On Thursday 10th July, Samuel Whitbread Academy hosted its eagerly awaited Science Fair 2025, and what a fantastic event it turned out to be! Held during lunchtime and open to all year groups, the science labs were buzzing with excitement, energy, and innovation.

Students were invited to take part in four exciting categories, each focusing on science and adaptation in different ways:

• Poster Competition – celebrating influential scientists who have driven change and adaptation, with a special focus on women and individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds.
• Sports Science Projects – exploring the science behind sport and how it is evolving for the future.
• Eco-Innovation Challenge – building a working model, creating an experiment or invention to support renewable energy solutions,
• Designing an app or poster to inspire greener living.

The standard of work was incredibly high, and the effort, creativity, and scientific thinking shown by our students was truly impressive. A wide range of projects were on display, attracting lots of interest from staff and students alike.

Huge congratulations to our overall winners; Simran, Poppy and Violet, whose sustainable ocean-cleaning technology project wowed the voters with its innovation and potential impact. In second place were Kiera, Diya and Maya, who created a powerful and insightful presentation on Dr Jessica Barker (MBE, PhD), a leading figure in cybersecurity and science communication.

Both winning teams were made up of female students, a fantastic result that reflects the growing diversity and strength of young women in STEM here at Samuel Whitbread Academy.

We’d like to say a massive thank you to all the students who took part. Thanks also go to the staff who supported the event and especially to Mr Tate, who did a brilliant job organising the fair.

We can’t wait to see what our budding scientists come up with next year!