STEAM is an educational approach that deploys Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics to promote student inquiry, debate, and critical thinking. Nord Anglia Education works closely with MIT to introduce our students to progressive approaches to learning these STEAM subjects. This approach actively encourages creativity and experimentation. It also, more importantly, teaches real-world application. This week our Key Stage 3 students will engage with an exciting project based initiative and will spend two days exploring turbines and electricity generation in depth. Friday’s assembly marked the start of this STEAM challenge with Mr Raye and the Year 9 students demonstrating how a table tennis ball can perforate a mini whiteboard using the power of air pressure alone! Students were thrilled to see the demonstration and learnt about exciting new technologies that use the principles being demonstrated such as Elon Musk’s Hyperloop. This demonstration will be linked to the STEAM days later this week through considering how natural pressures can be converted into other forms of energy. Students will also conceptualise real-life applications of their learning. The STEAM days promise to be a fun-filled and fascinating learning journey. Our students will be encouraged to experiment rather than wait for instructions so that they are able to solve complex problems through teamwork and lateral thinking. We firmly believe that our STEAM initiative will result in students who take intellectual risks and embrace experiential learning. The STEAM initiative will also inculcate resilience and collaboration as our students work through a creative process. As a result of our STEAM programme we have no doubt that our students are well placed to become the innovators, educators and leaders, of the 21st century.