In 2007, Greendown Community School in Swindon was one of the first schools selected to pilot npower’s ‘enthuse’ programme and last week, the event returned to the school for the third consecutive year.
Over 260 Year 9 students participated in a range of interactive activities designed to help them think about the impact science and engineering has on their daily lives, during the recent two day educational experience. South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove also popped along to find out more about the programme.
Enthuse, which is part of npower’s Brighter Futures Programme, is a five year scheme designed to inspire and engage students aged 12-14 years old in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
The students were encouraged to think of ways to improve existing products or design a completely new concept, before considering the very real problem of how we can meet and reduce the UK’s future demand for energy. These activities were followed by a ‘facts and fiction’ session where the students were given the opportunity to meet with engineering staff from npower’s Swindon offices. Throughout the day, the students took part in a series of hands-on activities relating to the power industry.
The day ended when Gill Sarjent, head of Maths, was presented with an award, which recognised the continued support and efforts of the school towards this highly successful programme.
Gill Sarjent said “The school is very proud to be involved with the ‘enthuse’ programme since day one and continued participation during the last few years. The students have been given an excellent insight into what it would feel like to be an engineer. Also, the opportunity to strengthen our relationships with staff from npower helps bring the activities to life and gives the students a great introduction into the world of work.”
Anne Snelgrove MP commented: “It was fantastic to see the students having such a good time while they were learning. This scheme brings science and technology to life and makes it real.”
One year 9 student added “I think the whole day was good as I liked learning about different careers and I really liked all the “hands on” activities. My favourite workshop was ‘Bright Ideas’ as I liked designing a new product, which was completely different. I think we should run this event every day for year 9 students!”
In 2008 alone, npower enthuse days reached out to over 3400 students across the UK.
To find out more about npower’s education programme and free resources for schools and community groups, visit www.npower.com/education.
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