Mrs Hatton
STEM
The Police Station would also be
used as the contact number when
school trips were being run and Miss
Skinner would ring the station to
pass on information regarding return
times of trips or to give an update of
how the residential was going so that
information could be passed to on to
parents.
My father became well known to most
families in Wythall because he used
to patrol the area most days. His first
form of transport was his bike then
he had a Police Motorbike and finally
the station was issued with a blue
and white Minivan, or panda car as it
became known. This was also a time
when everyone knew their neighbours.
Although Wythall was a small village in
the 1960’s it contained all the things
a family might need. There was a
Post Office with a telephone box; 2
garages; a greengrocer and sweet
shop; a butchers shop; 2 schools:
Silver Mead School and Meadow Green
School; 2 churches: St Mary’s and the
Baptist Church. Anything we needed
was a bus ride away in Kings Heath or
Birmingham.
We moved away from Wythall in 1971
when my father was transferred to
Redditch Police Station. For me it was
a very sad day because I was leaving
behind not only my friends but the
Police station which had been my home
for 13 happy years. Although my family
eventually settled in Redditch and I
now live there with my own family,
Wythall and the Police Station have
always been my ‘home’.
I came to teach at Woodrush in 1991
and to pass my old house every day
has been a bit strange but also a
bit reassuring that although it had
changed like me it was still a strong
part of the community. When I
learned the Police Station is to close in
September I decided I needed to visit
it for one last time. On Sunday 23rd
June I took my sister and brother to
the Station and PC Mark Hyder gave
us a tour. The downstairs of the House
is now a mixture of lots of different
offices but when we went upstairs it
was like returning to our childhood
as our bedrooms and bathroom were
exactly as we remembered them. Our
lovely garden may have been concreted
over and Blaynee’s yard no longer
exists but we were able to share some
wonderfully happy times of our family
life at Wythall Police Station and how it
played an important role in the life of
Wythall.
This Year Saw The Woodrush Science
Department celebrate National Science
and Engineering Week with lots of different activities and competitions. The
theme was “Invention and Discovery”
and Key Stage 3 students were set a
project in lessons to design a musical
instrument using recyclable materials.
There was also a Science inter-house
quiz for all students. Well done to Brindley for being overall winners for the
week’s activities…James Brindley would
be proud!
Salters’ Festival
of Chemistry
On 25th April, the university of
Birmingham hosted the Salters’ Festival
of Chemistry and four year 8 students
took park in the day’s events alongside
9 other schools from all over the
midlands.
The day comprised two tasks which
tested the student’s ability to work as
a team and carry out practical tests
in order to solve a chemistry based
problem. The first task involved
identifying a mysterious powder
found at the scene of a murder
using different chemical processes,
whilst the second task involved
further chemical reactions to identify
unknown substances plus making
slime!
The day was finished off by watching
a chemistry magic show which
inspired the group – judging by
the amount of photos being taken!
Although the group didn’t win either
of the tasks, they really enjoyed the
day and the experience of carrying
out experiments independently.
Well done Louisa, Nick, Hannah and
Luke.
Miss Hunter
Woodrush Engineers
and Scientists visit
the Big Bang!
The 25th June 2013 saw talented
and inspiring Engineers and Scientists
from Woodrush visit the Big Bang exhibition at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry!
The Big Bang is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering
and maths for young people in the UK.
The whole day is designed and aimed
to show young people just how many
exciting and rewarding opportunities
there are out there for them with the
right experience and qualifications.
The Woodrush contribution to the
day came in the form of William Boucher and Jessica Britain, who exhibited
their awe inspiring Young Engineers
prototypes to members of the public,
designers and engineers from local
schools and the Big Bang Judges!
This fantastically inspiring and
thought provoking day was a wonderful
opportunity to discover and explore
new features that are currently being
experimented and developed within
Science and Technology!
This experience was thoroughly enjoyed by all and is most definitely not a
trip to be missed next year!
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