Visit to 10 Downing Street

A small group of Year 9 girls were filled with excitement as they passed through security at Downing Street before being given the once-in-a-lifetime chance to knock on the door of Number 10 to discover what was inside.

The students then had time to hear from four pioneering women in STEM (Claire Coutinho, Dr Suzanne Imber, Professor Dame Angela McLean, and Dr Nikki Kanani) who shared their experiences and what led them to a career in STEM, including the many obstacles and triumphs they faced along the way.

Every student reported afterwards how much this Q&A session opened their eyes to the wonders of STEM, with 100% of students claiming to have learnt more about STEM careers and 100% of them claiming that the trip made them realise women can also be successful in STEM.

We were then very privileged to have been given a tour of the building, which provided insight into life as a Prime Minister, leading to one particular Willingdon student now wanting to pursue a career in politics!

Overall it was a tremendously inspiring day, and one which will be treasured by all of the students for years to come.