The session began with a mesmerising flame test, where metal compounds burned in vibrant colours, demonstrating thermal energy and electron movement. Mr Shah’s fiery ‘Tortured Jelly Baby’ experiment followed, showcasing the explosive energy in sugary foods, when mixed with potassium chlorate.

Dr Saynor wowed pupils with a dramatic fireball demonstration, blowing custard powder through a Bunsen flame to create a spectacular blaze. This explosive display illustrated the concept of energy release and helped pupils understand how particle size and surface area influence the rate of reaction.

Mrs Ali’s foamy ‘Elephant’s Toothpaste’ demonstration, using hydrogen peroxide, food colouring, washing-up liquid and catalase, showcased how catalysts can dramatically accelerate reactions. As oxygen rapidly escaped, a towering column of warm, colourful foam erupted from the beaker, to the delight of the watching pupils.

Mrs Dennis kept things interactive with a tricky Bernoulli’s Principle challenge, where pupils used hairdryers to pass a floating ping pong ball between them - a fun yet challenging task that revealed how changes in fluid pressure can create lift.

Dr Saynor’s Van de Graaff generator sent Barbie’s hair sky-high in a memorable display of static electricity, and the session ended with a bang — quite literally — with the dramatic ‘Whoosh Bottle’ demonstration. A plastic water cooler bottle, coated with ethanol fumes, was ignited to create a fiery whooshing jet of flame that stunned both pupils and staff.

Pupils rounded off the day by building their own Zippy Flyers from paper and straws. A lively competition followed, with teams battling to see whose flyer would soar the furthest across the lab.

A huge thank you to our dedicated Science Department and Science Technicians for delivering such a spectacular and memorable session. The thrilling demos, interactive learning, and hands-on activities certainly made this Science Week one to remember!