The Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company (SCRDC) has worked with Settle Primary School to build a STEM classroom in the primary school grounds.
Opened on Wednesday 22 June, the STEM studio promotes science, technology, engineering and math education, and will be accessible to local schools along the Settle-Carlisle route, as well as providing a new and unique space for the rest of the community to meet.
Settle Primary School have spent several years working towards developing a STEM curriculum. They are currently the only school in North Yorkshire to have been in three consecutive national STEM finals, having reached the finals of the Rolls-Royce Schools Prize for Science and Technology (2018), Employee Choice Winners (2018) and Farmvention STEM Nationals (2019 and 2020).
SCRDC has been at the forefront of this project, sourcing funding from Northern, Avanti West Coast, Cross Country, Yorkshire Dales National Park, Community Rail Network, Settle Rotary and Settle Middle School Legacy Fund.
Katie Chesworth, Projects and Social Media Manager of SCRDC, said: “We aim to work with schools along the Settle-Carlisle Railway Line to encourage STEM education in as many schools as possible. We know how important STEM education is, and look forward to working with schools and showing the wide range of employment opportunities available within the rail industry.”
Richard Wright, Executive Headteacher of Settle and Malhamdale Primary Partnership, said: “With thanks to the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company, we now have a brand new STEM studio resource that we can use to continue the important work we began before the pandemic.
“We now look forward with great excitement to championing the teaching and learning of STEM subjects to children across the locality for many years to come. We are very grateful for the amazing support that we have received. It is most definitely true that without the help of our sponsors we would not have been able to have this superb facility.”
Joanna Buckley, Community Manager at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re delighted this classroom is now open, so Settle Primary School can expand their efforts to teach more children these important subjects. This new facility will help equip local schoolchildren with invaluable skills and knowledge that are vital for the transport sector, while making the Settle-Carlisle Railway a bigger part of the community by providing a space for people of all ages to meet.
“We want to connect young people to opportunity and by supporting this great initiative through our Community Rail Project Fund we hope to inspire the next generation to think about rail as a career and help them develop skills for the future.”
To find out more about the work of the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company, visit their website.
