The BHEST Day at Newton Abbot for King Edward VI Community College

March 14, 2011 - PRLog -- As Newton Abbot welcomed racegoers for their opening fixture of 2011 last Monday, the racecourse played host to King Edward VI Community College as part of the BHEST Racing to School programme.

The free education programme, run by the British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust (BHEST), aims to enrich the National Curriculum with hands-on learning at racecourses across the country.

Thirty Year 8 pupils from King Edward VI were invited to spend a day behind the scenes at Newton Abbot Racecourse to learn about the role of mathematics in racing.

The Racing to School trip was a reward to those students who had excelled in their behaviour and commitment to mathematics at school.

Pete Goodchild, Maths teacher at King Edward VI Community College commented: “The day at Newton Abbot was an overwhelming success”.

“The Racing to School initiative allows us to reward the children for their ongoing commitment to learning in maths and gave them the opportunity to apply the skills that they’ve learnt in the classroom to a real-world setting.”  

“The children unanimously reported that the trip was a brilliant day out.”

As part of the trip the youngsters visited the weighing room to find out more about the relationship between weight and performance and how the racing handicapping system works.  

They also learnt about the effects of distance and the condition of the going on a horse’s performance and how to read the information on a racecard.

The BHEST visit to Newton Abbot culminated in the youngsters watching the opening race of the season, named in honour of their visit: the BHE&ST Racing to School Maiden Hurdle.

Following the first race, six pupils were invited by the racecourse to present the prize to the owners of Alla Svelta, the winner of the first race of the new season.

The next fixture at Newton Abbot takes place on Sunday 20th March. For further information or tickets visit www.newtonabbotracing.com or call 01626 353 235.

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