From small things, greatness at Wimbledon High

‘Ex humilibus, excelsa’ or ‘from small things, greatness’, Wimbledon High School’s motto is not only the chosen name for the biggest development project the school has undertaken since the fire in 1917, it is also describing exactly what is happening in the playground, as our STEAM Tower begins to take shape.

STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) are statistically less likely to be taken forward at GCSE or A ‘Level by girls. Resulting in only 14.4% of the UK STEM workforce being female. In fact, most pupils decide by the age of 10 that science is “not for them”. As a leader in girls’ education, we have for the past few years championed an innovative cross-curricular approach that brings learning alive. In 2017 we launched our STEAM initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) to encourage more girls to aspire to study a STEM subject at a higher level, and whilst not every student will go on to pursue a STEM career, they will all benefit from the cross-curricular learning on offer from our Scientists in Residence team.

As a school we are currently undertaking a £21m development, including the construction of the STEAM Tower to provide a unique space for cross curricular study and research for girls of all ages. The STEAM Tower will become the new home for science, design and technology: graphics, product design and textiles and include four new classrooms, a laboratory and open plan art space.

Almost 140 years since the founding of Wimbledon High, we rightly celebrate its heritage, and reflect on how we can build on the school’s success and embrace the challenges of a very different world for the young women who stride out of our gates to university and beyond. Since that very first lesson in 1880, from small things, greatness has indeed come.

If you would like to read more about the work our Scientists in Residence team have been doing please visit our blog www.whs-blogs.co.uk/steam-blog/ and you can read more about Project Ex Humilibus at www.exhumilibus.co.uk