Y13 Psychology students have benefitted from a visit from Michelle Painter, school governor and the Head of the Forensics Team for West Midlands Police.
The visit was designed to support them with their understanding of how and why forensic evidence is collected, including how this is used and presented in court. The session particularly focused on the potential biases that can occur when collecting and examining fingerprints.
Students examined a famous case study from the Madrid 2004 bombings to apply what they had learned in lessons and during the forensics session. Students were also able to get some hands on practical experience, developing and comparing their own fingerprints and footprints, as well as dressing in the forensic suits to see the extent to which contamination is avoided.
Matt Allman, Headteacher, said: “We seek to bring in relevant professionals to support our classroom teaching and having Michelle’s expertise on hand was too good an opportunity to miss. The session went extremely well and helped to contextualise the theory tested in the A-Level exams.”
