There is something quietly radical about watching a ten-year-old explain the principles of air resistance to a room full of adults, not haltingly, but with the bright-eyed authority of someone who has genuinely discovered something and cannot wait to tell you about it.
That was the atmosphere at St Mary's University in Twickenham, which recently hosted Great Science Share for Schools: a day of hands-on experiments, live demonstrations and joyful discovery for primary school pupils from across the region.
The event was shaped by months of careful preparation, and the result was seamless. Hosts Dr Alex Sinclair and Emily Montenero set a tone that was warm and intellectually energising, while student teachers, still in the early chapters of their careers, held rooms of children spellbound with patience, curiosity and real enthusiasm. Watching them work, it was impossible not to feel confident about the future of education.
The day's intellectual highlight came from a researcher at the National Physical Laboratory, who led a talk on how human perception distorts our reading of the physical world. Mass, distance, speed, it turns out we judge these far less reliably than we assume. Children and adults alike left reconsidering things they had always taken for granted.
Among those in attendance was a delegation from the Glass Sellers' Company, whose charitable arm has supported the Great Science Share for Schools for many years. That sustained commitment matters: it allows organisers to plan boldly, and puts resources into the hands of teachers and pupils who need them most, including pupils from schools with no science specialist, for whom a day like this can be genuinely transformative.
As the afternoon ended and pupils gathered their projects and memories, the room had a particular quality to it. It was the sound of young people who had been taken seriously, and treated as the scientists they already, in so many ways, are.
“I was delighted to be accompanied by three other members of our Livery Company as it helps to spread the word about Great Science Share for Schools. The event was so well organised, and populated as usual by highly motivated teachers, along with their excited and enthusiastic charges! The energy in the room was palpable, with the many science ‘shares’ going on inspiring the young people to explore the world around them. The student ambassadors played an important role during the day, showing various experiments, and offering encouragement to all. The presentation by the National Physical Laboratory was just fun, but most thought provoking for all the attendees.
All in all, a superb day ‘shouting out for science’ and providing inspiration about possible careers in the future”.
Leigh Baildham - Past Master and Chair of the Trustees
