Windermere School Pupils Explore Science in Action at UCLan Festival

Pupils from Years 5, 6 and 7 at Windermere School recently enjoyed an inspiring and action-packed day at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) Science Festival—an event that brought together over 60 schools each day for a thrilling celebration of STEM.

First up was a highly engaging presentation on the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World and fossil formation. A special highlight was when Year 7 pupil Euan enthusiastically took to the stage to help demonstrate how fossils are made—earning applause from the packed audience.

Next came The Spectacular Science of Food, an interactive show from the Royal Institution that had pupils on the edge of their seats with dramatic demonstrations, curious taste tests and explosive science experiments.

The day concluded with a visit to the Science Fair held in the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre, featuring over 40 hands-on stalls and STEM activities. Pupils had the opportunity to experiment, explore, and be curious—interacting with everything from robotics to chemistry challenges.

It was a fantastic day of learning, discovery and fun, leaving our young scientists inspired and eager to explore more!

“We started off the day by learning about dinosaurs, fossils and how they are formed. Before we left the lecture hall, we all got to participate in a dino rap! Euan got the chance to get up on stage and show how fossils are made. Following on we made it to the second lecture room where we learned about explosive food and how much energy there is in a single Jellybaby. The woman started off by heating up a chemical and then dropping a Jellybaby in it headfirst. The Jellybaby exploded and smelt like marshmallows. The next practical she did was putting some flour down a funnel into a long tube. She then proceeded to blow on the other end and then heat it up with a torch. The flour caught fire and everyone was amazed. Finally, we were allowed to go around in pairs around all these stands. The stands included getting an ultrasounds-scan on your wrist to see the muscles in your arm. Another one measured your oxygen level and your heartbeat rate. There was also one where you had to connect the wires to light up some small circuit boards. Overall, it was a great trip, and we all hope to do it again!!!”

– Ophelia & Lucy, Year 7 pupils

Windermere School is an Independent Boarding and Day School for ages 3-18, across Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form. The school offers holiday courses and a summer school programme, as well as short term immersion courses for international pupils, as well as an award winning IB programme. Join the adventure today >