PARENTS of children in Year 7 at Court Fields in Wellington enjoyed a taste of what it is like to be at school in 2016 at a Study Skills evening.

Schools are having to adapt their curriculum and methods of teaching to prepare students for new GCSE exams in future, and the evening gave parents a taste of teaching in Maths, English, Science, Art, Design and Technology and Spanish.

They were challenged to translate Spanish text without a dictionary; solve a murder mystery in English; build a weight-baring structure in Design and Technology made

of cocktail sticks and wine gums in competition against their children; and diagnose illnesses and suggest medicines as Doctors in Science.

Headteacher Rachael Bennett said: “Students need to be more resilient in their learning and foster a ‘growth mindset’ if they are to be successful in the future.

“Exams are getting tougher, so students, parents and school need to work together to ensure they practice learning skills both at school and at home.”

Ruth Cummins, assistant headteacher responsible for Teaching and Learning at Court Fields, added: “The importance of literacy and numeracy can’t be understated in the new curriculum.

“We all have a responsibility to get our children reading more, be fluent in their speaking using a wide range of vocabulary, listen for meaning in their conversations and writing accurately to a variety of audiences.”