Our Year 7 STEM Leaders have been working hard on an exciting pneumatics project for Year 3 and 4 pupils at Little Reddings as part of a cross-trust collaboration.

The project has taken place during our after-school STEM Club, run by Mrs Parkinson every Monday in C9 and is open to students from all year groups. During the sessions, the STEM Leaders explored how pneumatic systems work and tested a range of models, including snapdragons and opening ladders.

This week, the STEM Leaders, led by Mrs Parkinson were delighted to visit Little Reddings to present their findings to the Year 3 and 4 pupils. They explained the science behind pneumatics using simple real-life examples. For example, when air is forced into a balloon—either from your lungs or using a pump—the balloon inflates and expands. This expanding air can then be used to create movement in machines.

It was wonderful to see the Year 3 and 4 pupils trying with all their might to blow up balloons and watch pneumatics in action. They were met with great enthusiasm, answering questions and interacting with the Year 7 students to measure how far their balloons would travel.

The younger pupils also enjoyed experimenting with the pneumatic catapult machines. Working in small groups, they explored the power of compressed air and tested how far they could launch their objects.

Several adventurous pupils helped demonstrate their understanding by using key vocabulary from the topic and matching the words to their descriptions. The students also discussed real-life examples of pneumatic systems, including bus doors, dentist drills, nail guns and supermarket conveyor belts.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and several pupils expressed an interest in joining the STEM Club so they can take part in future projects and visits.