Dragons’ Den winner inspires Norfolk’s young scientists

Budding scientists at a West Norfolk primary enjoyed a wealth of fun experiments and investigations when their school staged a Science Enrichment Day – with help from a former Dragons’ Den winner.

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Gaywood Primary, a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, was visited by Sublime Science, who led assemblies and workshops for the school’s children, from Early Years to Year 6.

Founded by physics graduate 'Mad Marc’ Wileman, Sublime Science appeared on BBC’s Dragons’ Den in 2015, where the company won support from two investor ‘dragons’.

Gaywood’s Science Lead, Clare Hart, who organised the Enrichment Day, said: “Sublime Science is an award-winning company, which aims to showcase the best, most exciting science experiments in the world.

“It was founded by scientist ‘Mad Marc’, who has a first-class honours degree in physics, and aims to inspire millions of children and prove that science is far from boring.”

The day featured assemblies for Early Years/Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, followed by workshops for the Year 6 children, and science-based activities for the younger year groups.

“The assemblies covered a range of ‘wow’ science experiments,” continued Mrs Hart. “Slime, bubbles and smoke rings were involved!

“The workshops allowed our Year 6 children to have a more hands-on experience with magic tricks. Each class then had a planned day of practical activities to explore after their assembly.”

Just some of the practical science on offer across the school included exploding Coca-Cola, a colour experiment with Skittles sweets, a sense of smell experiment, and a fingerprint ‘crime scene’ investigation. 

Mrs Hart added: “Science is a core subject, and we have high expectations of our children in learning and using scientific vocabulary, being able to think and reason scientifically, and being able to solve problems and find solutions.

“Research shows that enrichment opportunities are vital in supporting children to secure an understanding of processes in science, as they allow them to learn from experts who can provide first-hand, valuable experiences.

“The aim was to provide a day that would excite and engage our learners with a range of science topics, and to support our Key Stage 2 children with their move to secondary, as science becomes even more practical in Key Stage 3.”