New Starters At LVS Ascot Cause Quite A Flap
11 May 2016
With 180 pupils in the junior school and 700 in the senior school and sixth form, nine new starters at LVS Ascot wouldn’t normally cause a stir. However last week they did exactly that as the new arrivals were actually born in the Senior Master of the Junior School’s office whilst watched avidly online by families through the school’s ‘Chicken Cam’.
The independent all-ability school’s experiment saw pupils wait patiently all week as the eggs sat in an incubator, and a specially set-up camera allowed them and their families to tune in outside school hours to watch proceedings. At 7am on Thursday morning, the online audience were able to enjoy watching the first egg crack, and excited pupils watched first hand during lessons throughout the next two days as eight more chicks hatched at the school.
The experiment met LVS Ascot’s objectives of inspiring pupils to be passionate and enthusiastic about their education, and providing engaging subjects to broaden their minds. Senior Master of Junior School Ed Dennis said: “Our pupils are always keen to come to school, but they were even keener on Thursday and Friday when they knew the eggs were hatching”.
Visiting families to the junior school’s open morning on Saturday were able to enjoy this unusual slice of LVS Ascot life and meet the chicks themselves, though unfortunately they will be absent from the next open day on 5th May as the Happy Chick Company will collect them on Thursday to rehome them permanently.
LVS Ascot’s chicks helped the school convey a number of topics to its young pupils, as teacher Vicky Jackson explained: “We have been able to do a whole range of learning having ignited such interest in the chicks, including science, life cycles, PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education) and animals, but the additional stimulus the eggs and chicks have provided for creative writing, art, music, design, maths and other subjects too is incredible”.
The hatching experiment followed LVS Ascot’s Science Week in March where all students from 4 to 18 were able to see and handle alpacas, pygmy goats, snakes and reptiles amongst other engaging subjects.
Photo: LVS Ascot juniors proudly show off their newly hatched chicks