Redland High School for Girls win Spring Competition 2014

A well-attended poster competition focussing on transport solutions for Bristol was won by Redland High School on March 4th 2014 (Report on RHS website). Thanks to all competitors, judges and facilitators for a lively, well-organised event.

Report by winning team
“On Tuesday 4th March, seven teams took part in the annual sixth form decision-making exercise. It started with a short lecture about Bristol’s current transport infrastructure, the problems with it and the options for future management of transport in the city. We learnt that the majority of people drive in Bristol, even over small distances and that a more sustainable approach to transport is needed for the future. Each group received a resources pack and had 50 minutes to decide which management strategy they would implement in Bristol and create a poster to explain it. It was vital to weigh up the sustainability of each strategy both economically and environmentally before embarking on a decision. We realised current budget cutting, cheaper strategies were more likely to be implemented under the current economic conditions. Each group then had exactly three minutes to present their chosen strategy to three rotating judges. Two of the judges were university lecturers and the third a schoolteacher, which made a very experienced panel to please. The winning Redland High team consequently chose a controversial tolling strategy for cars on main roads in the centre, which would create income to promote more efficient, cheaper buses and safer cycling. Overall, it was a closely fought competition, with other groups even trying role plays to persuade the judges of their new phone app system for buses.

The Redland High School team from Year 13 are grateful to the GA for hosting the annual competition. It allowed all the teams to put their geographical knowledge into practice, building extremely valuable and transferable skills. These included presenting an idea from multiple perspectives within a short amount of time, teamwork, and applying geographical knowledge to unfamiliar situations. Redland High are delighted to have won this year and to have come runners up too, a thoroughly enjoyable evening.”