Budding local engineers take on the 9th annual Heathrow Primary School Challenge
This year, thanks to the support of Heathrows employee volunteers, fifty schools in the five surrounding boroughs to Heathrow Ealing, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Slough and Spelthorne - and more than 3,100 students will participate in the challenge, which will run until the 21st of October.
Students participating learn the engineering story of Heathrow’s Terminal 2 – The Queen’s Terminal – and will have the opportunity to draw up their own inspired designs for a terminal large enough to fit six of their colleagues. Students will then use a STIXX machine, an environmentally innovative system that turns newspapers into building rods, and work in groups to translate their designs into reality.
Sundeep Sangha, Heathrow’s Head of Economic Development, says: ‘Heathrow is committed to reducing skills gaps in engineering and technology and in doing so helping the local economy, as well as raising academic achievements and aspirations of young people.
The Primary School Challenge is a wonderful example of how we do this; it complements the Key Stage 2 curriculum, and improves participants’ decision making, creativity and self confidence, all skills which they can develop and use in the workplace in years to come.’
Over the years, 20,741 year 5 6 students have benefitted from the skills taught in the Challenge.
Heathrow’s Primary School Challenge Programme has been awarded the 2014 Malcolm Gibbons Cup in the Spark! Partnership Awards, which highlight leading examples of successful collaboration between education and the local business community.
Press Days for the Primary School Challenge include:
· Ealing – Beaconsfield Primary, UB1 1DR October 1st 2pm
· Ealing - Montpelier Primary School, W5 2QT October 19th 10 am
· Ealing – Our Lady of Visitation, Greenford, UB6 9AN October 20th 10 am
· Hillingdon – Grange Park Junior School, UB4 8SF, October 13th 10 am
· Hillingdon – Bishop Winnington Primary – HA4 7LW, October 6th 2pm
· Hillingdon - St. Andrews Primary, UB8 5BX, October 12th, 2pm
· Hounslow – Cedars Primary, TW5 9RU, September 28th, 2pm
· Hounslow – Belmont Primary, W4 5UL, October 2nd, 10 am
· Slough – Foxbrough Primary, SL3 BTX, September 17th, 2pm
· Spelthorne – Echelford Primary, TW15 1EX, September 11th, 10am
The Primary School Challenge is part of the Heathrow Community Investment Programme, which aims to support the economic prosperity of local people surrounding the airport. The main aim is to raise aspirations and academic achievement by positively engaging with local schools, colleges and universities to promote the airport as an attractive career destination to local young people, their parents and other job seekers.
