2,000 local children discover Green Science at Sevenoaks School
7 March 2024
Primary school pupils attended STEAM Week sessions on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths.
Sevenoaks School welcomed more than 2,000 children from local primary schools at its annual celebration of science held last week. This year’s STEAM Week included a programme of free shows, workshops and competitions on the theme of Green STEAM, which explored environmental issues such as climate change. More details of the events are available
Attendees enjoyed a microbit coding class, run by Sevenoaks School students; a Liquid Nitrogen demonstration led by James Tate, Head of Physics at Sevenoaks School; and a Powerless Flight workshop to explore conserving energy.
As well as supporting local primary schools to focus on science, engineering and maths, STEAM Week also included sessions for Sevenoaks students to expand their scientific understanding. Dr Charlie Gardner and, former Sevenoaks teacher, Paul Turner from the Ministry of Eco Education, held a debating session for Year 10 students and spoke to students in Years 7-9 on the subject: “From Eco Science to Green Business.” The Lower School also enjoyed a lunchtime Energy Live show from The Royal Institution. While Dr Fraser Lott from the Met Office ran a hands-on climate modelling computer workshop with Upper School students.
Working in partnership with the Sevenoaks Partnership of Primary Schools, a collaboration of 32 schools across the area, Sevenoaks School gives year-round support through enrichment activities to more than 6,000 local primary school children annually. Activities are held both on campus and at individual schools and are run by Sevenoaks School students and staff, who provide reading sessions, Latin and robotics, sports coaching and music lessons.
Hannah Crawley, Science lead at Lady Boswell’s Church of England Primary School, says: “The opportunity to participate in Sevenoaks School’s Science Week shows was immensely enriching for all involved and fully engaged the children - from Year 1 all the way to Year 6! The shows were not only educational but also exceptionally interactive and provided a unique way of bringing science to life, giving context to what the children had already learned at school. The children's faces lighting up whenever something fizzed, popped or simply changed shape or state was a highlight for staff members.
“As a teacher, the practical demonstrations, especially the liquid nitrogen and Energy Live shows, provided a hands-on experience that is often challenging to replicate within the confines of a regular classroom. On the walk back from the shows, all you could hear from the children was "That was so cool!" and "I was not expecting that to happen!", there was genuine buzz in the air.”
Kathy O’Donnell, Director of the Institute of Service and Partnerships at Sevenoaks School comments: “Our students and staff provide more than 1,000 hours of voluntary service every week to support local community, national and international causes. STEAM Week is a highlight in our annual calendar, as we can help so many of our local schools give richer learning experiences in subjects that can be difficult to bring to life in traditional classroom settings.
“We are proud that during 2024’s STEAM Week, our students and staff have enabled thousands of children to access experiments and expertise. Hopefully, this will ignite a life-long passion for science and technology. It has also enabled our students to share their love of learning, further develop their communication skills and forge deeper connections with our local community.”