First Form pupils got their first experience of a Senior School trip on the annual Maths and Computer Science Trip to Bletchley Park. Pupils participated in a variety of exciting activities, from having a tour of the Bletchley site, visiting a D-Day video explaining the impact Bletchley Park had on the Normandy landings, to exploring ‘The Intelligence Factory’ where pupils saw the impact that codebreaking had on naval activity.
Codebreaking skills were put to the test as pupils were tasked with coding and decoding messages. The First Form had basic training on how to be a morse code operator, although their training was slightly short of the three months required for a full wartime job at Bletchley!
The pièce de résistance, however, was the opportunity to see an enigma machine and have its use explained, and even touch one of the enigma machines that had been used in World War II. Pupils came away with a real understanding of the role that mathematicians and the early computer scientists played in turning the tide of the Nazi invasion of Europe, and how these roles have developed into the modern day.