CURIOUS scientists dissected organs and created tiny explosions in classes dedicated to ‘guts and gases’.

An activity-packed day at Oxford High School saw students mentor younger visitors for its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) summer school.

The workshop last week welcomed Year 6 pupils from St Nicholas’ Primary School in Marston and challenged attendees to a series of exciting experiments.

Pupils got to learn how to carefully dissect sheep hearts, trachea and lungs to investigate their biological structure, and hear hydrogen ‘pop’ after testing for its presence using a flame.

Oxford High School science teacher Maria Whittington said students tackled the biology tasks with ‘great care and enthusiasm’, and also learnt how to stretch blood vessels to find out if they were arteries or veins.

She added: “It is always so rewarding to run events such as our STEM Summer School with St Nicholas’ Primary School, which enable pupils of different ages from different schools to work and learn together enjoying science.”

Pupils also carried out chemistry projects exploring the properties of gases and gas pressures during the workshops on Tuesday, June 5.

The experiments were part of the seventh annual STEM Summer School hosted by Oxford High, which was mentored by volunteer students from the school’s own Year 9 group and overseen by science department staff.

The independent school in Summertown, which is part of the Girls’ Day School Trust, runs a wider science outreach programme for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils at partnered primary schools.

Scores of children across Oxfordshire have benefited from access to Oxford High’s labs during outreach events.

Mrs Whittington, who is also the school’s science outreach coordinator, said: “Community engagement is integral to the education of girls at Oxford High School.”

On Tuesday the Belbroughton Road school hosted another outreach event for Year 5 pupils, from seven different primary schools.

They gathered for the annual JEMS (juniors in engineering and manufacturing) morning, and deconstructed several brands of nappies to discover hydrogels inside.