STEAM Education Archives - Gresham's School

News > Outstanding efforts in History Trench Competition

Year 9 pupils are to be congratulated on many outstanding entries this year. A significant number of pupils put hours into their creations, and the cakes were particularly good – both in design and taste.

As Head of STEAM, Mr Saker judged the entries on Saturday and ranked the entries as follows:

Joint Third: Lloyd G for a poignant and powerfully designed box trench, and Benji J, Freddie M, Wilf B and Tommy S for constructing a life-size trench with accompanying photographs and film.

Joint Second: Hannah C for a beautifully compact and well-modelled shoebox trench, and Will R for an excellent model trench system.

The Winner: Freya D for a beautifully modelled trench system.

Well done to everyone who entered.

News > Ian Nash engages Year 13 pupils with engineering careers talk

During STEAM Week, we welcomed former Royal Navy Engineer Ian Nash, now Technical Director of Leo Maritime Ltd, to speak to our Year 13 pupils on the vast scope and opportunities within the field of engineering. Ian delivered a compelling and highly engaging talk, providing valuable insight into his journey from the Royal Navy into senior leadership within the engineering sector.

Ian emphasised the inclusive nature of engineering, reinforcing that it is a profession open to all pupils who are driven by curiosity, problem-solving and perseverance. He provided powerful encouragement to our female pupils, highlighting the increasing presence and success of women in engineering roles.

The session offered inspiring, real-world perspective on the extensive career pathways available — both within the Royal Navy and across the wider engineering sector — leaving our pupils with a renewed sense of possibility and purpose. A truly motivating and insightful talk, reinforcing that engineering is not just a career path, but a landscape of innovation open to anyone with the passion and drive to pursue it.

News > STEAM guest Oliver Logan introduces the science behind super champions

As part of STEAM Week, guest speaker Oliver Logan introduced pupils, parents and staff to the evidence-based science behind the making of ‘super champions’.

Drawing on interdisciplinary research across psychology, biology, data science and pedagogy, the talk explored how elite performers are shaped by family and environment, parenting styles, relative age effect, pathways to participation, junior vs. senior success and coaching myths.

News > Geneticist & bioinformatics expert runs interactive pupil session

During STEAM week, Dr Stephen Rudd, geneticist, bioinformatics specialist and Director of Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd, visited Gresham’s to speak with Biology pupils, offering expert insight into his work and showcasing the significant career potential within genetics, bioinformatics and DNA sequencing.

The Gresham’s Biology Department is committed to demonstrating that STEAM extends beyond physics and engineering, highlighting that Biology is a rapidly advancing discipline at the forefront of scientific innovation, offering vast and exciting professional pathways.

Throughout the day, Dr Rudd shared his career journey and professional expertise in Biology lessons, before delivering interactive practical sessions exploring DNA and bioinformatics. This included analysis of the imaginative ‘Martian DNA sample’ and provided pupils with valuable hands-on experience in cutting-edge scientific techniques.

Stephen’s visit was the highlight of a truly inspiring and highly engaging STEAM day, reinforcing the breadth of opportunity and limitless potential within modern biological sciences.

News > STEAM Week launches with a trip to Thursford Christmas Spectacular

Our 2025 STEAM Week kicked off with a trip to Thursford Christmas Spectacular.

Year 9 and Year 12 BTEC Performing Arts pupils experienced STEAM in action — from sound and lighting engineering, stage and carousel mechanics, and production technology, to performance, drama, choreography, music, graphics, art, set design, script/score writing, costumes, makeup, stage management, musicians and more from the core logistics supporting such a huge production.

The visit brought to life how Drama, Music, Art, Design and Engineering work together to create extraordinary experiences, showcasing exciting creative and technical career pathways. Overall, was an inspiring start celebrating imagination, innovation and the power of STEAM.

News > Outstanding A level results, and School’s best ever BTEC outcomes from 2025 cohort

Gresham’s A level pupils are celebrating having achieved some exceptional results today. At A level, 43% were graded at A* or A, well above the national average of 28%, while 88% were graded A*-C, continuing the trend set by last year’s cohort.

Pupils are also celebrating the School’s best ever BTEC results. An incredible 43% achieved the highest Distinction Starred grade, a huge increase from last year’s 13%.

Universities have been quick to offer our pupils places with 98% immediately securing their firm or insurance choices. This year, Old Greshamians will be heading off to study in all parts of the UK and around the world including Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff Met, Coventry, Derby, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Kingston, Leeds, Lincoln, London Met, Loughborough, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford Brookes, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, UCL, UEA, York, Switzerland, and the USA.

Pupils have also secured places at top specialist institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music, Harper Adams, Norwich University of the Arts, and the Royal Agricultural College, as well as a wide range of degree apprenticeships.

These successes continue the outstanding academic momentum set by Gresham’s IB cohort who received their results earlier in the summer.

This summer’s outcomes are a true testament to our Sixth Form pupils’ consistent hard work, as well as the outstanding support they have received with their studies from their teachers, tutors, Heads of House, the pastoral, support and SEND teams, and their families.

We wish them every success with wherever their Gresham’s education now takes them!

News > Class of 2025 achieve exceptional IB results

Gresham’s is delighted to announce exceptional results for our 2025 IB Diploma Programme cohort. Pupils once again achieved a 100% pass rate and our average points score was 37.2 out of a possible 45, significantly higher than the rolling global average, and our second highest ever in 18 years of offering the IB Diploma Programme!

64% of examinations were awarded a Level 6 or 7, equivalent to an A or A* at A Level. 41% of our pupils achieved a world class score of 40 points or above (the equivalent of 4 A* grades), a feat achieved by fewer than 10% of pupils across the world. Our Deputy Head of School, Eva O’D, who has been at Gresham’s for 15 years, and one of our international pupils from Germany, Hendrik B, both secured a full 45-point score, placing them among the top 0.2% of global students.

We are incredibly proud of all our IB pupils and would like to congratulate them on their impressive successes. Alongside their IB studies, this cohort have made outstanding contributions to music, drama, sport, debating and many other co-curricular activities during their time at Gresham’s.

We wish our IB pupils every success and congratulate them on meeting the entry requirements of a wide range of destinations, including Bath, Durham, KCL, UCL and international destinations such as Navarre and Boston, and top universities in Germany and the Netherlands.

News > West Runton Biology field trip – exploring rock pool ecology

Recently, our A Level Biology, IB Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS), and IB Biology pupils embarked on an exciting field trip to West Runton to investigate the fascinating ecology of local rock pools. This hands-on experience provided an excellent opportunity for pupils to deepen their understanding of marine biodiversity and ecological survey techniques.

The primary focus of the trip was to study the rich variety of life inhabiting the rock pools. Pupils began by identifying a diverse range of species observed during the excursion. Notable fauna included beadlet anemones, crabs, shrimp, gobies, sand eels, limpets, barnacles, among many others.

Following the animal identification, attention shifted to the marine flora, particularly the various species of seaweed present. Pupils carried out systematic sampling using transect lines placed at different heights up the shore. This method allowed them to examine whether the distribution of seaweed species correlated with their position relative to the tide line, offering insights into zonation patterns and environmental gradients within the rock pool ecosystem.

Back in the classroom, pupils analysed the collected data to identify trends and ecological relationships. They applied their findings by constructing kite diagrams, a visual tool that effectively represents species distribution and abundance along the transects. This exercise reinforced data interpretation skills and provided a meaningful connection between field observations and theoretical ecological concepts.

News > Pupils achieve amazing results in The British Biology Challenge

The British Biology Challenge is a national academic Biology competition organised by the Royal Society of Biology. Over 42000 pupils took part in this, including 19 of our own pupils, who gave up their own time to complete the two online exams required for this competition.

Very well done to Isabelle L, Alessandro M, Sophie J, Jack M, Johnnie O, Isaac B and Xander B who were all ‘Commended’ or ‘Highly Commended’ for their results.

Congratulations go to Emilio H, Alex H, Aydan M, Agnes L, Elsie S, Lucy C, Tristan B and Amir R for getting a Bronze award, meaning they were in the top 30% of the 42000 pupils who took part.

Megan O, Myles D and Morgana M were given a Silver award for finishing in the top 15%. This is a fantastic achievement, especially as the competition is for up to Year 11 and they are all in Year 10. They should be hugely proud of this result.

Congratulations to everyone who took part.

News > Sixth Form Field Day: biology and environmental systems

A level and IB Biology pupils, alongside those studying IB Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS), recently took part in our annual field day.

The day began at Warham Camp, where pupils carried out random sampling in two distinct areas of wildflower meadow – an excellent opportunity to apply ecological fieldwork techniques and explore biodiversity in a natural setting.

After a quick stop for lunch in Wells-next-the-Sea, the group travelled to Brancaster Overy Staithe. From there, they hiked to the beach and across the sand dunes, learning about ecological succession and how environments change over time.

Despite facing challenging weather conditions, our Sixth Form pupils demonstrated outstanding resilience and enthusiasm. Spirits remained high, and the rain did nothing to dampen their curiosity or engagement with the natural world.