OUR VISION FOR SCIENCE: “Bucking the national trend of dwindling numbers, Oakham Science has made phenomenal strides over recent years, and could well be said to provide the backbone of the body of professional OOs: engineers, doctors, vets, academics at universities and more. In a sense, though, we have become a victim of our own success. I have seen this at first hand, having joined a biology department teaching one syllabus to three sets of sixth form per year, now we teach five syllabuses to nine sets ... in the same 1981 building. Science is bursting at the seams! Unless we build in bricks and mortar we endanger the successes we have built across the Science Faculty through expert teaching and innovations such as the Science Guest Night, 'Extreme Physics', Crime Day, and the Peterstow Science Fellowship. The future of Science at Oakham is bright – and we are planning to accommodate it!” Dr JK Cheverton (Senior Scientist) Oakham has a long tradition of producing outstanding young scientists. Today the School’s Science Faculty flourishes, bucking the national trend in recent years that has seen fewer pupils studying Science. Scientific endeavour at Oakham goes far beyond the standard curriculum, we have an exceptional team of teachers whose dedication inspires our pupils to think creatively. Our desire to be at the forefront of school scientific teaching, the demand for space and the number of pupils who want to work on projects in their own time, means our facilities are now considerably overstretched. The proposed new development will address this, allowing us to build further Oakham’s reputation for excellence in the Sciences. The new buildings will enable significant enhancement in the quality of our Science education capabilities. They will provide state of the art teaching spaces and maintain access to the latest developments in the Sciences. Integrating Sport Science and Astronomy into the Science Faculty under the same roof will be an additional benefit. Construction will be innovative in terms of sustainability. Energy efficient features include high levels of thermal insulation and air-tightness, incorporating ground source heat pumps, the use of thermal mass to aid air temperature control, and a reduction in artificial lighting needs through, for example, day-lighting to corridors. The Astronomy Observation Dome will be a significant feature, as will the Biology extension, the design of which will enhance the biodiversity of the School’s campus through a ‘living wall’ and green roof providing a novel learning environment by means of a range of micro climates. As at March 2010, Oakham School Foundation has raised £1.3m of the £2million that is required to complete the build.