Our Curriculum
We understand that STEM plays an integral role to pupils' education at Parkside and future life choices. Parkside is strongly committed to inspiring pupils with regards to the world around them and the future role that they will play in exciting ventures. STEM is integrated throughout the curriculum at all years, as well as being a core focus for many inspiration and engagement events across the school.
We take part in county challenges (STEM works, KNEX), welcome guest speakers linked to STEM careers and provide opportunities for STEM extra-curricular clubs to allow pupils to explore possibilities that might not yet have been invented and solve problems that have not yet been discovered.
We appreciate the need to create fascination, engagement and aspiration within the STEM sector, giving our pupils the opportunities to be inspired to play an active and creative role, whilst making links between wider aspirations and their studies in school.
Warwick University STEM Visit
A group of fifteen year 8 pupils were given the opportunity to visit Warwick University Maths and Engineering Department. They were joined by KS3 pupils from other Spire Trust middle schools (St. John’s and Witton). They were given a ‘Careers using Maths’ talk from the university staff and a tour of the department and wider campus, also having a chance to take part in different engineering activities, including: origami maths, Dobble geometry and puzzles like 'Towers of Hanoi'.
All the pupils were enthused by the trip and we hope it has helped ‘inspire their futures’.
Faraday Challenge 2025
Parkside hosted a Faraday Challenge Competition this term, which is run by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET). A number of our Year 8 students took part in teams of six; and we were also joined by teams of pupils from three other local middle schools.
The IET Faraday® Challenge Days are cross-curricular activity days covering Science, Design and Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). They are held at schools, organisations and universities around the UK.
The students taking part had the opportunity to research real-life engineering problems. They had a great day coming up with designs and solutions to these problems; and learning about how engineering is relevant in many situations. They learnt how to make a working prototype and budget for the materials. They worked well together in their teams, behaved exceptionally well and really enjoyed the experience.
Year 7 Bioresources Workshop
To wrap up the workshop, pupils participated in a fun quiz to test their understanding of the topic. It was an exciting and educational experience that inspired students to learn more about sustainability and the important role water plays in our daily lives.
Year 7 and 8 STEM Construction Workshop
Pupils Celebrate Mars Day
By the end, it was clear that they thoroughly enjoyed the experience and felt truly inspired about the possibilities of space travel!
KNEX STEM Challenge 2025
On Thursday 13th February, 30 pupils from Year 5 took part in the STEM Works KNEX challenge. They were given an Engineering task to design and make a machine to transport a small load (like soil), using only KNEX pieces. Naomi and Ewan won this year's challenge and will represent the school at the upcoming final in June.
All pupils worked brilliantly, demonstrating fantastic teamwork, problem solving and communication skills. Sarah (who delivered the workshop) was extremely impressed with all of the vehicles built. We will keep you updated on how Parkside do in the final.
Our Wonderful World of Water
Virtual Space Presentation
The pupils were particularly thrilled when Chris showed them an actual meteorite and a piece of Mars, making the experience all the more tangible. One pupil exclaimed how much they loved having their questions answered by Chris, and they found him incredibly fun! It was a fantastic opportunity for our class to learn and engage with someone who shares their enthusiasm for space, sparking curiosity and wonder about the universe.
Civil Engineers Careers Assembly
With engaging stories and real-life examples, she highlighted what a career in civil engineering entails, from designing bridges and roads to managing large construction projects. The students were eager to learn about the various specialisations within the field and the importance of teamwork and problem-solving skills.
Kate’s visit sparked lively discussions, and it was evident that many of our pupils left with new aspirations and ideas about their futures. A huge thank you to Kate for taking the time to inspire the next generation of engineers!
Pupils Apply Design and Technology Skills
A selection of 16 Key Stage 2 pupils recently took part in an exciting STEM event where they had the chance to apply their design and technology skills to create an automatic braking train. It was fantastic to see them getting hands-on and using their creativity to tackle the challenge. The atmosphere was buzzing as they collaborated and shared ideas, really demonstrating the 'Parkside Value of Teamwork' throughout the event.
Author Visits School
On Monday 25th November, all Key Stage 2 pupils had a virtual visit from the author Jamie Smith. During his visit, he shared his career journey since leaving High School. Additionally, he talked about his new book "Where Giants Walk" and the inspiration he got for the setting and characters.
The following week, on Thursday 5th December, Jamie came in to school and took part in a question and answer event with a selection of our year 5 and 6 pupils. The pupils were fantastic and asked many insightful questions.
Jamie said that he thoroughly enjoyed visiting the school and loved the pupils enthusiasm for reading and writing stories.
Maths Escape Room
Four year 8 pupils were chosen to represent the school at the annual Maths Escape Room hosted by Aston Fields Middle on 24th June. They competed against the four other Bromsgrove middle schools. They thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and ended up joint winners with the host school, with both schools making it out of the room with one minute to spare!
Well done to Amelia, Daisy, Charlie and Reuben for a display of brilliant problem solving skills and teamwork!
Real-life Maths Party
Lego Robotics Workshop
A group of Year 8 students got the opportunity to take part in an engineering workshop set up by Aston University. The workshops were to help inspire the boys into thinking about engineering as a career path in the future.
The workshops were based around using Lego (for construction) and coding to make their 'robots' work. They were challenged throughout and had to work as part of a team to achieve the results needed. The group of students were a real credit to themselves and school and fully immersed themselves in the activities provided.
STEM NEXT Final 2024
Toby and Evan from Year 5 represented the school at the KNEX Final hosted by STEM Works on Thursday, 13th June. They participated in designing and constructing transport capable of moving a bridge, demonstrating advanced problem-solving and engineering skills.
Their exceptional teamwork contributed to a excellent performance where, despite not winning the overall final, they surpassed 4000 pupils across the county. Their exemplary behaviour and conduct throughout the event were truly commendable. Congratulations to Toby and Evan for their outstanding efforts!
Bletchley Park Visit 2024
On Thursday 6th June, we took 40 pupils across both key stages to Bletchley Park. We had a brilliant time exploring the historic site and soaking up all the fascinating information.
Our pupils were an absolute credit to the school, demonstrating outstanding conduct and behaviour throughout the whole day.
One of the highlights of the trip was when the pupils took part in a D-Day Coding workshop. They had the opportunity to decipher an encrypted message, just like the codebreakers at Bletchley Park did during World War II. It was fantastic to see them all getting stuck into the challenge!
One year 6 pupil commented “my favourite part was listening to the morse code and working out what the hidden message was about”.
To top it all off, we were blessed with beautiful weather and even got to witness a flyover to mark the 80th D-Day anniversary. It was a truly memorable moment that added an extra special touch to our day.
Overall, it was a day filled with learning, fun, and great experiences.
Warwick University STEM Visit
Water Awareness
Mars Day 2024
In recognition of Mars Day 2024, Year 5 had the opportunity to "Blast off to Mars" during a virtual experience. Throughout the afternoon, pupils were asked to vote on which spaceship (and supporting space technology) they would like for their mission to Mars. There was a question and answer session with many of our pupils asking thoughtful questions with interesting responses.
Two year 5 pupils quoted:
"I loved how they told us to pick what they would use, for example, what space craft we should board to get to Mars. Also Luna (the space dog) is so cute". Nicole O 5JP
"I loved the opportunity to learn about space (Mars) and seeing Luna the space dog." Oscar M 5JP
Think Tank Visit 2024
The Year 8 students embarked on an exciting trip to the Think Tank, where they immersed themselves in the world of science and discovery. The highlight of the trip was witnessing two captivating shows: "The Science of Sport" and "The Energy Show". Both shows were met with enthusiasm and enjoyment from all students. Throughout the day, the pupils exhibited exemplary behaviour and active engagement, making the trip a resounding success.
Adam Kay's Virtual Book Launch
Over the last two weeks, KS2 pupils have watched a virtual book launch by the author Adam Kay. His latest book, Incredible Inventions, has been added to the school library and pupils finished the session full of excitement to seek Adam Kay’s books.
When asked about the virtual book launch, pupils said:
“It was very interesting and I enjoyed the history.”
“I like how he said he was a random kid who had no training and now is a famous author.”
During the video, the book’s illustrator Henry Paker sketched inventions and shared these. Many pupils commented that they enjoyed watching what the illustrator was drawing and hearing what inspired him.
Tomorrow's Engineer Week 2023
All pupils have enthusiastically engaged in a STEM week to celebrate Tomorrows Engineering week (6th-10th November) and recognise National STEM Day (8th November). As part of a whole school assembly, pupils were given information on what STEM stands for, how it links to “Every Lesson Counts” and the potential influence STEM subjects could have on their futures.
Each year group participated in STEM virtual visits from many outside speakers.
Year 5 had a presentation about gaming and esports and how technology has enhanced the way people play video games. The guest speaker talked about Virtual Reality (VR) headsets and some pupils went on to design their own VR gaming platform.
The pupils were extremely enthusiastic with one year 5 pupil stating “the talk gave me lots of ideas about what I can do when I’m older”. The guest speaker said “I really enjoyed the session with the children. Their enthusiasm and energy were absolutely humungous!”
Year 6 had a presentation from a Navel Architect. They were also given the opportunity to become a STEM PenPal with a lady who works as an Engineer. These postcards have been sent off to the Engineer who will personally respond to each pupil. We excitedly await these replies.
On Wednesday, Year 7 had a virtual visit from a gentleman named Ollie. He is a motorsports engineer and presented about his career in the Pitlane. There were so many question answered about Formula 1 racing and the career pathway Ollie had taken. The pupils enjoyed “learning about who inspired him” and finding out about what qualifications are needed to become a Pit Lane Developer.
Finally, Year 8 pupils had two question and answer sessions. One with a STEM ambassador regarding STEM careers and routes into various professions and a second with a medical statistician. She discussed what the job entails, her route into the career and why they may wish consider this in the future. The guest speaker said “the pupils certainly seemed very engaged” and she would happily come to speak with our pupils again.
It has been a busy yet fun-filled STEM week. We are incredibly proud of how they represented the school during the week; demonstrating the Parkside Standard at its highest. The feedback from the pupils was also overwhelmingly positive with many pupils inspired for their futures.
Leaves on the Line
On Thursday 29th June, Year 5 welcomed National Rail into their classroom for an hour STEM workshop called “Leaves on the line”. Pupils were challenged to think about solutions to when leaves reduce the railway services.
One pupil from 5JB said “I enjoyed mixing the liquids and solids to make a new gel to stop leaves getting on the railway line”.
The pupils worked brilliantly in teams applying their knowledge of Science (electrical conductivity) and represented the school perfectly (demonstrating the Parkside Standard).
