British Science Week 2025 at Horris Hill School
Last week was British Science Week—the biggest 10-day celebration on the STEAM calendar, and what an incredible time we’ve had at Horris Hill! This year’s theme, ‘Change and Adapt,’ has sparked curiosity, excitement, and hands-on learning across all year groups.
We kicked off the week with a STEAM Ambassador Assembly on Monday, where we wowed the audience with explosive chemical reactions - including the ever-thrilling elephant’s toothpaste, a whoosh bottle, and the legendary Coke and Mentos eruption! The entire school, from Nursery to Year 8, was captivated. We also proudly awarded CREST Award certificates to students who completed six science projects over three months - an amazing achievement, with nearly 80% of students from Reception to Year 8 stepping on stage to receive their well-earned certificates! A huge well done to everyone for their dedication.
We also celebrated our International Women and Girls in Science competition winners - congratulations for their outstanding projects!
The excitement continued with our STEAM Focus Morning, where students across all year groups stepped out of their usual timetables to dive into three awesome science experiments based on ‘Change and Adapt’:
- Nursery & Reception made their own music, fossils, and created their own colours!
- Years 1 & 2 explored shadows, growing caterpillars, and launched pop rockets!
- Years 3 & 4 investigated weathering and erosion, forces, and food chains.
- Years 5 & 6 built water cycles, mini volcanoes, and experimented with induced magnetism.
- Years 7 & 8 put their skills to the test by measuring reaction times, purifying water, and engineering earthquake-proof structures!
The energy in the school was electric, a morning of creativity, discovery, and lots of fun!
Our Colour Science Competition was a thrilling, university-style quiz where teams battled it out by answering starter questions to earn points throughout the rounds. The competition was fierce, the audience participation was off the charts, and in the end, Team Yellow emerged victorious!
We rounded off the morning with a delicious science-themed lunch, where students could 'change and adapt' their own pizzas and cupcakes - a tasty and interactive way to wrap up the day.
The celebrations continued on Wednesday, when we welcomed local primary schools for our STEAM Challenge Morning. Teams of six competed in biology, chemistry, and physics experiments, before enjoying an exhilarating whoosh, pop, and bang demonstration! A special shout-out to our Year 6 and 7 STEAM Ambassadors, who were fantastic role models throughout the morning. Congratulations to Highclere Primary School, who were crowned the winners of this exciting challenge!
In class, Year R - 8 pupils have been busy working on their British Science Week national competition posters. The top six posters from Horris Hill will be submitted for the national competition, and of course, winners will receive prizes!
Phew! What an action-packed 10-day celebration of science! Thank you to all students, teachers, cleaners, catering and maintenance for making British Science Week 2025 at Horris Hill an unforgettable experience!