This week, we celebrated STEM Week in the Senior School ahead of National Science Week 2026, embracing this year’s national theme, ‘Seeds of Science: Nurturing Knowledge for All.’ The week reflected our ongoing commitment to offering our students rich, varied experiences of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, experiences intended not simply to inform, but to cultivate a genuine and lasting passion for these fields.
As I watched the girls engage in the various activities of STEM Week, from the construction of fairy gardens in a jar to the preparations for the planting of the Meriden Agricultural Garden, I was struck by the sheer breadth of ways our students found their way into science this week. One moment that stayed with me was watching a group of girls gathered around their constructed bridge, holding their breath as the weights were added one by one to test just how much the design could bear. There was a quiet tension in it, the same instinct for testing, failure and refinement that has driven structural engineers for centuries, and I was reminded that a moment of watching a structure hold, or give way, can be the moment a young mind first imagines herself as an engineer. It is opportunities such as these, small and hands-on, that so often plant the seed of a much longer engagement with STEM.
The Importance of Engagement
A growing body of research points to the value of this kind of sustained, hands-on exposure for girls’ engagement with STEM. Studies of adolescent development suggest that in co-educational settings, girls can, consciously or not, moderate their participation in subjects such as mathematics, physics and computing in response to social dynamics and prevailing gender expectations, a pattern documented across a range of countries and age groups. Girls’ schools appear to remove much of this dynamic: research from the Girls’ Schools Association has found that girls educated in single-sex environments are considerably more likely to go on to study advanced mathematics, physics and computing, and considerably more likely to pursue STEM careers, than their peers in co-educational schools.
This body of evidence also underscores the importance of interest, and not only ability, in shaping girls’ long-term relationships with STEM. Longitudinal research consistently identifies interest developed during adolescence as one of the strongest predictors of whether a young person goes on to choose a STEM pathway at tertiary level. It was with this evidence in mind that our STEM Week program was designed to reach students through a range of experiences, hands-on and creative, playful and competitive, reflective and observational, so that every girl might find a genuine point of connection to STEM, whatever her particular disposition or interest. The aim was not for every student to leave the week with a settled career direction, but for each to leave with a stronger sense that science, technology, engineering and mathematics are for her, and that curiosity in these areas is worth pursuing. This idea was further reinforced through the variety of projects on display at this year’s Science Showcase on Wednesday evening.
A Week of Growth and Discovery
STEM Week reaffirmed our conviction that fostering a genuine passion for science and technology requires sustained investment in rich, student-centred experiences, not a single event, but a continuing commitment. The engagement and enthusiasm shown by our students throughout the week, from the junior researchers presenting at Wednesday’s showcase to the STEM Captains leading the program itself, offered encouraging evidence that this investment is bearing fruit.
I am grateful to our STEM Captains for their leadership throughout the week and to our science department for their support of the comprehensive program of activities. STEM is thriving at Meriden, and this week certainly showcased that.
Next week the Junior School will hold its own Science Week, and I look forward to witnessing even more hands-on engagement from our students, starting with the very youngest girls.