Posted: 16 November, 2022

Ikram and Miami Launch Access Workshops

Community, Guests, In the Press, News, Partnerships, Senior School, Sixth Form, STEM

Two of Putney’s year 13 students are using their own experience to encourage local children from Years 5 and 6 to learn more about senior Maths and Science and inspire them with some fun and engaging STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) based challenges.

The “Access to Success” workshops are the brainchild of Miami and Ikram, both of whom joined Putney in the Sixth Form as bursary students. Fifteen pupils from Hotham Primary in Putney joined their first, “Access to STEM” Maths workshop in November and a second, Science based workshop is scheduled to take place in the spring.

Miami and Ikram both feel passionately about the importance of sharing with local families the opportunities that are available to them through means-tested school places at schools like Putney. They are also hoping their initiative will continue to drive diversity.

Miami is studying Economics, Psychology and Maths at Putney and intends to study Economics at university. She explained, “Secondary school is a real step up, but the idea is to plant seeds in their heads and give them confidence…It might help them develop an interest in science that they hadn’t had before.”

Ikram is Putney’s Head Student and is taking A Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths. She explained, “At my previous school I took part in a STEM outreach project at Imperial College. There were lessons in Maths, Chemistry and Physics, covering a lot topics outside of the curriculum –it was a great experience and inspired me to apply to a school like Putney. I decided that setting up science sessions at Putney for primary school pupils would give them a taster and encourage them to apply.”

With the support of teachers and other Putney students, the workshops are competitive, fun and engaging, involving the pupil visitors in relay challenges (Maths) and experiments in magnetism (Physics), microscope examinations (Biology) and flame tests (Chemistry).

 

"The children had an amazing time and every single participant was extremely engaged. They worked well in teams and they got a lot out of it, not only mathematically but also socially."

Carla Ciaramicoli
Hotham Primary School.

"The Tower of Hanoi problem was the most tricky and the most fun because it was interactive."

Team Triangle & Squares
Winning team - 'Triangles & Squares'
Winning team - 'Triangles & Squares'
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