Being part of the Barrow Engineering Project set up by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Why has the BEP been so successful for secondary school members? The vision and dedication of the Royal Academy of Engineers to STEM education and their ability to source funding. The Work of the lead co-ordinators, school co-ordinators, businesses and other institutions has to be acknowledged. Take away any of these and the project may not have been as successful. So collaboration is key. Secondary co-ordinators have closely worked with Brian Wood, who in turn has worked with Linda Mann from the RAE to lead and manage the project. This Project and structure is proven and I would encourage businesses and Institutions to learn from this model.

Why have the BEP STEM Competitions/Events for schools worked so well in the Furness area? Because they have been effectively and carefully co-ordinated and organised well in advance so that they take place at a time convenient for the schools. Without this support thousands of students would not have had the exposure to STEM education outside of their normal curriculum time in our area. The Organisation of coaches, venues, refreshments and the liaison with providers have all been taken out of teachers hands, this has made the events manageable for secondary schools. It takes approximately 1 1/2 hours for a teacher to carry out the risk assessments and organisation for one STEM event. A class teacher will get around 3 hours marking and preparation time during a school week, so there time is tight! Local co-ordinators with budgets for STEM events that are well planned, co-ordinated and held at a mutually convenient time and venue for schools and providers.

Why is the funding provided by the Barrow Engineering Project so important to secondary schools? There are funding issues in secondary schools and STEM activities are less likely to happen in the future, so being able to bid for funding from the BEP and other sources is essential if STEM education is to continue to thrive in and outside of the classroom. All funding received by schools from the BEP has only been sanctioned after an annual bidding process which comprises of the details and costings of the any event, project or equipment member schools would like to commit to during the school year. All schools have the same allocation of money to maintain fairness. Schools need access to external funding sources to enable them to maintain appropriate and worthwhile STEM activities. How have schools used funding? Some schools have used their allocation to bring in outside providers to carry out STEM activities, which is great to reach larger numbers of KS3 students. It works well as long as you get a provider who has a good understanding of the level young learners work at and are well organised and communicate effectively. This isn’t always the case and is often expensive, you can be left under whelmed and wonder what learning has taken place if you get unlucky with a provider.

How have schools used funding? Trips and visits further a field have been a popular, rewarding and successful use of the funding. However our geographic location and the cost of hiring a coach for the day makes it very expensive (£200+), this is without adding the cost of bringing in a supply teacher, which schools have to do. This activity can go with the majority of the years funding and is usually limited to one per year. BEP funding has been used at UVHS for all of the reasons mentioned, but by far the most sustainable and successful use of funding in my opinion has been purchasing STEM related equipment and machinery that is used in the curriculum and for extra curricular clubs year after year.

Sustainable use of STEM Funding Soldering equipment bought for an initial BEP funded extra curricular project and used by thousands of students afterwards.

Sustainable use of STEM Funding Lego Mindstorms robots bought in the early years of funding are still being used by students in and out of lessons. We are currently using the robots with a partner Primary school during our Engineering club and to enter the Cumbria Lego League this coming year.

Sustainable use of STEM Funding Group sets of Vernier Calipers and Micrometers to improve students awareness of the methods of accurate measurement when carrying out practical Engineering.

Sustainable use of STEM Funding Class sets of Kinex to aid student learning of structures, types of movement and levers along with problem solving.

Local Events supported by Cumbria STEM Ambassadors

Local Events supported by Cumbria STEM Ambassadors

Local Events supported by Cumbria STEM Ambassadors

Local Events supported by Cumbria STEM Ambassadors

County Events

National Events Extra curricular STEM Education must be delivered by Mathematics, Design & Technology, Science and any other interested faculties if it is to continue developing. It can’t just be delivered by one faculty.

Close collaboration with local companies and agencies is so important Design & Technology students continue to be supported by Siemens who have worked very closely with UVHS. Sponsorship money has enabled the faculty to purchase a new Computer Numerically Controlled lathe, Laser cutter, Material testing equipment and various other tools and equipment that service the new Design & Technology rooms. Siemens have also been busy colour printing all of the Design & Technology student work booklets and have judged a KS 4 & 5 design competitions. This continued support allows our students to have the opportunity to learn relevant new skills and techniques which will enhance their learning and enjoyment of the subject and keep their learning content up to date. Year 12 attended a series of industrial visits to Siemens as part of their AS Level Product Design course. They were able to carry out a range of activities relevant to their course. These included hands-on tensile testing of different plastics in a scientific lab, a presentation explaining the application of STEM in business and a tour of the factory to witness how ICT is used in a business and engineering environment. Also as a direct result of our partnership Siemens have offered one of our Year 13 Product Design students an outstanding opportunity. Stephanie Hargreaves will become the first Advanced design engineering apprentice at the Ulverston site. Its true to say that the Siemens management team have been fantastic in their support of our students and school .

Thank You.