The Stonar Way 21.03.25

National Science Week is an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Stonar are recent award winners for our STEM programme and I am so grateful to have such an expert and inspiring group of teachers in these subjects. It was not a great surprise, then, that Mrs Cooper led her science colleagues in delivering a wonderful week of activities to inspire curiosity, promote scientific literacy, and engage the pupils in understanding the impact of science on everyday life.

Not least among the activities for the older pupils last week was a series of lectures from guest speakers from leading institutions who shared their expertise:

• Experiments at CERN – Dr Vincent Smith, University of Bristol
• The Importance of Chemistry – Dr David Carbery, University of Bath
• Fungal Infections and Treatments – Dr Nick Haddington, NHS England
• Astrophysics and the Rosetta Mission – Megan Cooper, Cardiff University
• Science and Elite Sport – Alejandro Arguelles Bullon, Lancaster University

To launch the week, department heads gave two-minute presentations in School Assembly arguing why their subject was the best in STEM. Physics used Star Wars to explain the Twin Paradox, while Computer Science used AI to generate its presentation. However, their efforts were to no avail, because Biology won the whole school vote by focusing on the natural world. If there is an animal involved, it will win at Stonar!

Our Sixth Form students also took the lead in engaging younger pupils through activities like microscopy, hovercraft building, and rocket launching. A highlight was a science show for the Prep School delivered by Bonnie, Immi, Carla, and Oscar, making science both fun and interactive.

In addition, our younger pupils enjoyed a demonstration by Dr Peter Ford (University of Bath) about the wonders of liquid nitrogen (-196°C), showing how extreme cold affects materials - shrinking balloons and disabling batteries. It was quite a week.

This weekend our attention turns to the performing arts with three performances of School of Rock. I was explaining to a prospective pupil about our Senior School show and she asked, ‘so what year groups are in it?’; I enjoyed telling her, ‘all of them’. This is typical of Stonar and not found in the usual hierarchies of other schools. A cast and crew of over 40 pupils aged from 10-18 working together to put on the show. We wish the cast, crew and staff the best of luck tonight and tomorrow.

Finally, I would also like to wish our riders the best of luck at the Just for Schools Winter Championships at Cricklade, Chepstow this weekend.