This year’s British Science Week was a fantastic celebration of curiosity and ingenuity. Over the week, students immersed themselves in handson experiments, competitions, shows and challenges designed to spark questions, inspire new thinking and ignite a love of scientific discovery.
The week started with a spectacular science demonstration all about bubbles, featuring SLT igniting methane bubbles. At lunch times, there were opportunities to take part in a series of curiosity challenges designed to stretch students’ imagination and estimation skills such as the Minute Ball Drop, where participants attempted to drop a ball and land as close to exactly one minute as possible, without using a clock. The winner, with an incredible 59second attempt was Carlota. Other challenges included a 20 cm Line Drawing Challenge where participants were asked to draw a 20 cm line without a ruler. Meeting the mark with an incredible 19.5cm free hand line was Florence P. Wednesday’s challenge activities included giant slingshots, rockets and fruitrolling experiments, all requiring engineering ingenuity.
Forms I–III enjoyed the lively Whizz Bang Science Show led by our STEM Prefects along with Dr Jones and Miss Jones, featuring pops, bangs and dramatic demonstrations that brought scientific ideas to life. Form IV competed in our Cardboard Engineering Challenge, tasked with designing the tallest freestanding tower possible using only the materials provided, all on a single A4 base. The results were outstanding, showcasing impressive teamwork and originality. Congratulations to the winners Seacole Form IV. Forms V to UVI took part in a thoughtprovoking masterclass led by Mrs Manton on Theory of Mind. Students explored connections to psychology, communication and animal intelligence, learning that dolphins can recognise themselves in mirrors – a sign of selfawareness. The session sparked insightful conversations and deep reflection.
We rounded off British Science Week with a vibrant celebration Assembly, recognising the enthusiasm and involvement shown across the school and sharing highlights from an inspiring week of discovery. Although the celebrations have come to an end for this year, we are reminded to stay curious, keep asking questions and continue exploring the hidden extraordinary within the everyday.
On the Friday of Science Week, Heathfield’s Science Department hosted a STEM Challenge Day for Forms I to III and were joined by students from Godstowe, Lambrook, Trevelyan Middle School and St George’s. The purpose of the STEM Challenge was to excite students about science, technology, engineering and maths by giving them a realworld problem to solve through creativity, teamwork and handson experimentation.
Students were challenged to design and build a table tennis ball server, in teams, using accessible materials and engineering principles to create a device that could reliably launch a ball.
Students developed practical skills such as problemsolving, testing and improving a design, understanding forces and motion, collaborating in teams and thinking like engineers. They also built confidence in applying classroom knowledge to a meaningful, physical outcome.
STEM challenges help students see themselves as capable innovators, deepen their curiosity about how things work and prepare them for future careers in science and engineering. Most importantly, they show that learning can be active, creative and fun—while strengthening essential skills for the modern world.
