Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS), Culham trip

In the penultimate week of the summer term, our students embarked on an inspiring and highly interactive STEM-focused trip, exploring cutting-edge technology and future career paths. They kicked off the day diving into the future of clean energy with the UK Atomic Energy Authority, learning about the Tokamak—the world's only operational nuclear fusion reactor designed for clean, limitless energy. Students even tested their precision as robot operators, using smaller robotic arms to build and play Jenga to mimic how operators control "Mascot," a massive 12-meter reactor-servicing robot.

The hands-on engineering continued at Williams Jet Tenders, where students were tasked with designing their own model boats. They carefully selected materials and adopted the mindset of professional engineers before testing their buoyancy with coins to see whose design could stay afloat. In a thrilling detour into space exploration, they also tackled a NASA-inspired "Moon landing" survival activity. Working closely in teams after a simulated lunar crash landing, students had to audit their damaged kit and prioritize critical resources to successfully rendezvous with a mothership.

The medical and high-tech sectors came alive at Siemens Healthineers, where pupils explored the latest in medical scanning technology. They then took on a highly competitive AI welding challenge that tested their steady hands, precision angles, and speed. The students performed so exceptionally well across the board that they were all awarded fidget spinners and jelly bean prizes!

To round out the day, OAS gave a practical lesson on Alpha, Beta, and Gamma radiation before suiting the students up in protective gear for a hands-on "radioactive leak hunt." Finally, both OAS and MTC Training provided invaluable guidance on the diverse, hands-on apprenticeship pathways available in modern engineering, leaving our students thoroughly inspired for their own futures.

Mr Whelan, Deputy Head of Science