Pictured: Year 7 Boys Learning About the Velodrome at the Olympic Park.
The whole of Year 7 and three teachers from Papplewick School, Ascot, visited the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London, on 6th February as part of their geography studies.
The objective was to study the design of a sustainable and eco-friendly residential and facilities project. The boys were certainly not disappointed; they were taken on an informative tour of East Village and the facilities, visited the fascinating biofuel energy centre and saw the velodrome in full use.
They found out many fascinating facts about the Olympic Park, including that the Olympic Stadium is made from old gas pipes; that 95% of the buildings previously on the site were reused; that the timber for the Aquatic Centre was all sustainably sourced; and that all the energy for the stadiums and East Village is provided by the eco-friendly biofuel energy centre.
The boys were also able to experience the facilities for themselves, including hurtling down the Olympic Park Orbit slide and swimming in the 50m Olympic pool.
Headmaster Tom Bunbury said: “The boys returned exhausted, but hopefully fully prepared for an exam question on the regeneration and redevelopment of Stratford and with a good knowledge of what can be done with sustainable development in the future.”
About Papplewick http://www.papplewick.org.uk
Papplewick is a day, weekly, and full boarding preparatory school for around 200 boys between the ages of 6 and 13. Situated in 15 acres of land opposite Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, Papplewick has an excellent record for academic achievement and feeds many of the UK’s top independent senior schools including Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Wellington, Stowe and Bradfield.
In the last two years the school has maintained its academic record, gaining no less than 26 awards to top independent schools, including two King’s Scholarships to Eton. Through its strong commitment to sports, the school also builds skills of teamwork, sportsmanship and responsibility.
As well as academic, sporting and cultural excellence, Papplewick aims to provide boys with the confidence and security they need to fulfil their potential, and the school strives to promote enthusiasm for life, contribution to the community and kindness to others amongst all its pupils.
A report by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in 2013 remarks that relationships between pupils and teachers: ‘are an outstanding strength of the school and are seminal in creating the strong sense of a mutually supportive and trusting community.’