Service and Partnerships

STEAM Week 2024

Monday 26 February – Friday 1 March

It was wonderful to welcome over 2000 local primary school children to our annual week of science, which included superb shows, workshops and competitions on the theme of Green STEAM. Pupils enjoyed a microbit coding class run by our students, a fabulous Liquid Nitrogen show led by our Head of Physics, James Tate, and a Powerless Flight workshop.

We welcomed Dr Charlie Gardner and former Sevenoaks teacher Paul Turner from the Ministry of Eco Education, who held a debating session for Year 10 students, with the motion ‘This house believes scientists should not be activists’. Paul Turner also spoke on to Years 7-9 on the subject ‘From Eco Science to Green Business’.

Dr Fraser Lott, a climate monitoring and attribution scientist from the Met Office, ran hands-on climate-modelling computer workshops with some Upper School students.

Lower School students enjoyed a lunchtime Energy Live show delivered by The Royal Institution.

If you have any questions about STEAM week at Sevenoaks or our partnerships, please email partnerships@sevenoaksschool.org

STEAM 2024 Timetable Flickr gallery

“The children's faces lighting up whenever something fizzed, popped or simply changed 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.”
Science Lead, Lady Boswell's CE Primary School

Sessions

How do you turn Eco-Science into Business?

Paul Turner from the Ministry of Eco Education tells the story of Dale Vince, eco-entrepreneur and millionaire owner of Ecotricity, the UK’s greenest energy company.

Hear about the revolutionary science of diamonds made from carbon in the atmosphere (Skydiamonds), a new dawn of electric aviation (Ecojet) and the possibilities of Green Gas. There might also be mention of Forest Green Rovers, the greenest football club in the world.

Date: Monday 26 February

Session times: 14:25-15:15 or 15:15-16:05.

Suitable for: Years 7-9

STEAM 2024 Timetable

The Liquid Nitrogen Show

We all know that you can’t hammer in a metal nail with a banana….but is that always the case? Join Mr Tate, Head of Physics, as we use liquid nitrogen to explore the fascinating world of cryogenics and learn what happens when items are cooled down by 200°C. See materials behave in ways you never thought possible.

Date: Tuesday 27 February

Session times: 09:15-10:15 or 10:45-11:45

Suitable for: Years 3-6

STEAM 2024 Timetable

Junior Physics Renewable Energy workshop

Junior Biology workshop

Junior Chemistry workshop

Junior Physics Electricity and Magnetism workshop

Microbit coding workshop

Maths code-breaking

Can you crack the code? Children will make their way through a series of exciting escape rooms. They will use their maths and science skills to solve puzzles and mysteries.

Date: Tuesday 27 February

Session time: 12:05-12:55

Suitable for: Years 5-6

STEAM 2024 Timetable

Powerless flight workshop

The Carbon Revolution

The last 30 years has seen a revolution in our understanding of carbon. We now no longer just have diamond and graphite as the pure forms (allotropes) but have chains, rings, cages (fullerenes), nantotubes and graphene. Dr Jonathan Hare was part of the pioneering team that developed the Fullerenes at Sussex University that lead to the 1996 Nobel prize in Chemistry under Sir Harry Kroto. In this talk we journey through the discovery of these amazing carbon structures taking us from atoms blown out into the vastness of space by ancient stars to Buckyballs, Geodesic domes (that you might live in if we went to Mars), nanotechnology and two Nobel prizes.

Date: Tuesday 27 February

Session time: 16:15-17:15

Suitable for: Years 10-13

STEAM 2024 Timetable

Royal Institution: Energy Live! show

Energy LIVE! is an exciting audience led show, delving into the different stores of energy and how they affect our lives. Through lively, fire-based demonstrations we take the intimidation out of the terminology around energy and show you just how simple this subject can be. Your pupils will leave not only knowing their elastic from their gravitational, but also fired up (pun intended) about energy and with a newly-enthused approach to science.

Date: Thursday 29 February

Session times: 09:15-10:05 for Years 1-2 or 13:00-14:00 for Years 3-6

Suitable for: Years 1-6

STEAM 2024 Timetable

Kids in Space show

Spacefund presents a fun fifty-minute long interactive performance that takes children on an imaginary journey through our solar system. Highlights include: a recreation of Neil Armstrong’s first step, a bombardment by asteroids and built-to-scale model planets that show how small the Earth is compared to its giant neighbours! Linked to the National Curriculum Key Stages 1 & 2. The Kids in Space show works really well with individual year groups as well as whole school performances. Using a successful recipe of fun, interesting, exciting, interactive and visual ingredients, Kids in Space can be enjoyed by everybody.

Date: Thursday 29 February

Session times: 10:20-11:10

Suitable for: Years 1-6

STEAM 2024 Timetable

Royal Institution: Community show

This fun filled show is designed to get everyone excited about science. All of our shows are jam-packed with experiments, explosions and hands-on participation. The Community Show’s aim is to instil wonder and enthusiasm about science in the local schools’ community.

Date: Thursday 29 February

Session time: 11:25-12:15

Suitable for: Years 1-6

STEAM 2024 Timetable

RoboKids workshop

Sponsored by the UK Space Agency, the RoboKids workshops are linked to the National Curriculum Key Stages 1 & 2 for computing, science and design technology. In these exciting and interactive workshops, children will build their very own Lego Moon/Mars rovers and then use iPads to programme them.

Date: Thursday 29 February

Session times: 11:25-12:15, 12:45-13:30 or 14:20-15:05

Suitable for: Years 1-6

STEAM 2024 Timetable

Climate Change Modelling Workshop

Join Dr Fraser Lott in a hands-on Climate Change Modelling workshop in our Computer Suites. When there’s a heatwave, the Met Office use statistical techniques to compare their temperature observations to the decades of atmospheric simulations they’ve already computed. In this way, they can tell how much the probability of the heatwave has changed with human influence – and by the end of this class, you will be able to as well!

Date: Friday 1 March

Session times: 11:15-13:05 or 14:20-16:05

Suitable for: Years 11-13

STEAM 2024 Timetable

Academic Enrichment Talk

The Knowledge

Time for a thought experiment: Imagine for a moment that global catastrophe struck and you needed to rebuild everything. How would you do it?

It’s a topic astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell has been pondering for some time, and in this talk he shares some findings related to three key areas that foster the development of civilization: food, fire and science.

Art Poster Competition

Get creative and design a poster based on this year’s theme, Green STEAM!

Open to all students in KS1 and KS2, these challenges can be completed in school time or at home.

Scan or take a photo of your best entries and send to partnerships@sevenoaksschool.org.

Winners will be announced after the event.

Thank you!

“Our staff, children and parents who helped escort the children, were bowled over by the dazzling presentations and inspirational and innovative ideas! ”
Co-headteachers - Lady Boswell's CE Primary School

“I was asked to give feedback about what I liked and what could have been better. I liked it all and I don’t think anything could be better.”
Year 7 pupil

“I thought it was amazing! The levitation, the bang, the big pot of liquid nitrogen. It was fun while being educational.”
Year 6 pupil

“Thank you to Sam who helped me build and colour in my glider.”
Year 7 pupil

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STEAM Week 2024

Monday 26 February – Friday 1 March

Sessions

How do you turn Eco-Science into Business?

The Liquid Nitrogen Show

Junior Physics Renewable Energy workshop

Junior Biology workshop

Junior Chemistry workshop

Junior Physics Electricity and Magnetism workshop

Microbit coding workshop

Maths code-breaking

Powerless flight workshop

The Carbon Revolution

Royal Institution: Energy Live! show

Kids in Space show

Royal Institution: Community show

RoboKids workshop

Climate Change Modelling Workshop

Academic Enrichment Talk

The Knowledge

Art Poster Competition

Thank you!

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Primary partnerships

HAPS 2024

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