Pupils at Northampton High School have helped to set a new world record for the biggest practical science lesson in multiple venues.
A total of 80 students at the school in Hardingstone carried out a science experiment which involved measuring the value of acceleration due to gravity at exactly the same time as almost 2,000 other pupils at 21 schools across the country.
All the participating students are pupils of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST), a group of independent girls’ schools in the UK, which is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year.
Sarah Dixon, headmistress of Northampton High School, said: “We’ve been planning this record attempt to mark our anniversary for months.
“The most disturbing statistic from the Institute of Physics’ recent report was that nearly half of all co-ed maintained schools in England do not send even one girl on to do physics at A-level. The enthusiasm for this experiment, right across our school, shows the degree to which we’re bucking some of the less encouraging educational trends.”