Drone academy takes off at Glengormley High

Glengormley High School leaders Ricky Massey and Paul Clarke travelled to Estonia and Finland in November 2019 on a week-long research trip to find out about learning and teaching methods in the countries.

They were fascinated to find one Estonian school using drone technology as a means of teaching ICT and Maths.

With additional research and delays due to Covid-19, Glengormley High School has recently launched its own ‘Drone Academy’ with a focus on enhancing engagement with core skills in learning ICT and Maths.

The first cohort of Glengormley High School pilots will work towards gaining their CAA - Civil Aviation Authority Flyer ID.

Joshua Booth, Drone Technology Coordinator highlighted the capacity of some of the drones that have been brought into school.

He said: “Some of these drones can be programmed to fly in sequence, perform flips and stunts, whilst others are designed for commercial level photography and have the capacity to be flown more than two miles from the school.”

Principal, Ricky Massey added: “This has been an amazing opportunity to engage our pupils with this high quality technology. To teach pupils about coordinates using a drone, or to teach them how to programme a drone takes teaching and learning to a new level.

“This year, we had 210 new Year 8 pupils join Glengormley High School - the largest enrolment since 2003. These young and inquisitive minds will get the chance to learn about powerful drone technology and how it can make life in our modern age much easier. In other exciting news, we are on the cusp of opening our first Virtual Reality Academy - we have the VR headsets and are getting them ready for our launch.”

Chief Executive of the CSSC, Mark Baker visited Glengormley High School and had an opportunity to see the drones in action.

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