The week began with a special assembly in the Senior School by Mrs Anne Farthing, Head of Science at Norwich High School for Girls, on the theme of Change and Adapt, where students explored how scientific ideas evolve over time. From theories once believed to be absolute truths to the discoveries shaping our future, the assembly encouraged students to think critically about how science is always progressing.

In the Senior School, a host of exciting activities took place throughout the week. The Great Chemistry Bake Off combined creativity with chemistry as students crafted baked goods inspired by scientific concepts, with prizes awarded for the best bake, best concept and top fundraisers. 

Budding engineers put their design skills to the test in the Fan-Powered Cars challenge, building and racing their own vehicles while considering real-world applications of renewable energy. Meanwhile, the Owl Pellet Dissection session gave students a chance to play nature detective, carefully examining the tiny bones, fur and feathers hidden within the pellets to uncover what owls eat.

The hands-on investigations continued with the DNA Extraction experiment, where students used simple ingredients to extract visible strands of DNA from a banana. Aspiring forensic scientists took part in Forensic Fun, learning how chemistry is used in crime scene investigations by dusting for fingerprints and analysing their own.

In the Sixth Form, students had the opportunity to enter the GDST Undivided STEM Competition, which tasked entrants with creating a one minute video to highlight the contributions of an ‘obscure’ scientist –  one whose name might not be widely recognised but whose work has significantly impacted the scientific field. Laila in Year 12 impressed teachers with her entry, researching ten lesser known scientists before picking Dr Sophia Yin as her focus. Dr Yin pioneered the use of positive reinforcement for training dogs, creating behaviour modification programmes through conditioning and desensitization. As an aspiring veterinarian, Laila explained that she found Dr Yin’s work particularly fascinating. 

In the Prep School, younger students embraced the spirit of scientific discovery with a variety of engaging activities. Throughout the week, pupils took part in a Science Scavenger Hunt, solving clues and exploring the wonders of the natural world. Nursery girls worked together to create their very own wormery, observing how worms move and interact with their environment and learning about their habitats.

Hands-on chemistry lessons proved popular, with Bath Bomb Making sessions for Year 4 pupils, where they explored reversible and irreversible reactions. Reception students discovered how chemists solve problems in a colourful experiment using red cabbage, while Year 1 and 2 pupils stepped back in time to learn about fossil formation before making their own prehistoric footprints.

Meanwhile, the Camouflage Challenge saw Year 3 pupils testing their design skills to create the perfect habitat for animals to blend into, and Year 5 pupils tackled engineering in the Fan-Powered Cars challenge, building and racing wind-powered vehicles.