Students throughout the School were excited to engage with the ‘Change and Adapt’ theme of British Science Week between 7th and 16th March. With a plethora of interactive experiments and experiences across the week, the community was able to appreciate the ubiquity of this year’s topic.
STEAM Co-Ordinator Rachel Milhofer, devised an ingenious programme for our Years 7 and 8. The Fryer scientists tackled the challenge of turning shipping containers into sustainable homes using shoeboxes to create their model residences. Working on scale plans they explored the average sizes of rooms and different pieces of furniture and essential equipment. Each pair of pupils then set about adapting their initial thoughts into an environmentally friendly architectural brief, adding features like solar panels, wind turbines, ground source heat pumps and rainwater collection systems. The students’ final designs were realised in miniature by their creative adaptations to shoe boxes which they modelled into homes for the future.
Zoona, Daisy and Jessica (Year 7) explained: “We started off by researching what we were going to do for the house to make it to scale and have it turn out okay. Currently we’re in the making phase and basically we had to make a presentation on how we got the things and because it’s British Science Week it had to be resourceful.” “I’ve enjoyed working as a group all together with team work to get it finished and helping each other to get it done. I love the freedom that we have because they’ve just given us something to do then we can just go!”
Year 9s, who learn Science as three separate disciplines, experienced ‘Change and Adapt’ across all three of their subjects. In Biology the groups looked at biochemical changes in respiration. In Chemistry students created models of nanoparticles. Matt Richards, Chemistry teacher, commented, “Nanoparticles and nanotechnology enable humans to adapt and change by providing advanced solutions in fields like medicine, electronics, and environmental sustainability. They enhance drug delivery, improve energy efficiency, and offer new materials for innovation, all of which help address global challenges.” In Physics the students looked at the ways energy needs to change and adapt, saying, “Year 9 used recently learnt equations to find the acceleration of free fall experimentally and then linked this to the idea of a gravity battery. They considered how we might be able to more ethically store energy produced from solar panels or wind turbines on our homes instead of using lithium batteries addressing the need to change and adapt our approach to energy production and storage in response to the climate crisis.”
Sixth Form International Baccalaureate students undertook their IB Collaboration Projects, spending a day collaborating across scientific disciplines to address a real-world issue using scientific methods. Their first session focused on planning, researching, and trialing their projects. Students then presented their findings, evaluated outcomes, and discussed their research. The project centered on the UN’s sustainable development goal of clean water and sanitation, specifically examining water quality in the Thames Valley, as we change and adapt our approach to living sustainably.
Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Maths (STEAM) is a major strength of Leighton Park School. DT and Engineering are integrated into curriculum for younger years and available as GCSEs for Years 10 and 11. Many of our Sixth Formers take DT for A Level and go on to Engineering degree courses at university. The three sciences are popular Sixth Form choices on both A Level and the IB courses alongside Maths and Further Maths. The Arts, featuring drama, music, art and dance, offer creative courses and co-curricular activities to engage our students in imaginative pursuits whilst developing their capability and vocational skill sets. Our STEAM approach is about preparing them for a world where the only constant is change. By integrating STEAM into our curriculum, we are not only enhancing academic learning but also nurturing the innovators, thinkers, and leaders of tomorrow.
You can see more photos from the week in our online gallery.
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