The Year 7 Imagineering Club meets every Thursday where pupils make a variety of products using kits supplied by different engineering companies, developing their knowledge of engineering principals through the completion of fun worksheets at the end of each project.
They learn a range of challenging skills such as dividing a circle accurately using a compass, assembling and testing electronic circuits, soft soldering, using a jig and other tools and equipment.
Imagineering Club also helps to develop good dexterity skills as pupils have to use pliers, scissors, spanners, screw drivers and soldering irons accurately in order to make their products.
Topics include aerodynamics, magnetism, electricity, electronics and using a mathematical slide rule to complete calculations. The products they are making include an adjustable glider, a magnetic compass, a moisture sensor, a steady-hand game, a morse key and buzzer, a helicopter, a robot duck, a fuse-tester, a micrometer, a slide rule and a radio.
“The girls have loved getting involved in the making and understanding the technological and scientific principles behind each project,” said Design Technology teacher Mrs Lear. “The club really enthuses Year 7 students with the fun and creativity you can have in STEM and hopefully will encourage them into careers in what is an area of employment where women are traditionally under-represented.”