focus, new blinds which will allow effective blackout for practical work on topics such as the properties of light, measuring the rate of photosynthesis or flame tests, and new state of the art 86-inch interactive screens to allow all students to proactively follow the lesson and also interact with the boards themselves.
Owen continued: “The science labs have not been refurbished or modernised since the school was built, so it’s been fantastic to see the students making the most out of our new facilities this term. At Witchford Village College we are committed to providing a learning environment in which all of our students have the ability to realise their potential. These new labs will do just that”.
These changes come at an exciting time for Witchford Village College, as the community continues to grow and evolve from its connection to Eastern Learning Alliance. Eastern Learning Alliance is a purposeful family of schools, each with its own distinct identity. Each school within the Trust offers academic rigour, excellent extra-curricular opportunities and values the arts and performing arts. Eastern Learning Alliance and its schools are proudly international and internationally minded, serving a diverse community with a broad, specialist and inclusive provision.