Science: Assessment Week and STEM Parachute Challenge

This week in Science, students demonstrated fantastic resilience and determination as they completed their formal assessments. Throughout the week, learners worked incredibly hard during revision sessions before applying their knowledge under exam-style conditions. It was wonderful to see everyone giving their best effort and approaching the assessments with confidence and maturity.

To round off the week, students took part in a practical STEM challenge, designing and building parachutes to investigate the effects of air resistance.

Each student created two different parachute designs before testing them by launching them from an upstairs window. They carefully observed the descent time of each parachute and made improvements where necessary, adapting their designs to increase air resistance and improve performance.

The challenge allowed students to apply their understanding of forces in a real-world context while developing problem-solving, engineering and evaluation skills. After comparing the results, students discovered that the most successful parachute was the one with the largest surface area, as this created the greatest air resistance and slowed its descent the most.

It was a fantastic way to finish assessment week, combining scientific knowledge with creativity, teamwork and practical investigation.