Stone’s Walton Priory Middle School has once again been smashing it in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths competitions.
Writing to A Little Bit of Stone, the school said:
Walton Priory Middle School has a strong and long history of winning STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) related awards and it is at the heart of everything we do in school. Since our STEAM journey began in earnest in 2018, we’ve won over £25,500 in prize money from national competitions!
Just before the summer holidays commenced, we received the exciting news that we have won three highly recognisable competitions! This includes the National Careers Challenge, the KS3 Big Bang RAF Teamwork Award and the BP’s Ultimate STEM Challenge.
The National Careers Challenge
The National Careers Challenge is run by the Inspirational Learning Group and a total of 57,000 students were involved in the initial stages this year. This year’s challenge was based on finding sustainable uses for recycled AirProducts gas cylinders and each team had to deliver a pitch to a judging panel. This included a business plan, social media presence, a 30 second advert, support for a charity, a competition and a prototype. After the pitch, the judges then shortlisted which teams would perform on the main stage and from there, they would decide the winners.
We entered two teams this year, our winning team being ‘HeatUp’ and our wildcard entry being ‘Hydrop’. Team ‘HeatUp’ made it through the initial stage and were called to the main stage by presenter Jason Manford and performed their routine perfectly in front of an audience of nearly 1,000. Mrs Dudley commented: “The girls were amazing, especially under so much pressure. Their design of a heater which used two upcycled gas cylinders, plus some clever use of a vacuum and a heat pump was inspired. Their “use of scientific knowledge” was mentioned by the judges as one of the reasons that they won.” Whereas our wildcard entry Team ‘Hydrop’ didn’t quite make it from round one to the main stage, but their hard work was well-rewarded at the event with goodie bags, a free lunch, and a special day out.
This is the second time that Walton Priory has won the KS3/Y7 category since the competition’s creation in 2014.
The KS3 Big Bang RAF Teamwork Award
Last year we had a group of pupils who are a part of Girl Guides and they were given a brief to build a “Bicycle-powered smoothie maker” for the Unity International Girl Guide Camp which was being held at Kibblestone in August. They enlisted the help of Mr Parke and Mr Taylor on Wednesday lunchtimes to help aid them. Upon the release of the Big Bang Showcase categories, the team decided to enter their self-titled ‘Smoothie Crusher’ to see if they could win with it!The design developed into something that resembles a fairground carousel, with four BMX bikes driving a screw-crusher in the centre. With the addition of bells, bunting and a rainbow parasol, the machine eventually worked and the five-litre smoothie that was made was delicious.
The team was judged by two engineers from the Royal Air Force who were impressed by the way that the team had developed roles for everyone. In addition to the four bike riders, we had chefs, mechanics, pole-bearers, a safety chief and a narrator. The award – and a stunning Spitfire Trophy – was presented at the Big Bang Fair at the NEC in June. The team’s £500 prize will go towards further improvement to the school’s STEM curriculum.
BP’s Ultimate STEM Challenge
The Ultimate STEM challenge, sponsored by BP, is the UK’s biggest STEM competition for KS3 students. With so many entries from every type of school, the fact that Walton Priory has now won it twice in five years (not forgetting being runners-up in 2019) is extraordinary.
Pupils Libby and Annabel entry is titled ‘Walton Goes Dark’ and they investigated how much energy the school could save by switching off the lights when they are not needed. They also asked the schools technician to take readings of the electricity meter so they could monitor the impact of the experiment. The judges thought their entry was as an excellent example of using science and technology to come up with a solution to a real problem and included quantitative research the pupils collected themselves.
First prize is £3,000 which will go towards further improvements to the STEM work across the school. Mr Ball commented: “This is a stunning achievement for Libby and Annabel. To get first place in a huge competition, with many entries from older Y8 and Y9 teams, is a credit to all their hard work and perfect presentation. We’ve always known that our students are brilliant, but it’s great to see their skills recognised at national level as well.”
Headteacher, Lindsay Taylor-Potts comments: “I’m amazed that after two years of education being interrupted we’ve been able to win all three of these awards. We’re particularly proud of the ‘BP’s Ultimate STEM Challenge’ award as it’s such as good time to be focusing on saving energy.”
Walton Priory Middle School is committed to ensuring that all our students are provided with opportunities to develop their interests, knowledge and skills within STEAM related subjects from entry in Year 5, all the way through to Year 8.
If you’re interested in your child attending our school, we are currently accepting bookings for our second open morning of the year on Saturday 24th September 2022. Tickets are free but booking is required as spaces are limited, please see our website for more details and to book.
