THE appliance of science, and maths, engineering and technology, was on display at a secondary school this week.

BAE Systems visited Aldworth School on Monday to engage youngsters in the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths.

From mobile phones to card tricks, the three presenters, along with a humanoid robot called MIA, showed Year 7 and 8 pupils how science, engineering and maths is everywhere in the world.

Pupils also got the chance to take part with practical demonstrations including with, most dramatically, a para-motor which filled the school hall with noise.

The overall aim of the visit was to inspire pupils to think about future careers in the engineering and science sectors and emphasise the point that such roles are open to girls as well as boys.

Klara Reddy, associate assistant headteacher at the school, said: "It is about opening their eyes to the wider world. It is about helping them to get more cultural capital.

"They are too young to really be thinking about careers yet but we want to get them engaged. It gets them talking about what they have seen, that is something I have noticed, which is very valuable."

The next day, the school was visited by the National Enterprise Challenge, an initiative headed up by entrepreneur Theo Paphitis with Yeah 8 students taking part in a series of tests to earn a place at a finals event being held later this year.