STEM
Empowering Girls to Excel Science
Pupils celebrated Biology Week at the Senior School with a range of activities to champion the value and importance of girls in STEM. The grand finale of the week featured a captivating talk by Rachel Owen , a distinguished figure in the field, serving as a clinical supply manager at Astra Zeneca. The School has welcomed a variety of inspirational women working in STEM to talk to the girls. This includes a visit from author and astronomer Dr Sheila Kanani , who regaled Lower School pupils with fascinating facts about space, her life as an astronomer and author, and the opportunities available for females in the industry. Senior School Psychology Society pupils were visited by Dr Caroline Anderson , who gave an inspiring and very honest account of her experiences leading to her becoming a Clinical Psychologist, as well as the possible career pathways in psychology. Keen physicists in Year 11 took part in the British Physics Olympiad (BPhO) Intermediate Challenge – a competition aimed at stretching students beyond the GCSE curriculum. The standard was extremely high and the girls performed exceptionally well, with Olivia Zazzi Smith , Aster McCann , Daisy Wainwright , Julia Roberts , Melita Peel , Annabelle Latham , Alicia Johnstone and Catrin Fagan receiving Bronze awards, and Ellenore Whitfield , Catalina Solan , Simran Sambhi , Lotus McCarry and Amelie Bett achieving Silver awards. Year 12 Physics students competed in the BPhO Senior Physics Challenge , an online and written competition consisting of hugely challenging problem solving tasks, and achieved outstanding results. Constance Fowles , Alexa Byrne and Kirsten Robertson achieved the Bronze II award, Abigail Jeavons achieved the Bronze I award, and Lucia Dicaprio achieved the Gold award. Jess Dodgson in Year 13 took part in the International Psychology Olympiad 2023 , achieving a Gold award and ranking 17th globally out of 334 entries, as well as being the only UK entrant to achieve the Gold award. Computing Pupils in Years 3 9, plus our GCSE and A level computer scientists, took part in this year’s Bebras computational thinking challenge, with many of our girls achieving strong results. 19 pupils achieved the prestigious Gold award, placing them in the top 10% nationally, and were invited to take part in the Oxford University Computing Competition (OUCC) . Special praise to Robbi Chan in Year 7, who achieved best in school for the junior challenge with a Gold award, Bethany Flynn in Year 9, who was awarded best in school for the intermediate challenge, Annabel Bartlett in Year 10 for the senior challenge, and Cerys Fagan in Year 13 for the elite. Year 10 and 11 computer scientists competed in the Perse Coding Team Challenge in January – a competition which challenges students to complete
A level students performed exceptionally in the UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge
Dr Sheila Kanani with Lower School pupils
increasingly difficult coding problems in Python 3. Year 8 also demonstrated their enthusiasm for computing as they competed in the NCSC’s Girls CyberFirst Competition. This competition, aimed at inspiring girls to pursue a career in cyber security, had pupils competing in a variety of challenges for ten days. The girls performed extremely well and found it a rewarding opportunity. Maths Lower and Senior School girls took part in a variety of challenges and events that showcased their passion for mathematics. For Number Day, Year 5 challenged their peers with a series of maths challenges that progressively become more difficult as the girls became more ambitious and competitive. A group of avid mathematicians from Years 11 and 12 visited the Storyhouse to experience their Maths Inspiration event which, covered topics including escaping mazes and message encryption. It was an exciting opportunity for students to see the real world applications of maths and be inspired by professionals in the field. A level Maths and Further Maths students demonstrated their knowledge in the subject by competing in the UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge and performing exceptionally well. Year 13 student Cerys Fagan went on to compete in the Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangeroo and achieved a merit. Year 12 students Lucia Dicaprio , Milly Hay , Alice Wu , Tamsin Watson and Antonia Traista also showcased their passion for maths as they participated in the National Mathematical Olympiad for Girls and received outstanding results, with a particular mention for Lucia Dicaprio , who achieved a distinction and best in school. In February, Neha Sreeram, Cherry Lam, Likitha Pydah and Kera Monaghan in Year 10 participated in the Maths Feast , a regional maths competition run by the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme . They tackled challenging problems and secured a prize for consistently scoring highly in every round. Year 12 student Alice Wu was invited to a prize giving at Bletchley Park after being awarded a Silver medal in the National Cipher Challenge . This is a national competition run by the University of Southampton, sponsored by Trinity College Cambridge and GCHQ. The event included talks, as well as a tour of Bletchley Park with her peers, where she
learnt about the importance of cryptography and its relevance today.
Year 12 success in the National Mathematical Olympiad
Alice Wu at Bletchley Park
Year 11 success in the BPhO Intermediate Challenge
Year 12 success in the BPhO Senior Physics Challenge
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