Despite reports last month that not enough is being done to encourage girls into careers in science, technology, engineering and maths, one school has said it is doing precisely that.
Redmoor Academy, in Hinckley, said it had put a lot of focus into encouraging youngsters to delve into these “Stem” subjects in more detail.
Its success has already started to pay off with pupils like Saheefa Ishaq, 13, who has picked up an award in the girl’s category of the Women in Science and Engineering awards for her food hygiene project – something the school hopes to capitalise on for both male and female pupils.
We’re doing everything we can to bring these subjects to life and show young people how relevant they will be to their future lives. We might have a pupil considering catering, but they’ll still need maths to weigh and measure their ingredients. It’s things like that we’re trying to get through. There are so many careers for them to choose from which utilise Stem subjects. – Head of science, Jo Cox
At the end of December, staff staged a Big Bang event, designed to inspire and engage youngsters in Stem subjects.
Pupils helped to organise the day, as well as take part in it. Several primary schools were also invited to join in with exhibits and workshops.
Among the firms who put on demonstrations was Severn Trent Water, the National Space Gallery and Triumph.
There were also entomologists and scientists from The University of Leicester’s chemistry department.
We have several Stem clubs which run in the school now. They have grown over the years and, if anything, there are more girls attending than boys. Enthusiasm is growing, so now we have students saying they are thinking of becoming geo-engineers or design engineers who can help prevent flood damage.We decided to organise the Big Bang event and it’s been hugely successful in terms of inspiring our pupils, both male and female. It opened their eyes to what opportunities are out there for them and the feedback from pupils has been immense. – Head of science, Jo Cox
Author: Leicester Mercury
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