The 40 Year 9 pupils worked on a project called the Wind Turbine Challenge, where they had to design and construct a wind turbine to produce the greatest amount of electricity. The turbine had to be free-standing and structurally robust to support heavy components and moving parts.

The project not only had time constraints, but also budgetary and aesthetical challenges.

Education Officer for The Smallpeice Trust, Thea Hill said, “It was very encouraging to see the students so enthusiastic about the project.  Their lateral thinking and problem solving skills were put to the test as they tackled the tasks in hand.  We hope these students will now be inspired to consider engineering when looking to choose future study options.”

Head of Department, Harriet Helm said, “We were delighted to have experienced this refreshing opportunity.  It will encourage our pupils to connect the taught elements of science, design and technology to what happens in engineering in the real world. By taking part in this STEM day, we are hoping to put the spark back into these subjects and demonstrate to pupils that they are worthwhile and fun.”

Programme Manager for Tomorrow’s Engineers, Rhys Holdaway added, “Tomorrow’s Engineers is all about inspiring young people by the science, technology, engineering and maths all around them.  Congratulations to the pupils and teachers who have been involved in the STEM day. We hope the event has helped to open up the world of possibilities available to pupils who follow a career in science, technology, engineering and maths.”

The STEM Day was run by the educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust as part of an ongoing programme of courses designed to help young people learn and develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing.  The STEM Day was sponsored by Tomorrow’s Engineers which provide support to organisations to help deliver high quality extra-curricular engineering activities, training and careers information to targeted schools and communities across the UK.