STUDENTS have been forging links and building bridges with each other and the wider community in a Development Day at Budmouth Technology College in Weymouth.

The youngsters from Year Nine spent the day away from lessons learning about the other side of school. They took part in treasure hunts and were taught the importance of alternative ways of learning.

The 24 students from class 9JC also spend time on a team-building exercise using copies of the Dorset Echo.

Their task was to get into groups of four or five and design and build bridges using old copies of the newspaper. The structures had to remain firm and withstand a certain amount of weight.

Head of Year Nine Emily Hunter said: “The Year Nine theme for the day was working as a team and some of the day was spent as part of being a team and building the best bridge structure that would take the most weight without collapsing.

“It was a fun activity but one that also linked to the key curriculum areas of science and design technology.”

She added: “The students had a wonderful time and took part in five different activities during the day which taught them that there are many different ways to learn things.”

Budmouth College

Budmouth Technology College, which stands on the site of the former Weymouth Grammar School, takes children aged between 11 and 18.

It has approximately 1,500 students, around 300 of whom are in the sixth form.

At its last Ofsted inspection in 2008, the college was judged ‘good’ with some outstanding features.

As well as catering for mainstream students, the college also has a thriving Asperger’s base that supports autistic children with one-to-one help and encouragement to take part in main school activities.

The college is also the base for the Dorset Expeditionary Society – Leading Edge expeditions – that gives young people aged between 15 and 25 the chance to explore parts of the world they would normally never see. This year they went to Norway, 2011’s agenda includes the Andes, Kenya and Nepal as well as the Isle of Skye.