Sussex school welcomes former pupil Professor Chris Whitty

Professor Whitty, chief medical adviser to the government who became a household name during the Covid pandemic, was welcomed back to Windlesham House near Pulborough.

Pupils at the private boarding school were thrilled to show their experiments to the former student.

Pupils showed Professor Chris Whitty their science experiments (Image: Windlesham House)

He told them: “I remember my own school project at Windlesham House. It explored what temperature you need to keep milk at before it goes off.

“I still have the project and it was probably my proudest moment at school. I really learned a lot from my science teachers and I’ve taken that with me."

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Year 7 pupils shared their experiments with Prof Whitty, including one exploring the reaction between Mentos sweets and carbonated drinks and studying animal behaviour by looking at the light preferences of mealworms.

Ben Evans, the school's head teacher and Professor Chris Whitty (Image: Windlesham House)

“You don’t have to learn science to be interested in it,” said Prof Whitty. “It can be fun and interesting. Learning a basic level of science is really important too, as it’s woven into our everyday lives. Remember, all experiments go wrong - most of mine did. Part of failing is that you learn from the process.”

Headteacher Ben Evans said: “It was wonderful to welcome Professor Whitty back into our school community and to listen to his own childhood experiences of science lessons.”