The Royal Institution ignites young minds with spectacular science show at The Portsmouth Academy

A secondary school in Portsmouth welcomed The Royal Institution for some action-packed science shows on viruses, fire and rockets.

Gareth Baston from The Royal Institution performing a demonstration to the audience. | Alastair Thompson

placeholder image — Gareth Baston from The Royal Institution performing a demonstration to the audience. | Alastair Thompson

Pupils from Year 7 and Year 8 at The Portsmouth Academy of St Mary's Road in Fratton enjoyed two fascinating discussions during the school day on how diseases spread.

The school welcomed parents and carers in the local community to witness a fun-filled talk on rockets and explosions.

Gareth delivers a demonstration with members of the local community. | Alastair Thompson

Gareth Baston, who delivered the three sessions, loved the energy and enthusiasm in the room throughout the day.

“It was great to be invited to The Portsmouth Academy and to see the students so engaged with today’s topic.

“Their enthusiasm to take part in the demonstrations; their attentive listening and intelligent questions were really encouraging.

Hopefully today’s sessions will inspire them to look towards STEM subjects and careers in the future”.

Gareth demonstrates the power of fire. | Alastair Thompson

The shows provided unique opportunities for students to bring their learning to life outside of the classroom.

Dara, in Year 8, loved the element of surprise and interactivity throughout the show:

“It was very fun being here and all the cool tricks he did were so unexpected!”

The rocket-filled show also went down a treat with parents from the local community, including one who said:

Gareth gets the community involved in a tug-of-war. | Alastair Thompson

“This presentation will prepare the students to make their mind up about science in the future, because science is the future!”

Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) are leading provisions at the school with several trips and extra-curricular activities on offer for students throughout the year.

Samantha Steger-Lewis, STEM Lead at The Portsmouth Academy, is passionate about inspiring the next generation of scientists with opportunities like this:

“We were so fortunate to receive a grant from The Royal Institution as events like this are so important to our students.

“They bring what they learn in class to life and appreciate the real-world application of what they do in school. Families who attended really enjoyed the show too and it was lovely to share the experience with them”.

The school will be hosting their Open Event later this year for pupils looking at secondary schools to start with in 2027.

Taking place from 6-8pm on Thursday 1st October 2026, parents and carers can tour the school and various departments to discover the range of opportunities on offer to students.