Spring Edition 2018

NEW scientists
Having ambitious vision, creating a strong curriculum and a
sense of fun ensures that girls can excel at the sciences, says
Dr Felicia Kirk, Headmistress, St Mary’s Calne
“Women are woefully underrepresented
in science university
courses and in science careers. A
staggeringly low nine per cent
of engineers are women. There
are huge opportunities for girls
in science and I have found that
girls love the subject. We know
that girls in an all-girls school are
more likely to take science subjects
because in our environment, they
are liberated from stereotypes
which teach them that science is
‘a boy thing’. Girls consistently
do better in science subjects
in girls’ schools and they are
particularly more likely to study
Physics. If we are to address the
under-representation of women
in science, then we as a girls’
school have a vital role to play
in providing a stimulating and
inspirational science programme.
The Science Department at
St Mary’s Calne has ambitious
vision and strong strategic
direction. Science teachers are
constantly evaluating how they
deliver the curriculum, looking
for ways to develop the students’
ability to draw links across the
disciplines and to gain a deeper
understanding of the Big Ideas
in Science. Their approach is very
individual - they listen to the
students to discover their interests
and use these to plan both lessons
Alexandra Haydon leads the
science team to help pupils
“gain a deeper understanding
of the Big Ideas in Science.”