The science curriculum has quite literally been brought to life at Bridgnorth Endowed, with the arrival of ten ready-to-hatch eggs at the end of April.
Since then, students and staff have either been flocking to the incubator or glued to their screens to watch the live stream and witness the chicks hatching and flourishing before their eyes.
Five boys and five girls emerged from the eggs over a 24-hour period and went from tiny, fragile new-borns to bouncy bundles of joy within a few hours.
Keeping a close eye on the chicks, the science department have been encouraging students to engage with the process and get first-hand experience of what goes on inside and outside the egg.
Head of Science, Ms Stanley, explains: “It’s been wonderful to incorporate this exciting programme into our lessons. In biology, we’ve studied the stages of chick embryo development and our Year 10 and 11s have linked it to their spread of disease module.”
“Students are also monitoring the chicks’ mass, height and appearance on a regular basis and the maths department have used the real-life data for students to calculate averages and generate graphs.”
Two weeks on and the equipment and half of the chicks have been collected by programme organisers, Living Eggs, and Bridgnorth Endowed are now the proud custodians of five females who will take roost at the school on a permanent basis. A brand-new chicken coop is ready and waiting for them in a quiet corner of the school’s main quad, and the famous five are yet to be named.
Headteacher, Mr Penn, who hatched the plan earlier in the year, commented: “The school has been chick mad for the past few weeks and everyone has talked non-stop about the new arrivals. It’s been an incredible, shared experience, and we’re really looking forward to watching our five chicks continue to thrive and grow.”
