Go to Canterbury Christ CHurch University's website
Go to Canterbury Christ CHurch University's website
July 04 2025 | Kent & Medway | Views: 185
Swale Academies Trust is a multi-academy trust supporting schools across Kent and East Sussex. It focuses on improving educational standards through collaboration, strong leadership, and student-focused learning.
On 4 July, The Whitstable School in Kent hosted an exciting STEM event as part of EngineeringUK’s Big Bang at Schools programme, supported by The STEM Hub. The event brought together around 60 Year 7–9 students from across Swale Academies Trust, including Peacehaven Community School, The Eastbourne Academy, The Holmesdale School, The North School, The Sittingbourne School, The Turing School, and The Whitstable School.
The day began with a live talk from the Manta Trust titled Life Under the Waves, which explored the wonders of marine biodiversity, the importance of submersibles in deep-sea exploration, and the research methods used to study marine megafauna, such as using photo ID to identify manta rays. Students also learned about current threats to ocean life, including plastic pollution, climate change and unsustainable fishing practices.
After the talk, students took part in a hands-on LEGO engineering challenge based on an underwater theme. Working in teams, they designed and coded LEGO models to complete missions linked to different layers of the ocean, testing their STEM skills and creativity in a fun, engaging way. Following the end-of-day reflections, all students were awarded LEGO medals for their participation, and LEGO trophies were presented for the top three designs.
Although an EngineeringUK Big Bang at School Award was not received, The Whitstable School was proud to be supported by The STEM Hub to help deliver this enriching experience.
Here’s what some of the students had to say about their involvement:
Image supplied by The Whitstable School
