It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr Delphine Pellenc, our wonderfully inspiring Head of Physics and Director of STEM, after a period of ill health.
This news has come as an enormous shock to the whole of our College community. Our thoughts are with her family at this deeply sad time.
Dr Pellenc was a remarkable woman who served our community with all that she had to give. She leaves behind a legacy in STEM and Physics of which we, as a College, are incredibly proud.
Dr Pellenc encouraged every student to explore STEM without limits by challenging stereotypes related to age, gender and ability, opening doors to new opportunities, challenges and career pathways they may not have imagined.
Her drive and passion for STEM was infectious. She made science engaging and most importantly, fun, with her lively sense of humour. Her success lay in her relentless enthusiasm to break the misconception that “doing Science” requires a high level of prior knowledge or expertise. This mindset has been key to building a stimulating and enduring whole-school STEM programme.
During her 10-year tenure, participation in STEM activities outside the classroom soared from just four students attending one Science Club in 2015 to 412 engaging in 12 weekly STEM clubs, ranging from Year 1 through to Year 13. Additionally, every student in the College takes part in STEM enrichment challenges, with themed STEM days organised for pupils from Early Years to Year 6, covering topics as diverse as ‘polar exploration’ and ‘bubbles’.
Students have achieved remarkable success in national competitions, with over 50 Silver and Gold awards in the Junior and Intermediate UK Maths Trust and British Physics Olympiad challenges last year. In the last three years, eight of our F1 in Schools teams have been crowned regional champions and in the last two consecutive years we have competed at the UK Primary Nationals, winning the ‘fastest car’ award in 2024. Pupils from Year 5 to Year 13 qualified for the prestigious Kangaroo stage of the UKMT, achieving a near-equal 55/45 girl/boy split at the Gold level. Our recent entry into the Computer Science Bebras challenge resulted in 195 medals and sparked the creation of a second coding club at the College.
It seems a fitting tribute to share a recent video which our Marketing Team made with Dr Pellenc only a few weeks ago to celebrate the strength and breadth of STEM at the College.
In time we will find a way, as a College community, to come together to celebrate and commemorate Dr Pellenc’s life. We pray that she may now rest in peace.
