STEM

Welcome to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) section.

STEM education is about critical thinking and problem-solving; through developing these essential skills, teachers at Claremont aspire to prepare young people from different socio-economic backgrounds, to expand their minds to become inventors, scientists, researchers, and future change makers. Here you can find out about the opportunities that Claremont students have to prepare them for careers in these essential areas.

Outstanding STEM Results

It has been another outstanding year for STEM education at Claremont. We are delighted with a fantastic set of GCSE and A-Level results. Here are some highlights:

                                                Claremont School STEM results 2023

Triple Science and combined Science

Maths GCSE, Computer Science and DT

 A Level

CTech

STEM Success

STEM Summer Clarion 2023

STEAM  

At Claremont, we highly pride ourselves upon working within and across departments to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics; (STEAM) disciplines.  

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have highlighted the vital role STEAM subjects play in our lives today. We believe, as a school, that STEAM education is essential for the evolving world that we live in. Here at Claremont, the core purpose of STEAM education is to make it relevant and accessible to all students despite their gender, race, socio-economic background, and prior ability.  

STEAM provision at Claremont starts in the classroom with specialist subject teachers for all students. They work tirelessly, be it in or outside our classrooms, on or offline, to develop students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They aspire to prepare our students for highly paid jobs in STEAM-related industries and engage them ethically with the rapidly changing demands of society. Many teachers have at least a first degree in sciences and/or mathematics, and many have Masters and Doctorates.

Our excellent science department has eighteen science teachers, a significant percentage of whom have Masters degrees and PhDs. Across Biology, Chemistry and Physics, we balance teaching and learning by delivering inspirational theoretical and practical sessions, as well as providing amazing outreach opportunities for STEAM. The Physics department is particularly strong with teachers who hold degrees in Medicine, Physics and a female who holds a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Collectively, teachers’ expertise deepens students’ understanding of separate sciences from year 9 upwards, preparing them well for STEAM degrees at university. In terms of meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks, we aim to show students how STEAM skills are valued in the workplace and expose them to some of the new career opportunities in all STEAM fields.  

The science department provides countless STEAM opportunities, ranging from science fairs, summer schools to high profile trips to Oxford University and to the large Hadron Collider in CERN, Switzerland. We have a science club as well as a STEAM /Stemettes club which allow pupils from across the whole school, especially girls, to fulfil their interest in more focused problem - solving activities supported by CEO Stemette Dr Anne Marie Imafadon MBE.

Girls in Engineering has been a real focus at Claremont. We offer amazing opportunities such as ‘women in STEAM’ events at the bank of Switzerland as well as degree apprenticeships through programmes such as ‘Inspiring the Future’. The number of pupils studying A level Physics, Mathematics, Further Mathematics and computer science is always pleasing at Claremont. University destinations for STEAM subjects include Natural Sciences and Computer Science degrees at Oxford and Cambridge as well as, Engineering at Imperial College. This is ever growing and is a testament to the brilliant experience the pupils receive at Claremont.

This year, our Claremont girls won the UK Stemettes ‘Design a renewable energy app’ competition, where they had to come up with a unique a user-friendly interface for a commercial app. The winning team of girls were able to captivate the judges with their amazing attention to detail and be crowned winners. Our Claremont girls continued their winning streak by claiming first place in the ‘Design a website for an AI business’ competition. The latter took place at WIPRO House, Victoria London in front of a panel of City professional judges. Claremont Stemettes were thrilled to be presented with the winning certificates and kindles! Stemettes UK were delighted to share this brilliant achievement through their LinkedIn social media platforms.

This year, our KS3 pupils in Y7 - y9 were invited to participate in 3D Engineering projects that allowed them to focus upon the challenges of building a scaled down version of the Amazon rainforest. The pupils were challenged to learn about the different habitats and living conditions for a variety of species as well as understanding how eco systems work in tropical climates. Through science club pupils were also involved in the crest award, ‘squashed tomato challenge’, where they had to engineer a design to aid farmers in transporting their tomatoes through the mountainous areas of Nepal. This was an amazing opportunity to collaborate as teams and devise a practical solution for a real - life problem where critical thinking was key.

Claremont pupils were also thrilled to have won the North West London ‘Science and Technology Challenge Day’ where they competed with many other schools to: build and navigate a robot, use police software to create an E– fit images and perform at the highest level on a medical diagnostics application task. After a whole day of intense thinking skills, Claremont pupils succeeded in being put through to the regional finals for next year.

EPQ STEAM projects have excelled this year, culminating in outstanding written documentations and presentations. One pupil aspiring to study Aerospace engineering at Imperial College designed and constructed a real model of an aeroplane that he actually launched. The video revealed that his great trigonometric modelling allowed for a fantastic parabolic trajectory.

With the Claremont STEAM LEAP lectures series being such a success last year, this year we have introduced the famous, on- line and in person, live Gresham lectures. Pupils from all key stages have attended University style lectures ranging from Professor Chris Witty’s ‘diseases of the heart’ to ‘the mathematics of Florence Nightingale’. Pupils were totally encapsulated, and we were up to full capacity for all lectures. The atmosphere in the lectures was truly like that of a lecture theatre. Feedback from staff and pupils was magnificent and reflected the value added that these kinds of extra-curricular events provide.  

In mathematics, teachers have continued to support students in understanding how cross – curricular links are instrumental in solving real-world challenges. Our highly skilled maths teachers not only focus on the fluency of calculations but also on fundamentals of mathematics such as spotting patterns, solving problems and thinking creatively. In computing, students are taught programming from year 7 upwards to ensure that they are prepared for the demands of GCSE computing. The Design and Technology (DT) department has shifted its programme of study to include much more CAD-cam and design elements to reflect better the design and research opportunities in our current workplaces. They have also been using a 3D printer to give students a first-hand experience of cutting-edge technology. Investigative skills are developed throughout the course with practical elements and problem-solving, a vital part of all topics studied. All STEAM subjects have strong uptakes at KS4 and at post – 16, (Ctech), where pupils also now have access to laptops in the classroom. 

The Most Able (MA) students are challenged in STEAM at an appropriate level, both in and outside their classrooms. Students from KS3 were lucky enough to visit Oxford University for the day and experience a sense of education in an elite environment. Over one hundred pupils from Y7-10 took part in the robotics workshop challenge and were exposed to how software programming can communicate with hardware devices to carry out the required operations. Y7 went to the Royal Air Force Museum and were excited to learn about just how the history of flight has evolved from the clothing pilots wore through to technological advances in aeronautical engineering. 

Claremont prides itself upon providing excellent preparation for students entered for STEAM Olympiads and challenges. This year in the Y10 Science Olympiad, Claremont pupils secured two  gold, and five silver certificates, with countless entries securing bronze and highly commended. In the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Challenge a higher than ever number of students received Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates and a significant number made it through to the Kangaroo stage!   

Claremont’s very own Careers Fair this year allowed y10 and y12 pupils to attend key guest speaker presentations based upon ‘Getting ready for your next move’. This was a day where the ‘Future of work’ was truly explored and our sports hall, arts hall and main hall were all transformed into exhibition centres where pupils could gather as much information as they could and network with the companies on various stalls as well as past pupils! Once again, we saw the return of Warwick lecturer and fellow, Henry Caushi, who delivered his key lecture titled, ‘from Claremont to Cambridge’. Henry studied Computer Science at St. John’s University Cambridge. 

We aim to continue promoting STEAM subjects at Claremont, as well as across the Multi-Academy Trust in order to engage those with a real passion for STEAM to realise their full potential and inspire students of all backgrounds to be experts in their respective fields and add to our ever- growing STEAM Alumni here at Claremont.

We are looking forward to integrating Art and Design into our STEAM program this year.