Sevenoaks School hosted its seventh Summer School for Primary School pupils from the town and the local area at the end of August. This year a record number of pupils attended, coming from a total of 23 schools.

The aim of the Summer School is to bring some of the most able Year 3 and Year 4 pupils together for an intensive week of challenging science-based activities to extend their learning and thinking. Mike Bolton, the Undermaster at Sevenoaks School, commented, ‘The Summer School has developed a tremendous reputation. Each year the demand for places increases and it clearly meets a real need for some of the most able pupils in the town.’

One group of children spent the week discovering the challenges faced by Charles Darwin on his famous voyage on HMS Beagle. They investigated how sailors preserved their food, suffered from scurvy, classified animals and navigated their way across the oceans. At the same time a group of Year 3 pupils worked in the school’s Design department designing and making their own compressed air and water rockets, followed by a competition to discover which was the most aerodynamic.

One young pupil said, ‘I have enjoyed the Summer School so much and it has been by far the best week in my summer holiday.’