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Ashton Park School

Ashton Park is a mixed comprehensive school, with a specialism in sports, for students aged 11 to 18. Most of its 1,150 students come from the Ashton, Southville and Bedminster areas of South Bristol.

Five teachers have been involved in Enquiring Minds. In the school year from September 2006-July 2007, they worked with a total of 64 students from Year 8 on the project. Enquiring Minds lessons took place in one double period per week.

Students were grouped into two large classes of 32 students each. Teachers then did some team-teaching with the large groups, before splitting off into small groups.

“Sometimes it was fun and sometimes it was quite frustrating, because you just wouldn’t get anywhere sometimes in lessons. But then other lessons you’d get really far on your own and feel really proud of yourself.”

Student

As of September 2007, Ashton Park School has extended Enquiring Minds in order to allow every student in Year 8 to have two or three weekly lessons on it.

By taking the Enquiring Minds approach with its Year 8 students, the school hopes to help students become more actively engaged in their education.

Find out more about Ashton Park School at www.ashtonpark.bristol.sch.uk.