Year 7 students from De Aston School visited Market Rasen Racecourse this week for a day of horse racing and maths.
Accompanied by De Aston Mathematics teacher Mrs Varcoe and Miss Galloway, the students were challenged with a number of numerical tasks while enjoying everything a day at the races has to offer.
After making themselves at home in one of the VIP hospitality boxes and donning racing silks, students enjoyed a tour of the racecourse by a former jockey. They visited the weighing room, where students weighed themselves before calculating the conversion from pounds and ounces to kilograms.
Next on the agenda was a trip to the changing rooms, where students met some of the jockeys competing on the day. More maths challenges awaited the group as they headed outside. They used trundle wheels to measure the distance of the parade ring, before calculating how many horses could fit within it, allowing important space to avoid kicking and biting!
As they headed out onto the course itself, students had the opportunity to measure the jumps and hurdles, again using their conversion skills. They also had chance to burn off some energy by running the final furlong, before heading back to the grandstand in time to catch the first race of the day.
After the race the De Aston group had the honour of selecting the best-presented horse. They chose ‘Time for Another’ and presented the award to jockey Thomas Dowson. The students were also asked to enter the Winners’ Circle to present the prize to the winning owner.
Mrs Varcoe explains how the trip was beneficial to the Year 7 students:
“The visit to Market Rasen Racecourse helped students to experience seeing maths in context. We built upon conversations and themes from lessons to provide a fun and educational experience.
“We explored a range of tasks, from converting furlongs to miles and metres, to working out how long a ‘length’ is in horse racing by considering the average length of a horse.
“Finally we discussed the range of different career opportunities available in the horse racing world, and how maths is used on a daily basis.”
Mathematics students at De Aston have the opportunity to engage in topics that apply directly to the world around them and will be essential in later life. Find out more on our website.
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