Research shows that engaging children early with science can have long term impacts on subject choices at GCSE and A level as well as improve the uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Research also shows that if children are not exposed to certain types of jobs, they might never think of choosing them in later life.

During our Science Week, we invited some scientists into school to talk about their jobs. The children had inspirational talks from the following scientists:

• Gemma Rutter, a former GSJS pupil, gave an overview of her career as a civil engineer. She discussed the main causes and effects of climate change and actions children can take to reduce their carbon footprint.

• Marziyeh Bahmani gave an overview of her career as an architect and research for her masters which focused on climate change, specifically sustainability and energy efficiency in UK office buildings using AI.

• Néstor Rueda Vallejo (Maxim’s dad 3G) talked about the importance of reducing greenhouse gases and about his job as an engineer. He also talked about the pioneering work of his company Bluemethane, to extract the gas methane so that it can be used as a sustainable form of energy.

The children were also lucky to experience a display in the hall, when Bird Man came in to do a presentation; This included meeting a hawk, bald eagle, falcon and barn owl. They learnt about topics like life cycles, food chains, adaptation and evolution. Thank you to the PTA who have funded this engaging experience.