Thorpe St Andrew School year 7 pupils donning their lab coats to inspire Little Plumstead Primary School pupils with six hands on fun activities during National Science Week. Photo: Steve Adams

Students have turned into teachers to help primary pupils learn about biology, physics and chemistry.

Thorpe St Andrew School year 7 pupils donning their lab coats to inspire Little Plumstead Primary School pupils with six hands on fun activities during National Science Week. Photo: Steve Adams

For the past two weeks, to celebrate National Science Week, Thorpe St Andrew School students have been taking a science bus out to their old primary schools to give year five pupils special lessons in the subject. Eight schools have been visited, and yesterday was the turn of Little Plumstead Primary, where the school hall was converted into a science lab with an array of different experiments. Primary pupils could find out about everything from how to use a microscope to why a Van de Graaff generator makes your hair stand on end.

Thorpe St Andrew School headteacher Ian Clayton said: “The science bus gives the opportunity for our students to share their excitement for science with younger students. It also helps our students in their learning because they have to make sure what they are teaching to the younger children is accurate.”

He said it was important to excite children about science at an early age and that the science bus was a project Thorpe had run for several years. He added that he believed it played a part in helping the primary pupils to do well in science when they reach high school. Over the past two weeks about 400 year five primary pupils and 150 year seven Thorpe St Andrew School pupils have taken part. As well as Little Plumstead Primary, other schools included St Williams Primary, Hillside Primary, Dussindale Primary, Blofield Primary, Brundall Primary, Hemblington Primary and Lionwood Junior.

Thorpe science teacher Ruth Dobson, who organised the project with Shaun Howard, said: “One of the best ways for our children to learn about science is for them to think about teaching it themselves. The science bus is also really inspiring for the primary pupils who do not always have access to proper science equipment. It’s great for them to get an insight into what science is like at high school.”