Pupils at Harrogate Ladies' College put their detective skills to the test at CSI Day

Pupils had to investigate the suspicious ‘death’ of a ‘body’ as part of their Crime Scene Investigation Day, which was attended by a forensics officer from North Yorkshire Police.

In a day organised by the school’s Science department, the investigation included studying hair and blood samples, finger printing, testing fabrics under a microscope, and looking at the science behind gunshot residue.

Sue Ali, Head of Science at Harrogate Ladies' College, said that the day was designed to bring science to life and encourage more girls to think about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects in the future.

She said: “It was such an exciting day with a lot of very detailed analysis of tests in a laboratory setting.

"The research was intense and real and an extremely popular day for everyone.

“We tried to emulate the process of a crime scene investigation as much as possible and there’s a real element of suspense and surprise.”

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The day was aided by STEM ambassadors who are sixth-form students from the school who are studying Science subjects.

They were also given a talk on careers in forensics and the opportunities in police and detective work.

Mrs Ali added: “We set the scene and as the plot unveiled, it became exciting for the different teams to share their research and work out exactly how murders are investigated and ultimately solved.

“All the different elements of the investigation were included in the day using the labs and it’s a great introduction to an exciting array of careers in Science.”

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