STEEAM

STEEAM is an enrichment programme which focuses on high potential learners and on developing the natural aptitude that students have displayed in school, across the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, English, Art and Maths. The club began at Pelham in 2018 as an additional challenge programme for children identified as high-potential learners.

In 2019-2020 the club was run by Miss. Ruthven as an enquiry-based research project for selected children in Key Stage 2, on a Friday after school. The 'Pelham 100 Project' showcased children's interests, creativity and problem-solving skills. Places were weighted towards girls in response to there being considerably less women involved in STEM industries.

STEEAM CLUB 2020-21

After a hiatus due to Covid-19, STEEAM club came back with a bang last year, with Mrs. Cullen taking over the helm from Miss. Ruthven. Whilst we have continued to address the gender balance, we have also ensured that the club is open to and reflects all groups of children within Pelham and are proud to be able to say that, of the 88 attendees last year:

43 children were girls
45 children were boys
37 children had English as their second language
11 children had special educational needs

What Did We Do?

Every club we have run is linked to our Skills Builder Skills, which ties into the projects and skill days we run in school. Children are reminded how to use and apply skills in listening, speaking, problem-solving, creativity, staying positive, aiming high, leadership and teamwork.

In Art club, we explored the works of Joan Mitchell, Beatriz Milhazes, Paul Cezanne, Patrick Caulfield and Lyubov Popova, as we practised different styles and movements. In the final week, we held an exhibition of the children's Art so that they could show they parents, their incredible work.

For our Science club, the children took part in a series of experiments, focusing on the different strands of Science; Physics, Biology and Chemistry. In the final week, parents were again invited in to see the experiments the children had taken part in, and to see the results of the final 'big' experiment- a Paper Plane competition using the planes which the children had built as a STEEAM project!

As the focus of our Engineering club, we were lucky enough to secure a project box from Dyson, the aim of which was to create an air filtration system. We looked at the extent of pollution in our air and the current solutions on sale, before the children planned, designed and built their own prototype out of recycled materials. In the final week, the children presented these creations to their parents, explaining the Science and engineering which informed them!

Our final club of the year was lucky enough to have special guests, in the form of Mr. Burns and Ms. Parker, who led the children in some incredible creative writing challenges. They explored fictional writing and poetry, developing their vocabulary and ideas, before creating their own piece of writing, inspired by a picture stimulus. During an assembly, Mr Burns led some of the children in reading their work aloud to all of KS2- incredible!

STEEAM CLUB 2022-23

This year we will again be running our STEEAM club, beginning with Technology, where the children will design their own websites! This will be followed by Science in the Autumn Term, taken by Mrs. Sheridan, English in the Spring Term, again led by Mr. Burns, and Art led by subject lead Miss. Tedder, also in the Spring Term. For more information and pictures about these upcoming clubs, stay tuned!

STEEAM IN CLASS

Thanks to the hard work of our subject leaders at Pelham, there are a number of other opportunities for children to develop their passions and aptitudes through challenges and competitions.

Selected children in Years 5 and 6 take part in the Primary Mathematics Challenge
Selected children in Years 3 and 4 take part in the First Mathematics Challenge
The Wimbledon Young Writers’ Competition provides an exciting challenge for children with a passion for writing to write a story or poem on a given stimulus. In 2020, we were delighted that from nearly 400 entries to the competition, all of Pelham's entries received recognition from the panel of judges. In 2022, we again submitted a number of entries, following targeted teaching in lessons and are currently awaiting results, to see how our children did!
Every month, we celebrate outstanding writing with our very own Pulitzer Prize award for one child in every class.

KING'S COLLEGE- ROBOTICS PROGRAMME

In 2020-21, we were lucky enough to secure a place in the King's College Community Programme.

From September 2021-22, each Year 5 and Year 6 class was collected by a King's College coach and attended a 3 - week robotics course, led by the King's students.

The first week, they were taught to code a computerised robot using specialised software, in order to learn how to programme the robot. In the second week, they began to practise programming real-life robots, before completing a series of challenges with the robots in week 3.

The sessions were hugely successful, with all of the children loving their time on the King's campus and with the King's students. And we are thrilled to say that we have been able to secure a place on this programme again for 2022-23!

STEEAM CLUB AUTUMN 1: Computing

For our first club of this year, children were invited to develop their computer skills by building their own webpages! With help, they were able to:

Design what they wanted their website to be about, how they wanted it to function and what they wanted it to look like, by thinking about their own interests and the gaps there might be in online provisions
Use some complex software to change/create layout features
Type up their own headers, menus and text
Add pictures, art and links!

STEEAM CLUB AUTUMN 2: Science

Running up to Christmas, Mrs Sheridan led a group of aspiring scientists in fun experiments and theories, including lava lamps to test the density of different liquids! Throughout the weeks, the children also worked on a project at home to design and build their own paper planes, which they flew in their final session to see which one went furthest. We also invited parents in, in the final week, to see everything the children had been up to!

Thank you Mrs Sheridan for being our guest STEEAM host and doing a fantastic job!

Next up in the Spring 1 Term....English!!

Watch this space for updates and photos!