July 2025

Page 7

Newsletter 7 - July 2025

Science

Mr Filsell, Subject Lead for Science

Young Investigators Science club

Young Investigators is a Key Stage 3 Science lunch club that has been running every Monday this year. The club aims to

do a different experiment each week, using equipment and building understanding of science through practical work.

On 1st of July, Year 9 pupils started undertaking their end of Key Stage 3

assessment. This assessment was prepared for in class with revision and skills

sessions to build their confidence before the big day, as well as pupils being

supplied with a revision list at the end of Term 5. The assessment is structured

like a traditional exam paper, with 45 marks devoted to longer-answer questions

of varying difficulty. After the assessment, the papers will be marked and pupils

will receive feedback, as well as a banded 'grade' achieved.

The outcome of this assessment is to better understand the abilities and the

gaps in our cohort of young scientists, and inform our preparation for Year 10.

We will be able to identify the skills they need to build, any interventions needed

and the pupils who would benefit from greater challenge. The pupils who achieve

the 'top' grades or the highest percentage scores will be invited to join the Triple

Science scheme. This will not change the classes they are assigned to next

year, but rather that they will be asked to attend after school 'Triple' sessions

with extra practical activities and content! If you have any further questions on

how triple Science will look next year, please do contact our KS4 Science Lead,

Mr Brett.

Miss Vince

STEM Club

Our vibrant Girls in STEM Club is

a hub of curiosity and innovation

where we dive into a diverse range of

experiments, from precise chemical

titrations to exploring new worlds with

VR headsets. STEM Club has been

running on Mondays after school and

is open to girls in Years 8-10. Beyond

the exciting hands-on activities,

a core mission of our club is to

champion equal opportunities for girls

and women in STEM-oriented fields.

We actively discuss the challenges

and triumphs, empowering our

members to envision themselves

as future leaders and innovators in

science, technology, engineering,

and mathematics.

Miss Roycroft

In Terms 5 and 6, pupils have been looking at the

following ideas: How salt water affects onion cells;

making and racing balloon rockets, using Hot Wheels

cars to study energy transfer, and making acids and

alkalis of different strength as shown by universal

indicator. They have also been making density stackers

and testing their ingenuity and steadiness of hands by

making an electrical wiggly wire challenge!

Our final club session of the year will be on Monday 14th

of July, when we will have our end of year party and

quiz. Finally I would like to thank all the pupils who have

attended the club this year, you have been absolutely

brilliant. I would also like to thank Mrs Curtis who has

come in as a volunteer on a Monday to help and support

the club. I hope everyone has a good summer and don’t

forget to look for the science in everything you do over

the holiday!

Mrs Fox