Innovation Train and STEM Experience: Celebrating 200 Years of Railways
As part of our ongoing commitment to enriching our pupils’ learning through real-world experiences, a group of our students recently took part in the exciting Innovation Train and STEM Experience: Celebrating 200 Years of Railways. This special day combined history, engineering, geography, and future-focused learning – all wrapped up in a fun and interactive way.
Before the experience began, pupils enjoyed a refreshing walk to the seafront, where they took in the coastal scenery and shared a well-earned tasty stick of rock – the perfect end to a morning of trail travel and being very patient with delays!
The STEM experience started with an interactive quiz, testing pupils’ knowledge of the history of rail travel and exploring how the development of the railway has transformed our lives over the past two centuries. Pupils learned fascinating facts about how the rail network shaped towns, trade, and travel, and even discussed how modern technology continues to drive change across the industry today.
Next, pupils took part in a series of hands-on engineering challenges, applying their problem-solving and teamwork skills to design and build bridges for different purposes. They explored the importance of structure, strength, and stability – just like real engineers – and proudly tested their constructions under pressure!
Another highlight of the day was exploring how our landscape affects railways and how railways, in turn, have influenced the landscape. Pupils discovered how routes are planned, how tunnels and bridges overcome natural obstacles, and how the railways connect communities both locally and globally.
Throughout the experience, pupils also learned about the wide range of careers involved in the railway industry – from the engineers and designers of the past who built the first lines, to today’s innovators developing sustainable technologies for the future of transport.
The Innovation Train and STEM Experience gave our pupils a fantastic opportunity to see how science, technology, engineering, and maths connect with the world around them – and we hope has inspired some future railway pioneers along the way!