We talk to five local schools about the innovative ways they’re inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics – STEM to those in the know, which is an awful lot of people around Cambridgeshire – are subjects we’re rather good at. They are popular, too. In 2022, maths was the top A-level choice for sixth formers, closely followed by psychology, biology and chemistry.
It’s translated to an enormous jump in applications to related degrees at university over the past decade, including four times as many students hoping to study artificial intelligence. While the country has what you might politely describe as a few issues to contend with currently, boosting the importance of STEM should still be a major priority. This was something recently acknowledged by the government, with the creation of a separate science department and its own minister at the helm.
It isn’t just about supporting the current generation of amazing STEM specialists, but ensuring that we also get even better at inspiring children to become the brilliant STEM-focused brain-boxes of the future. That’s where schools in our area come in. Talk to their STEM or STEAM experts (the A stands for the arts, and importance of creativity in every STEM area) and their passion for this vital area of education comes across loud and clear.
STEM matters: these subjects connect many areas of life as well as education. Being at the cutting edge of STEM matters even more in the future – and that means producing ‘the right number of engineers, scientists and biomedical students’, says Paul Baker, head of computing and digital strategy at The Perse School. For Joe Swain, head of science at Stoke College, STEM is a hugely important subject area. “Students are learning about a wide variety of different topics and how they apply to the world,” he asserts.
Other STEM specialists are equally persuasive. Rosie Rainsford, head of the STEM faculty and maths at St Faith’s, describes it as key to developing logical and analytical thinking required for solving problems. “We support pupils in building transferable skills for life and encourage them to question ‘why?’ to foster their enquiring minds,” she explains. Once mastered, it’s something used to build a deep understanding of core topics. “It encourages pupils to apply themselves to all of their studies independently.”
Developing ways of thinking that radiate out across the curriculum is something also stressed by Alexandra Simpson, director of exams and STEAM pathways at Felsted School. “These subjects all encourage problem solving and teach pupils how to think creatively and critically, conduct their own research, evaluate information, and then apply their knowledge,” she illustrates.
If you want all the facts and figures demonstrating their successes, schools can reel them off by the dozen. Recent accomplishments for St Faith’s students have included the University of Cambridge’s Coding Challenge and the Raspberry Pi Competition.
Felsted’s successes span the age range from the Primary Gold Quality Mark for Science just achieved by the prep school, to the prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship secured by a sixth-former; not to mention a host of individual and team triumphs in just about every STEM subject.
Not-so-secret weapons include a winning combination of fabulous facilities, amazingly creative STEM initiatives and – of course – terrific specialist teachers, ensuring more young people have the confidence to feel STEM subjects are for them. Gresham’s, whose Dyson STEAM Building opened in 2021 following an £18.75 million donation from Sir James Dyson, deliberately puts art and design at the heart of the premises. This ensures that ‘those studying technical subjects have a clear sense of creativity in their approach’, says the school, as well as challenging the traditional narrative where children choose options at an early stage – something that can create a division between arts and sciences.
Investing in appealing spaces where STEM and STEAM subjects are taught is matched by the approaches schools take to draw pupils in. It’s all about sparking interest and curiosity from a very early age so pupils want to keep learning, says Felsted School. “Gradually, they begin to understand how to recognise ideas and bring them to fruition; how to approach a project, progress it and refine it so ultimately they have achieved their aim.”
At The Perse School, a major focus has been on encouraging the uptake of computer science, which plays a vital role as a facilitating subject.
Get to grips with the fundamentals of how computing works, the idea that all data – from videos to images and beyond – is represented by zeros and ones. Take it from there and you end up with the ability to make profound connections between a whole range of subjects. Perse’s approach, which included a complete rethink of the computer science curriculum, has paid dividends, with around 60% of pupils taking computer science GCSE. This includes an increasing number of girls, in part thanks to initiatives like specialist girls’ coding and computing clubs.
That ability to spark interest in a subject – and do away with gender stereotypes – is evident at Stoke College. Not only is the current year 13 physics class the largest A-level group in the school, but
girls are well-represented, with some high achievers increasingly planning to study the subject at university.
At St Faith’s, maths lessons regularly feature open-ended investigations as a way of encouraging pupils to develop their problem-solving skills and independence, while practical experiments are definitely a core element of the science curriculum. These include year 7 pupils researching ‘the evolution of objects’ – a post-exam project – looking at how familiar objects like ink pens, carbon monoxide detectors and toothbrushes have developed over time, as well as the science involved at every stage.
Stoke College pupils in year 7, meanwhile, might study the random movements of pollen grains under a microscope, an introduction to particle theory or time travel, to find out what ancient Greeks thought about atoms. They may even learn about science equipment by finding hidden clues in ultraviolet ink, or conduct virtual experiments.
This is all enhanced by our area’s schools’ amazing array of extra-curricular activities, trips, events and competitions, making it impossible for any pupil not to find something appealing. The range is immense, from St Faith’s ‘maths in motion’ – an after-school activity setting up a virtual Formula 1 racing car and competing against peers, while learning about accuracy and measuring angles – to a new website and podcast run by year 12 pupils at Felsted, highlighting STEAM developments.
Gresham’s pupils, meanwhile, are building robots, designing and racing electric cars and even using their coding skills to create a character – Animatronic Audrey – for a recent school production of The Little Shop of Horrors.
Increasingly, schools are also using their STEM know-how to benefit others. For older pupils, that might include opportunities to work with younger children. At Stoke College, for example, STEM prefects mentor younger students, acting as inspirational role models and setting high standards when they work with them on activities.
Many schools run outreach programmes with other schools. One of the most ambitious, the Perse Coding Team Challenge, involved around 300 schools and 7,000 students last year. It’s designed for the public good, encouraging the uptake of coding among pupils from far and wide with free online resources their schools can use all year round.
In an area renowned for world class STEM expertise, it’s no surprise our schools’ commitment to science, technology, engineering and maths is equally inspiring. You don’t need to be a science genius to feel confident in adding all the ingredients together: the result will be a brilliant new generation of inquiring, confident and creative young minds.
