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Year 9 pupils not only found out about careers in STEM and had lots of fun on a special three-day course, but also gained a new qualification, too.

All five boys who attended the Engineering Development Trust’s Routes into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) course in London, prior to social distancing measures, qualified as EDT Bronze Industrial Cadets.

Assistant Head Sarah Westcott said: “This was a valuable opportunity for these boys to discover the breadth of STEM careers open to high-calibre candidates and to find out about pathways such as apprenticeships. The organisers successfully inspired them and made it an enjoyable experience by devoting time to some exciting and creative aspects of STEM.”

The five boys were: Aadi Goel; Ajand Sasikumar; Laksh Sharma; Paras Mehrotra and Pranav Jayakumar.

Over the three days, they attended sessions which included computer science activities, a presentation skills workshop and groups looking at film-making, coding and forensic science.

The Engineering Development Trust, a national charity with more than 30 years’ experience, offers young people learning experiences in STEM-related careers. Its Industrial Cadets framework, with levels from Challenger up to Platinum, allows participants to demonstrate experience and progress in STEM activities.

After the course, the boys produced short reviews of the three days.

Paras wrote: “Overall I found this course to be a very enjoyable experience, as it was a perfect balance between learning and having fun, which was evident in all three days. For example, on the first day at New City College [in Tower Hamlets], we practised drawing on Photoshop and also learnt how to do HTML coding.

“Moreover, on the second day we played many VR games, but also learnt how to make them, teaching me that there is a creative side to STEM jobs. One key thing which I learnt was the variety of jobs that come under STEM, such as the many career options within engineering, including mechanical and software engineering, inspiring me to be open… the possibilities are endless.”

Pranav likewise found that the course gave him fresh insight into the many options available to him. These included apprenticeships: he confessed to not having previously considered these because his understanding of them had been “blurred”.

“The course helped me comprehend the wide range of jobs just in one sector,” he said, adding that it had been a “fantastic experience” which he would highly recommend to others.

Similarly, Aadi acclaimed the course as “an extremely fun experience”, praising the wide variety of activities in which he was able to participate. “My favourite one was the virtual reality experience and the game-coding using the Unreal game engine, because it was fun and also interesting to see the level of work that goes into designing the games we play regularly. Another interesting activity was learning how forensic science works and the different techniques that police officers use, such as heating water and superglue to show any residual fingerprints.”

Aadi particularly appreciated the information and guidance on finding an appropriate apprenticeship.

“All in all, the Routes into STEM course is one that I would definitely recommend for others as it was an interesting and eye-opening experience,” he concluded.

A-level French students had plenty of opportunity to practise their skills in the language on a trip to Paris that also gave them a grounding in the culture while taking in all the sights.

They saw the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees and the Louvre, as well as visiting attractions specially selected to correspond to their interests in French cuisine, sport and politics.

Head of Languages Nora Schlatte said: “Each day, the students enjoyed guided visits by native speakers, requiring them to understand and ask questions in French: they coped extremely well with this high level of challenge. Indeed, many guides commented on the impressive level of competency shown by the boys.”

The Languages department runs a trip to the French capital every two years, ensuring that all boys can go to Paris at least once during their French A-level studies.

For this visit, undertaken shortly before coronavirus restrictions were introduced, 23 Year 12 and Year 13 pupils headed off on the Eurostar along with three staff: Ms Schlatte; French teacher Gillian Ross, who organised the trip, and David Ryan, Deputy Head.

The party stayed in the Louis Blanc hotel near the Gare du Nord and conveniently situated opposite a Métro station, enabling the boys to reach the sights easily.

A particular highlight was a visit to the Senate (Sénat) at the Palais de Luxembourg, the French equivalent of the House of Lords, where students were shown the impressive gold interiors of the staterooms designed by the famous Marie de’ Medici, a 16th and 17th-century queen of France and patron of the arts. The boys were given access to the main debating chamber, known as the Hemisphere, and were informed about the French system of government.

There was also a tour of the Stade de France, where the students were given access to the dressing rooms decorated for the Six Nations rugby tournament and enjoyed the opportunity to see strips belonging to several French football and rugby sporting heroes.

The sixth-formers were also taken round the vibrant Aligre market, where they learned about the importance of food and drink in French culture and how markets are still hugely popular with consumers.

They were particularly impressed with the range of produce available and enjoyed tasting the cheese and charcuterie, explained Ms Schlatte.

“It was great to give students the opportunity to use their excellent levels of French to interact with issues they are interested in,” she concluded.

A QE team who tested the commercial appeal of their beeswax-based, eco-friendly product at a Young Enterprise Trade Fair are planning to continue with the venture, even when the competition ends.

The team, who have named their firm The Green Bee Company, are producing re-usable wraps as an alternative to plastic kitchen film. Managing Director Mansimar Singh, of Year 12, said: “We believe very strongly in the product and in its potential for success.”

In addition to utilising natural beeswax for the film and for smaller beeswax sachets, the team sourced their other materials from local producers and also made sure their packaging was 100% plastic-free. “With recent youth activism in favour of sustainability and against climate change, we felt these should be issues our product should address, said Mansimar.

The team took their product to Old Spitalfields Market (before the current coronavirus restrictions) to sell at the Young Enterprise Trade Fair held there. Enrichment Tutor Alex Czirok-Carman said: “The boys worked very hard both in the run-up to the fair and on the day itself. They devoted their lunchtimes and time after school for many weeks to manufacture the product by hand.

“At the fair they sold all day and had a great time talking to the public and to the other teams. I was particularly impressed by how they explained their product to people – they were so confident and assured. They all gained a great deal from the experience.”

Mansimar agreed: “Many of the challenges of running a business are well-documented so when, as a team, we came up with a solution to an issue – that sense of achievement was unmatched. The selling experience was rewarding.”

To fulfil the Young Enterprise requirements, the boys had to establish a brand, create a scrapbook and generate an online presence for their company. “They chose the name The Green Bee Company because they wanted both the name and their product to have a message and a story. This was also reflected in their excellent logo,” added Mr Czirok-Carman.

The profits the boys made from the event at Old Spitalfields Market have been ploughed back into the business.

The Green Bee Company comprises:
Mansimar Singh – Managing Director (Year 12)
Ansh Jassra – Financial Director (Year 10)
Sudhamshu Gummadavelli – Marketing (Year 10)
Abhiraj Singh – Marketing (Year 10)
Haipei Jiang – Marketing (Year 10)
Anubhav Rathore – Product Development (Year 10)
Dylan Domb – Product Development (Year 10)
Yashaswar Kotakadi – Product Development (Year 10)
Ashwin Sridhar – Team member (Year 10)
Heemy Kalam – Team member (Year 10)
Shreyank Thottungal – Team member (Year 12)
Siddhant Kansal – Team member (Year 11)

• Update 9th May 2020: The Green Bee team won the Best Team Journey award at the North London Regional Finals, which were held virtually. The award will be presented to the School once the lockdown period is over.Judge Or Paran, a Vice President at Citi Bank, said the judging panel had found the QE team to have done a “really great job”, with “fantastic work that was evident throughout the duration of the competition” – work that was “well-coordinated and with beautiful attention to detail”.

  The overall Best Company award went to a team from The Henrietta Barnett School, who progress to the next round.

Year 12 geographers on a field trip to Suffolk and Essex tested out in real life the theories they had learned in the classroom – while staying in a field centre that forms one of the most famous scenes in world art.

Despite freezing temperatures outside, the boys completed their fieldwork successfully during their stay at the historic Flatford Mill Studies Centre (FSC) at East Bergholt, Suffolk, on the River Stour, last month.

A cottage in the grounds of the mill features in John Constable’s iconic painting, The Hay Wain, which shows a farm cart crossing the river.

Deputy Head Anne Macdonald said: “I am really proud of them; they behaved impeccably and were a credit to the School. They were complimented on their positive attitudes, excellent work ethic and manners by the FSC staff and teachers from other visiting schools.”

The 14-strong group stayed in the centre’s Valley Farm, a 600-year-old Grade I-listed building.

An outing to the coastal town of Walton-on-the-Naze across the river in Essex enabled the boys to look at the different social, economic and environmental thinking behind the variety of coastal management approaches.

They also saw how coastal management affects the processes and landforms, as well as the impact of coastal erosion and mass movement on a rapidly retreating coastline.

“It was a hugely successful trip to a beautiful stretch of coastline,” added Mrs Macdonald.

“This is a very hard-working group of students who not only enjoyed the fieldwork day, but particularly the hunt for fossilised shark teeth on the beaches!”

The fieldwork completed by the boys is examined as part of the AS examination.

They were also able to acquire techniques and skills to support the completion of independent fieldwork for the non-examined assessment that they will take in Year 13.

Several fieldwork techniques were used in different exercises – cost-benefit analysis, an environmental impact assessment, beach profiles, and infiltration rate and sediment studies. Graphical, cartographic and statistical tests that had been covered in the classroom were also revised.

From the history of powered flight to the physics of theme park rides, Year 9 pupils covered a lot of ground on their four-day Science trip to Paris.

Travelling by coach and ferry, the 43-strong group not only literally covered many miles, but also made great strides in their learning as they took in real-life examples of scientific principles in action.

Physics teacher and Academic Enrichment Tutor Gillian Deakin said: “The tightly packed programme had been planned to, on the one hand, showcase some of the interesting applications of Science from the classroom while, on the other, providing discussion points for future lessons.”

The first stopping-off point for the group was the National Air and Space Museum of France, at Paris’s historic Le Bourget, still a working airport for private flights. With nearly 20,000 exhibits, the museum features two Concordes among its 150 aeroplanes. The boys sampled the flight simulator and learned about the development of flight, from air balloons to the modern day.

Pupil Aarush Verma particularly enjoyed this visit: “I attend air cadets outside of school, so it was nice to see a variety of different aircraft, from the first planes to modern passenger planes, such as the A380.”

The rockets there were a highlight for his fellow pupil, Vignesh Rajiv:“I was very impressed by the scale and size of them.”

Later, at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, the biggest science museum in Europe, the group were able to see exhibitions on themes from genetics to energy. “I found the robotics section especially fascinating as visitors could control the robots,” said Aarush. “It linked up really nicely with my personal interests at School, where I’m active with VEX Robotics.”

Another highlight of the trip was a night tour of Montparnasse. “We watched the illumination of the Eiffel Tower at 8pm and got amazing views of Paris,” said Miss Deakin.

The following day the group headed off to Disneyland Paris where they sampled various attractions, from Hyperspace Mountain (a Star Wars-themed ride), to It’s a Small World, a water-based boat ride with audio-animatronic dolls.

“The boys have been studying energy transfers in Science, and the rides have furnished knowledge which they will now have the opportunity to discuss in the classroom,” said Miss Deakin.

“We also got to watch the parade, which included several childhood favourites, and there were some exciting pyrotechnics, which showcased yet more interesting applications of Science.”

The final day included a quick stopover at the Cité Europe shopping centre for lunch and souvenirs. Although the ferry home was delayed by over an hour and a half because of poor weather, a free meal provided the boys with compensation for the hold-up.

An industry-led event to promote degree apprenticeships proved popular with Year 12 boys, with the 15 available places soon snapped up.

The Young Professionals Industry Event, held at the South Bank’s IBM building, comprised a number of workshops with speakers from organisations including Ernst & Young, PwC, Capgemini UK and the RAF.

Degree apprenticeships, which were launched by the Government in 2015, combine higher education and vocational training, enabling university study and the on-the-job training. Training costs are co-funded by the government and the employer, while the apprentices are employed and paid throughout the course.

Head of Year 12, Helen Davies said: “The event offered boys an immersive experience of what it’s like to work in different sectors and to hear from current graduates, apprentices and business professionals.”

Established through a crowd-funding exercise in 2018 by a then-teenage entrepreneur, Dan Miller, Young Professionals aimed to fill a perceived gap in careers advice, making young people aware of “amazing opportunities… right on their doorstep”.

Young Professionals now has links with at least 35 global brands and has launched an app to help young people identify apprenticeships and work experience opportunities.

Miss Davies added: “The boys were interested to learn that the RAF, for example, offers degrees in a number of engineering disciplines and even medicine, alongside sporting opportunities for its staff.”

“Many of the top companies made it clear they expect their apprentices to move to the capital, which put our boys in a strong position as they are already in London.”

PwC representatives highlighted psychometric testing, some of which involves virtual reality headsets. Some of the tests aim to ascertain how candidates deal with frustration. “This was something again which the boys found interesting,” said Miss Davies.

“Overall, they clearly enjoyed the event and found the keynote lecture and workshop from Ernst & Young particularly engaging.”