Partnership case study Birmingham Southside: STEM fairs

Birmingham Southside STEM fairs Annually since the beginning of the partnership December: Secondary (KS3) STEM fair – Year 7 students with Year 8 leaders July: Primary (KS2) STEM fair – Year 5 students with Year 7 leaders Four activities designed from each of three departments: Science, Technology and Maths Older students trained to deliver activities (approx. ten students per department) All partnership schools invited to bring eight students (2 x teams of four for each activity)

Objectives Provide students with opportunities to engage in the STEM subjects in new and unfamiliar ways, and to collaborate and learn together in a fun and dynamic environment Facilitate networking between STEM colleagues from local schools and provide ideas for STEM activities that can be delivered in their own schools Develop leadership and communication skills for hub- school students

Partnership engagement Secondary Primary Kings Norton Boys St Albans St Peters St Bernards Kings Norton Girls St Chads Kings Heath Boys St Dunstans John Henry Newman St Edwards St Martin de Porres Our Lady of Lourdes

Schedule for the day

Schedule for the day - Secondary

Schedule for the day - Primary

Activities - Science Cartesian Diver Balloon Hovercraft Balloon Rockets Light on Top of a Tower

Activities - Maths Town planning Abseiling action man Barbie bungee Tessellations

Activities - Technology Flying Objects Structures Egg Car Egg Drop

Feedback Highlights for visiting students “doing all the different activities from the different subjects” “working with my friends, and making new ones” “doing experiments to see what worked and what didn’t”

Feedback Highlights for visiting staff “Seeing our students working independently as part of a team” “Year 8 student leaders were particularly impressive in their ability to enthuse and communicate with the Year 7 visiting students”

Feedback Highlights for student leaders “I feel more confident talking to new people” “It was nice to help teach the younger students stuff about science” “I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did!”

Adaptation based on feedback New activities added this year based on feedback about the length of the activities from last year: Bionic hand (Science) – making a “robotic” hand using cardboard, straws and wire so that the fingers can be moved independently to grip and lift objects Chocolate Welding (Technology) – connecting chocolate bars through melting and cooling to create a sturdy bridge (pretty messy!) Stacking Cups (Maths) – students are not allowed to touch the cups, but are instead given some plastic bands to see who can build the tallest cup tower

Sustainability Both fairs built into the calendar to be repeated each year, keeping the additional activities, as the feedback from these was really positive. Primary STEM fair built into Primary Science Week in July – exploring the concept of creating an Ogden Primary Partnership to continue activities needing higher funding Secondary STEM fair requires minimal funding and has been built into budget for next year

Main challenges Engagement from partnership schools, involving organising students and allowed cover Staff time and organisation for training student leaders Depends on good relationships for collaboration between STEM-subject teachers

Main strengths Multi-school activity for both Primary and Secondary partnership schools Delivered mainly by students, developing leadership and ambassador skills Developed each year based on feedback from participants Sustainable activity, efficient funding (approximate costs £5-6 per student)

Thank you for listening!