From the Head of Department - Curriculum
Year 4/5 Scientists Shine with Solar Car Investigations
Last term in Science, our Year 4/5 students have been exploring the fascinating world of light, electrical circuits, and forces. To put their learning into action, the students built solar-powered cars and conducted fair tests to investigate how they work.
One of the key experiments focused on discovering whether the angle of the solar panel affects the speed of the car. Students tested the cars with the solar panels set at four different angles — 0o, 30o, 60o and 90o. For each angle, they timed the car as it travelled a 2-metre distance, repeating the test three times and then calculating an average time. Using the formula, speed = distance ÷ time, students worked out how many metres per second their cars were traveling.
This hands-on investigation not only deepened students understanding of scientific principles but also sparked curiosity, teamwork and problem-solving skills.
A special thank you goes to our P&C, whose generous innovation grant funded the solar cars and made this exciting learning experience possible. We are so grateful for your support.
Mr Manning and Year 4/5












