Crawley pupils discover the fun world of science and maths

Pupils from across Crawley enjoyed exploring the world of science and technology last week as Holy Trinity School hosted its second mini Big Bang event.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th Jan 2016, 14:58 BST
Updated 25th Jan 2016, 14:59 BST
The Big Bang @ Holy Trinity School science fair on January 21 was one of a series of mini Big Bang events across the region leading up to the 2016 Big Bang Fair South East in June - picture submittedThe Big Bang @ Holy Trinity School science fair on January 21 was one of a series of mini Big Bang events across the region leading up to the 2016 Big Bang Fair South East in June - picture submitted
The Big Bang @ Holy Trinity School science fair on January 21 was one of a series of mini Big Bang events across the region leading up to the 2016 Big Bang Fair South East in June - picture submitted

A year ago, inspired by the 2014 Big Bang Fair South East, Holy Trinity teachers organised a day-long series of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) related activities for the school’s Year 7 and 8 students.

At this year’s event, students joined with three primary schools and Manor Green School, who had the chance to experience a planetarium a jellybean wave machine, build a virtual school using Minecraft and make an LED torch.

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Holy Trinity teacher Colleen Wells said: “We were so inspired by the Big Bang South East at Ardingly in 2014 that we wanted to try something ourselves.

The Big Bang @ Holy Trinity School science fair on January 21 was one of a series of mini Big Bang events across the region leading up to the 2016 Big Bang Fair South East in June - picture submittedThe Big Bang @ Holy Trinity School science fair on January 21 was one of a series of mini Big Bang events across the region leading up to the 2016 Big Bang Fair South East in June - picture submitted
The Big Bang @ Holy Trinity School science fair on January 21 was one of a series of mini Big Bang events across the region leading up to the 2016 Big Bang Fair South East in June - picture submitted

“We believe there is a lot our school and other schools can do to encourage students to engage with STEM subjects and the careers that are possible.

“We were so pleased with the response from students to last year’s event that we decided to broaden the scope this year and invite other local schools to get involved.”

Big Bang South East project manager Jo McKinney-Green, of the University of Brighton, added: “Teachers at Holy Trinity did really well organising last year’s ‘mini’ Big Bang, and we are delighted that they are repeating the event and involving other schools.

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“We were very impressed with how engaged students were and how many of them were heard describing the day as ‘the best lesson ever’.”

The Big Bang @ Holy Trinity School science fair on January 21 was one of a series of mini Big Bang events across the region leading up to the 2016 Big Bang Fair South East in June - picture submittedThe Big Bang @ Holy Trinity School science fair on January 21 was one of a series of mini Big Bang events across the region leading up to the 2016 Big Bang Fair South East in June - picture submitted
The Big Bang @ Holy Trinity School science fair on January 21 was one of a series of mini Big Bang events across the region leading up to the 2016 Big Bang Fair South East in June - picture submitted

The 2016 Big Bang Fair South East, part of the nationwide Big Bang Near Me programme, takes place at the South of England Showground on June 29, when 8,000 students and their teachers from across the region are expected to attend.

It is organised by STEM Sussex, the STEM outreach support department at the University of Brighton, and the headline sponsors are Crawley-based CGG, the world’s leading geophysical company.