Thursday 23rd February saw the first PBL Day of 2023. PBL is an acronym for Project Based Learning and the day saw Year 7 and 8 pupils spending a day off their normal school timetable and working in teams towards one central theme.

The theme for this most recent day was sustainability and pupils were keen to learn more.

The day started with a short video on what it means to be sustainable. The video depicted various shots of industries in action, nature around the world and the impact that being unsustainable is having on planet earth.

With the scenes from the video fresh in their minds, pupils then teamed up in small groups and discussed sustainability, the environment and what a carbon footprint is. They then came up with ways to save water, electricity and how to reduce the carbon emissions of Bethany School.

Teams were then tasked with creating, designing and pitching an invention that could be used at Bethany School that will either save water, save electricity, or reduce carbon emissions. With full creativity, a bit of science and a lot of fun, the best inventions were then pitched by the pupils themselves to the whole of Years 7 and 8 and the ‘investors’ for the day; the Headmaster – Mr Healy, Mrs Hill, Mr Beckham and Miss Mills. Even a school governor was in attendance.

The inventions showcased incredible creativity and understanding of the topic for the day and ideas ranged from school minibuses that are powered by grass to a ‘Sally Salter’ (a name inspired by Henry Hoover), a device that separates salt from water to provide clean drinking water for the school.

Evie, Grace, Thomas and Charlie (below) presented their idea of a CO2 powered school heating system that intrigued investors. Pipes around the school would have water insulated by carbon dioxide to help with the school’s carbon footprint.

Clementine, Natasha, Prudence and Keelan (below) wowed the audience with their automated rubbish sorter. It does exactly what it says on the tin and automatically separates rubbish from recycling to help with the amount of waste that ends up in landfill.

Henry and Lily (below) confidently spoke about their invention, a solar powered electrical resonant transformer. A device that is placed in the school field that uses solar power and Tesla coil technology to store and distribute electricity to the school and reduce wasted electricity. The device would even be able to store electricity over the holidays!

All those pupils who pitched did so expertly, confidently responding to questions from the audience and investors, and all received a huge round of applause for their presentations.

The winning invention will be revealed by the Headmaster in next Wednesday’s whole school assembly, so watch this space!

A hugely successful day and all Year 7 and 8 pupils should be proud of their maturity and understanding of the theme. A special shout out to those who presented, it is no easy feat to speak publicly in front of an audience of your peers, let alone the Headmaster!

Well done everyone.