Making Science Accessible to Every Child: Lee Whitwell on Mini Professors

What happens when you take hands-on science out of a private classroom and into every school, nursery and holiday club that will have you? In this episode of The Class Business Podcast, Krissy Monaghan is joined by Lee Whitwell, known to the children she teaches as Professor Lee, who runs Mini Professors in Weymouth and Dorchester, part of the WOW World Group family of early years brands alongside Baby Sensory, Toddler Sense and Reading Fairy. Lee is a finalist for Emerging Business of the Year at The Class Business Awards 2026. Lee moved back to her hometown just under three years ago and started running Mini Professors sessions, since growing it into a full-time business working with two to eleven year olds through preschool classes, homeschool sessions and holiday clubs. Alongside running her own sessions, Lee wears a second hat as regional franchisor for Thames Valley West, supporting a team of Baby Sensory and Mini Professors franchisees across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. In this episode, we talk about: • Moving Mini Professors from private classes into nurseries and schools • Why cost shouldn't be the reason a child misses out on science • What a Mini Professors workshop actually looks like, from song to experiment to story • Favourite experiments, from Oobleck to Elephant's Toothpaste to exploding Coke and Mentos • Delivering around 1,000 different science experiments over three years • Building children's confidence to ask questions, and parents' confidence that they're "sciencey" too • Getting to every session by bike and trailer • Working with the Dorset Council HAF programme, reaching around 450 children in one summer alone across 19 different providers • Running Mini Professors alongside her role as a regional franchisor • What she looks for in someone thinking about joining WOW World Group What comes through clearly in this conversation is how much Lee's own curiosity drives the business. She describes herself as "not sciencey" originally, and that's exactly why she's so good at helping children and parents feel that science is for them too, not just for people who were good at it at school. Find out more about Mini Professors Weymouth & Dorchester, or get in touch about bringing Lee into your school or nursery, at miniprofessors.co.uk, or email weymouth@miniprofessors.co.uk. Lee Whitwell is a finalist for Emerging Business of the Year at The Class Business Awards 2026. Join us on Saturday 10 October 2026 at the National Conference Centre in Solihull for The Class Business Live, followed by The Class Business Awards & Afterparty. https://www.kristinemonaghan.online/o... #TheClassBusinessPodcast #TheClassBusinessAwards