We introduced the FameLab Academy STEM competition to Year 9 pupils this week in a special assembly. Hem and Oskar - both previous school winners and both runners up in the Gloucestershire final - spoke confidently to Year 9 and gave some good advice on how to choose a subject and structure a STEM talk, and talked about their experiences taking part.

FameLab Academy is a science-communication competition run by Cheltenham Festivals for Year 9 students. Pupils prepare a short (three-minute) talk on a STEM topic of their choice and present it to judges, who evaluate them on content, clarity, and charisma. The winner from each school gets a communication masterclass, a work placement at a local STEM company, and advances to the county final. It’s part of the wider FameLab programme, which helps young people develop confidence and science-communication skills.