Making a Clean Sweep A group of children have cleaned up and won a prize in a competition to come up with the perfect clothes washing tablet. Year 6 pupils at Helmdon Primary School, near Brackley, took part in the Ariel Stains and Science Schools Programme, which aims to help children, aged between nine and eleven, and their families understand how science affects their everyday lives. They have now been given a Science Promotion Award and received a giant certificate along with £100 to spend on science equipment in recognition of their work. Through lessons, workshops, experiments and homework assignments, pupils learnt how to design a tablet that achieves the best cleaning results. They then presented their findings using essays, graphs and posters. Children from the school have gone on to enter their results in a national competition, where they will have a chance to win one of 50 regional prizes of sports clothing for two teams at their school. Head teacher, Sue Blackburn, said: "The programme has provided a valuable science teaching resource. Our pupils had a wonderful time doing the experiments and gathering data. "Science can be fun and exciting for children if taught in the right way and we're delighted that our approach to the subject means we have been chosen to receive this award." She added that science has been a focus for development at the school in the past year leading to excellent SATS results. The Banbury Guardian - 18th April 2002