Congratulations to Naomi, LVI, whose entry in the ISA STEM Competition 2026 in the category Design a system to capture rainwater to irrigate and regreen deserts has earnt her a place in the finals. Her design is inspired by the Namib Desert Beetle which is found in the Namib desert along the southeastern coast of Africa. It features hydrophilic regions (in green) and hydrophobic channels (in blue), which allow water to be collected and transported efficiently. Naomi used the Desmos 3D Graphing Calculator to create the model of her rainwater collection system, using mathematical equations to plot each shape. With entries from over 750 other schools, the result is a real testament to her creativity, dedication and hard work.

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Students carried out a pH rainbow experiment, using acid, water and universal indicator. With steady hands and curious minds, they carefully layered different solutions into their test tubes. One by one, the colours began to appear: fiery reds and oranges for acidic solutions, cool greens for neutral water, and dazzling blues and purples for alkaline mixtures.

As the layers stacked neatly on top of each other, the class watched their test tubes transform into miniature rainbows, each band glowing with vibrant colour. The experiment turned an abstract idea, pH levels, into a striking, hands-on display of science in action.

The room buzzed with excitement as students compared their colourful creations, proving that science isn’t just about formulas and numbers — it can be beautiful too.

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Since half term, students have been submitting videos that play with time. We had a huge number of entries across school, from stop-motion to slo-motion and time-lapse. Winners were awarded some very cool clocks that rotate to become thermometers, alarms and stopwatches. Jasmine in Form 1 was the overall winner with a video of a variety of fizzy drinks reacting with mints, beautifully timed to classical music. 

The week finished with a luckily dry Friday afternoon outside playing science games. Almost the whole school was involved, and there was an especially impressive display of skills in the fruit rolling category! Austen came out victorious across the week and achieved the maximum of 8 House Points. Very well done to all the competing Scientists, and a big thank-you from the Science department. 

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Pupils were shown how Rushall Farm is a mixed farm where they grow cereal crops and sell sheep and cattle, as well as being an organic farm.  They learned about inputs, processes and outputs into the farm and about how little labour is required due to the use of machinery.  Unfortunately, close-up visits to the animals are still off the agenda but there were opportunities to hold the chickens. 

Form I showed a wonderfully resilient and positive attitude in the face of adversity and still managed to take notes and embrace the experience which I’m sure they will all remember.  They will now begin an independent project in the classroom as they analyse their test results and decipher their notes and we look forward to seeing the finished results.

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Form I enjoyed investigating the environmental factors which affect farming and took measurements of light, moisture and the pH of the soils in three separate locations. They learnt a new respect for soil as they were shown the connection between the soil characteristics and what can be grown on it. 

Pupils were shown how Rushall Farm is a mixed farm, where they grow cereal crops and sell sheep and cattle, as well as being an organic farm. Pupils learnt about inputs, processes and outputs into the farm and about how little labour is required with the use of machinery. We were also shown how the farm has diversified into other activities such as school visits, camping, forestry and as a venue for events. 

As always, the geographical highlight was the Chalk Pit with its geological cross section dating back 87 million years. Unfortunately, lamb holding was off the agenda this year, and older girls may be sad to learn of the passing of an old favourite, Camilla the pig.  

Form I will begin an independent project in the classroom as they analyse their test results and decipher their very muddy notes and we look forward to seeing the finished projects. 

Form I enjoyed investigating the environmental factors which affect farming and took measurements of light, moisture and the pH of the soils in three separate locations. They learnt a new respect for soil as they were shown the connection between the soil characteristics and what can be grown on it. 

Pupils were shown how Rushall Farm is a mixed farm, where they grow cereal crops and sell sheep and cattle, as well as being an organic farm. Pupils learnt about inputs, processes and outputs into the farm and about how little labour is required with the use of machinery. We were also shown how the farm has diversified into other activities such as school visits, camping, forestry and as a venue for events. 

As always, the geographical highlight was the Chalk Pit with its geological cross section dating back 87 million years. Unfortunately, lamb holding was off the agenda this year, and older girls may be sad to learn of the passing of an old favourite, Camilla the pig.  

Form I will begin an independent project in the classroom as they analyse their test results and decipher their very muddy notes and we look forward to seeing the finished projects. 

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The theme this year for British Science Week was Our Diverse World, which gave us a great opportunity to celebrate the diversity we see throughout the natural world.

As usual, Science Week started off with Assembly and our annual inter-house competition. Houses were challenged to create a marble run that was at least one metre high and to get the marble to run for at least one minute. Girls could use any materials they wished and there was a great diversity of the models made. Seacole were the winners with a run of 17 seconds.

Assembly also gave us the opportunity to launch our Diversity Wall. Every pupil was given a hexagon in which they could put a picture and some facts about a living organism of their choice. This caused some interesting debate as to whether Covid-19 qualified; as officially viruses are not classified as being alive!

The rest of the week saw lunchtime activities including various challenges. On Monday we trialed our homemade inverted glasses to see the world from a different point of view; Tuesday was all about how our DNA makes us diverse and they extracted their own DNA or the DNA from a strawberry.

On Wednesday, girls tackled a 4 x 4 car obstacle course and the Maths department asked students to guess what percentage of the world spoke English, what percentage of the world was female and other worldly facts.

On Thursday we held a demo day with some spectacular chemistry demonstrations using bismuth crystals. The week finished with a finale of trying out ten different unusual food combinations, with popcorn and milk proving the most popular and banana and ketchup voted the least popular.

Overall, a great week was had, and we look forward to seeing the diversity wall completed and on display in the STEM building.

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Form III are conducting a forensic investigation into this brutal crime. The girls are analysing footprints and handwriting samples. They are using scientific techniques such as chromatography, blood typing, salt analysis, fingerprinting and pollen analysis.

An Investigation Board has been set up in the STEM building and five suspects are currently being investigated. Form III are looking into possible motives and following further lines of inquiry.

Form III are confident that the investigation will be completed, and that the Assassin and any accomplices will be revealed!

– Miss Clare Wells, Head of Science Faculty

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