From 10th to 13th April, forty-five promising students from across the UK benefited from a unique hands-on learning experience at the University of Exeter. Sponsored by the University of Exeter and delivered by educational charity The Smallpeice Trust, this 4-day residential course gave the students a valuable insight into artificial intelligence. During the course, the 13 and 14 year-old students learned about the different aspects of the field of Artificial Intelligence including talking robots, otherwise known as ‘chatbots’. Students worked in small teams to develop their own computer programme that they then tested for intelligence. The students also discovered the methods machines of the future may use to learn about their environments and make decisions for themselves. Dr Zena Wood of the University of Exeter said: “It has been fantastic to welcome such an enthusiastic group of students to the University of Exeter. We are at the forefront of the fast-developing field of artificial intelligence and our research and teaching is focused on applying the latest developments in computer science to really important fields, such as aviation and medicine. Events like this provide a wonderful opportunity for us to share our expertise and to encourage young people to consider a career in this really exciting and important area of science.”

Dr Andrew Cave, Chief Executive of The Smallpeice Trust added: “Thanks to the University of Exeter, these students have been given a worthwhile insight into Artificial Intelligence. This has become an important area of study with a wide range of applications in fields ranging from financial trading systems to gaming and medicine. The students have worked enthusiastically on some interesting projects, enjoyed their first taste of studying and living in a University, and had the chance to explore some fascinating topics.” All Smallpeice courses are linked to the National Curriculum and are designed to improve core skills such as team building, financial management, communication and problem solving. By attending one of our courses students will gain experience of university and working life that will accelerate their personal development and their potential for greater academic achievement. The Smallpeice Trust Artificial Intelligence course is part of an ongoing programme of subsidised residential courses to help young people aged 13 to 18 develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing.

Founded by Dr Cosby Smallpeice in 1966, The Trust has grown tremendously over the past 46 years, helping thousands of young people find a successful career in a multitude of disciplines within the industry from engineering materials, marine technology and naval architecture to nanotechnology and structural engineering. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, 18,175 students have attended a Smallpeice activity in the past year.

Bookings are now being taken for summer residential courses. Visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk or telephone 01926 333200 for further details. ———— END ————

Notes to editors:

Word Count: 474

About The Smallpeice Trust:

The Smallpeice Trust is an independent charitable trust which promotes engineering as a career, primarily through the provision of residential courses for young people aged 13 to 18.

The Smallpeice Trust was founded in 1966 by Dr Cosby Smallpeice, a pioneering engineer and inventor of the Smallpeice Lathe. Following the stock market flotation of his company Martonair, Dr Smallpeice invested his energy and part of his personal fortune to set up the Trust to ensure that British industry could continuously benefit from his proven design and engineering philosophies: “Simplicity in design, economy in production.” The Trust is now governed by an eminent board of non-executive trustees and members from a diverse range of engineering, industry, educational and professional bodies.

In the past academic year, The Smallpeice Trust has reached out to 18,175 young people through 37 different subsidised 4-day residential courses and 1-day in-school STEM Days. The Smallpeice Trust has also trained 674 teachers to enhance their delivery of STEM in the classroom.

A strong interface is maintained with industry, education and professional bodies that help to support, promote and develop the courses. Through these relationships the Trust is also able to provide a number of tailored or specialised courses.

About the University of Exeter:

The University of Exeter is a leading UK university and in the top one percent of institutions globally. It combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. Exeter is ranked 9th in The Sunday Times University Guide, 10th in the UK in The Times Good University Guide 2012 and 11th in the Guardian University Guide 2012. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 90% of the University’s research was rated as being at internationally recognised levels and 16 of its 31 subjects are ranked in the top 10, with 27 subjects ranked in the top 20. The University has over 17,000 students and is developing its campuses in Exeter and Cornwall with almost £350 million worth of new facilities due for completion by 2012.
For more information visit www.exeter.ac.uk

From 2nd to 4th April, eighty 13 and 14 year olds from across the UK benefited from a unique hands-on learning experience at the University of Nottingham. This three-day residential programme was organised by The Smallpeice Trust and sponsored by GP Strategies to engage students and provide them with the opportunity to learn about engineering through a series of presentations and practical hands-on workshops. In small teams, the students worked on ‘real-life’ challenges run by role model engineers from Arup, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and the Royal Navy. Students were guided through all stages of product development, from initial concepts to final testing. Projects included designing and building a water harvesting and shelter system, a 4×4 vehicle, a war ship and wind turbine against certain criteria. Students were also confronted with real-life issues including the need to work within a budget and make the project commercially viable.

Shay Moran, Vice President GP Strategies UK commented, “This exciting programme of activity and learning will provide an inspirational introduction to the opportunities of ‘engineering in action’. It is our pleasure to support this important mission, which The Smallpeice Trust delivers so effectively by providing these high impact and fun learning events”. Dr Andrew Cave, Chief Executive from The Smallpeice Trust added, “We are delighted that with the support from GP Strategies, we have been able to give these budding engineers an opportunity to learn all about what a career in engineering could be like. Judging by their dedication and enthusiasm to their projects I am sure the students are now in a much better position to make clear and sensible career choices.”

All Smallpeice courses are linked to the National Curriculum and are designed to improve core skills such as team building, financial management, communication and problem solving. By attending one of our courses students will gain experience of university and working life that will accelerate their personal development and their potential for greater academic achievement. The Smallpeice Trust Engineering Experience course is part of an ongoing programme of subsidised residential courses to help young people aged 13 to 18 develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing.

Founded by Dr Cosby Smallpeice in 1966, The Trust has grown tremendously over the past 46 years, helping thousands of young people find a successful career in a multitude of disciplines within the industry from engineering materials, marine technology and naval architecture to nanotechnology and structural engineering. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, 18,175 students have attended a Smallpeice activity in the past year.

Bookings are now being taken for summer residential courses. Visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk or telephone 01926 333200 for further details. About The Smallpeice Trust:

The Smallpeice Trust is an independent charitable trust which promotes engineering as a career, primarily through the provision of residential courses for young people aged 13 to 18.

The Smallpeice Trust was founded in 1966 by Dr Cosby Smallpeice, a pioneering engineer and inventor of the Smallpeice Lathe. Following the stock market flotation of his company Martonair, Dr Smallpeice invested his energy and part of his personal fortune to set up the Trust to ensure that British industry could continuously benefit from his proven design and engineering philosophies: “Simplicity in design, economy in production.” The Trust is now governed by an eminent board of non-executive trustees and members from a diverse range of engineering, industry, educational and professional bodies.

In the past academic year, The Smallpeice Trust has reached out to 18,175 young people through 37 different subsidised 4-day residential courses and 1-day in-school STEM Days. The Smallpeice Trust has also trained 674 teachers to enhance their delivery of STEM in the classroom.

A strong interface is maintained with industry, education and professional bodies that help to support, promote and develop the courses. Through these relationships the Trust is also able to provide a number of tailored or specialised courses.

About GP Strategies:

GP Strategies Corporation (NYSE: GPX) is a global performance improvement solutions provider of sales and technical training, eLearning solutions, management consulting and engineering services. GP Strategies’ solutions improve the effectiveness of organizations by delivering innovative and superior training, consulting and business improvement services, customized to meet the specific needs of its clients. Clients include Fortune 500 companies, manufacturing, process and energy industries, and other commercial and government customers. GP Strategies Corporation is the new name of General Physics Corporation, which merged with its parent company (also called GP Strategies) on December 31, 2011 and changed its name. Additional information may be found at www.gpstrategies.com.

From 26th March to 30st April, six students from St Peter’s Catholic School, enjoyed a unique work experience course at the National Grid Training Centre near Newark, Nottinghamshire. Run in conjunction with the UK’s largest utility company, National Grid, this residential learning opportunity gave 47 students an insight into the future of energy and the industry as a whole. Over the five days, the lucky students worked with real engineers from National Grid to see first-hand how the supply of energy works. This included learning about the anatomy of the nation’s energy networks and taking a close up view of high-voltage substations, lines and cables. Students also explored the scale of the ‘hardware’ used to keep our lights on and our gas flowing. This included a tour round a major power station to find out how electricity is generated and a visit to a gas compressor site to develop a deeper knowledge of how gas is moved around in volume. Social activities included a film evening and a sports night. On the final night, The Smallpeice Trust and National Grid hosted a conference style dinner, attended by Les Adams, Electricity Maintenance Manager at National Grid. Students and supervisors heard Les speak about his career based on engineering, and had the opportunity to socialise and share their experiences of the week.

Richard Earp, National Grid’s education and skills manager said,
“We are delighted to have been able to offer this week in partnership with The Smallpeice Trust. We think this is a superb way to show young people the world of engineering and work generally, and is an approach we are keen to continue and develop further. As a major engineering employer we recognise our responsibility to help young people understand both where their science, maths and technology studies could lead them. By harnessing our own technical resources, The Smallpeice Trust’s experience of running residential courses schools, and the expertise of the Royal Academy of Engineering who helped develop the week, we believe we are setting new standards in the provision of work-based learning for schools students.”

Dr Andrew Cave, Chief Executive of The Smallpeice Trust commented: “Thanks to generous support from National Grid, we were able to give students a meaningful opportunity to explore careers in this exciting and fast-changing sector. Improving the current skills base in the UK presents a major challenge when it comes to meeting our low carbon targets and achieving National Grid’s goal of developing an energy system that can underpin our economic prosperity in the 21st century. We hope this opportunity will encourage students to go on to play their part in tackling climate change and sustainable energy solutions for the future.”

The National Grid Work Experience Week is run by National Grid in partnership with the independent charity, The Smallpeice Trust, and is part of an ongoing programme of residential courses to help young people aged 13 to 18 learn and develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing. A similar second National Grid Work Experience week is scheduled to take place this summer. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, 18,175 students have attended a Smallpeice activity in the past year.

Bookings are now being taken for Smallpeice summer residential courses. Visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk or telephone 01926 333200 for further details. ———— END ————
Notes to editors

Word Count: 552

About The Smallpeice Trust
The Smallpeice Trust is an independent charitable trust which promotes engineering as a career, primarily through the provision of residential courses for young people aged 13 to 18.

The Smallpeice Trust was founded in 1966 by Dr Cosby Smallpeice, a pioneering engineer and inventor of the Smallpeice Lathe. Following the stock market flotation of his company Martonair, Dr Smallpeice invested his energy and part of his personal fortune to set up the Trust to ensure that British industry could continuously benefit from his proven design and engineering philosophies: “Simplicity in design, economy in production.” The Trust is now governed by an eminent board of non-executive trustees and members from a diverse range of engineering, industry, educational and professional bodies.

In the past academic year, The Smallpeice Trust has reached out to 18,175 young people through 37 different subsidised 4-day residential courses and 1-day in-school STEM Days. The Smallpeice Trust has also trained 674 teachers to enhance their delivery of STEM in the classroom.

A strong interface is maintained with industry, education and professional bodies that help to support, promote and develop the courses. Through these relationships the Trust is also able to provide a number of tailored or specialised courses.

About National Grid: National Grid is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing our society – to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century. National Grid holds a vital position at the centre of the energy system and we ‘join everything up’. In Britain, we run the gas and electricity systems that our society is built on, delivering gas and electricity across the country. In the North Eastern US, we connect more than seven million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for our modern lifestyles. Contact: Isobel Rowley, Press Officer on 01926 655275 or isobel.rowley@uk.ngrid.com

From 11th to 13th April, forty students from North Wales have been learning how to solve some of the challenges facing the nuclear industry. Sponsored by Bangor University and the National Nuclear Laboratory and led by educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust, the four-day residential course introduced students to a variety of topical subjects, including radiation, the environment, health and safety and decommissioning of plants.

Working in teams, the 13 and 14 year old students took part in a combination of presentations, workshops, practical ‘design-and-make’ projects, and a final assessment which involved wearing full protective clothing.

The design-and-make project, led by real engineers from the National Nuclear Laboratory, challenged students to move waste from one location to another. It involved the students pitching their idea in a “Dragon’s Den” type of scenario in order to gain funding, allowing them to then go out and make their design. As well as working on the design, build and test elements of the projects, they developed life skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, time management, finance and presentation. The social programme included a quiz, sports activities and a formal dinner and disco.

Stevie Scanlan, Marketing Manager from Bangor University’s College of Physical & Applied Sciences said: “We’re delighted to host an event which engages young people in some very real scientific scenarios. We hope that their participation will encourage them to continue their interest in science subjects, this year we were joined by some Engineers from the Magnox Graduate Training Programme who came to help out with the activities. We were pleased to be able to again offer this course at no cost to the pupils who attended.”

Gemma Murphy, Head of Marketing and Development for The Smallpeice Trust added: “Thanks to Bangor University’s generous sponsorship, we are pleased to be able to offer students from North Wales this unique insight into the nuclear industry. The importance of reducing carbon emissions and ensuring secure energy supplies is leading to exciting developments in the nuclear sector. It’s opportunities like these which will inspire our students to tackle these challenges and take a lead in future developments.” All Smallpeice courses are linked to the National Curriculum and are designed to improve core skills such as team building, financial management, communication and problem solving. By attending one of our courses students will gain experience of university and working life that will accelerate their personal development and their potential for greater academic achievement. The Smallpeice Trust Nuclear Engineering course is part of an ongoing programme of subsidised residential courses to help young people aged 13 to 18 develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing.

Founded by Dr Cosby Smallpeice in 1966, The Trust has grown tremendously over the past 46 years, helping thousands of young people find a successful career in a multitude of disciplines within the industry from engineering materials, marine technology and naval architecture to nanotechnology and structural engineering. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, 18,175 students have attended a Smallpeice activity in the past year.

Bookings are now being taken for summer residential courses. Visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk or telephone 01926 333200 for further details. ———— END ————

Notes to editors:

Word Count: 527

About The Smallpeice Trust:

The Smallpeice Trust is an independent charitable trust which promotes engineering as a career, primarily through the provision of residential courses for young people aged 13 to 18.

The Smallpeice Trust was founded in 1966 by Dr Cosby Smallpeice, a pioneering engineer and inventor of the Smallpeice Lathe. Following the stock market flotation of his company Martonair, Dr Smallpeice invested his energy and part of his personal fortune to set up the Trust to ensure that British industry could continuously benefit from his proven design and engineering philosophies: “Simplicity in design, economy in production.” The Trust is now governed by an eminent board of non-executive trustees and members from a diverse range of engineering, industry, educational and professional bodies.

In the past academic year, The Smallpeice Trust has reached out to 18,175 young people through 37 different subsidised 4-day residential courses and 1-day in-school STEM Days. The Smallpeice Trust has also trained 674 teachers to enhance their delivery of STEM in the classroom.

A strong interface is maintained with industry, education and professional bodies that help to support, promote and develop the courses. Through these relationships the Trust is also able to provide a number of tailored or specialised courses.

One of the leading electrical suppliers in the UK, Ryness Electrical have revealed how to cut your household bills significantly with the help of their energy saving appliance range.

The specialists in electrical and lighting products have expanded their range of eco-friendly products which include led light bulbs to help homeowners reduce their carbon footprint, while simultaneously making them more self-sufficient in their homes; meaning that energy saving products are not just beneficial to the environment but also to you.

Here are a list of some of the products sold by Ryness which they recommend to make a difference in your home:

- Electrical energy meter
This modern electronic monitoring system is handy for all households as it gives a read out of electricity consumption and running costs of connected appliances. You can therefore see exactly what you are using as well as what you are spending. It has 8 useful functions to help save electricity and money.

- Solar charger
This handy little device can recharge most mobiles, MP3 players and other devices with just a little bit of sunshine. It can charge itself up in daylight to provide around 2 hours of talk time to a mobile or 6 hours to an ipod. Even better is that this is ideal for outdoor trips such as camping or when you don’t want to miss out on anything.

- TV standby killer
This prevents energy being wasted from standby mode, therefore reducing your electricity bill and even extending the life of your TV, DVD player or freeview box. A TV standby killer also reduces your carbon footprint and there is no installation or set up so it’s easy to use. When you want to start using your appliance again, all you need to do is simply power up the appliance again and you can use it once more.

Ryness Electrical also have a whole range of energy saving light bulbs and battery operated lights as well as an extensive supply of other energy saving products. Nowadays people are a lot more savvy about saving money with the rising costs and the recession making everybody tighten their belts, so there are a multitude of energy saving products out there to help you save more money on household bills and start helping the planet too. For more information on energy saving products and to check out Ryness Electrical, please visit www.ryness.co.uk

Sarah Blackwell, founder of the world renowned Archimedes Training who deliver Forest Schools and Beach Schools training programmes, has launched the Get Children Outdoors! campaign. This aims to rejuvenate children’s education and play by taking them outside and interacting with nature. Studies have shown that getting children doing activities outside can improve their lives in numerous ways. Learning outdoors can not only benefit them at the time but improves their whole school experience. Outdoor learning and activity also helps children develop emotional awareness and development, grow in confidence and boost self-esteem.

Sarah has 28 years of experience working with children outdoors and for the last 10 years has set up and pioneered Archimedes Training which provides training for people wishing to run Forest Schools, Beach Schools and other types of outdoor learning education with children. Archimedes is now the biggest provider of outdoor learning training in the UK and runs courses in many countries all over the world, most recently exporting Bush Schools to Australia.

The Get Children Outdoors! campaign is a new initiative aimed at parents, carers, teachers and policy makers to raise awareness of the benefits of outdoor activities for children. The website http://getchildrenoutdoors.org/ provides resources, ideas, research and encouragement for things to do in nature with children. Sarah is passionate about this message and is taking it to schools, youth groups and educational initiatives. If you would like Sarah to come and speak at your venue you can contact her through the website, email her at sarah@archimedes-training.co.uk or contact her on twitter @SarahBlackwelll. -ENDS-

Notes to the Editor
Archimedes Training
Archimedes Training offers Forest Schools, Beach Schools and Outdoor Learning training to a range of sectors to support the long term development of children and young people, outdoors. The training is an investment in your children for their future and that of the community, economy and environment.
Archimedes offer Training courses that will enable you to develop confidence, inspire and motivate your work with children and young people in an outdoor environment. We provide the following courses to allow you to meet the needs of your setting, your children, and in the long term that of society through outdoor learning provision:
• Introduction to Forest Schools – Level 1
• Assistant Forest Schools Practitioner – Level 2
• Forest Schools Practitioner – Level 3
• Archimedes Forest Schools Trainers Award – Level 4 • Certificate in Outdoor Learning
• Beach Schools Practitioner – Level 3

Sarah Blackwell, founder and CEO
Sarah Blackwell, now 45, left her dysfunctional childhood behind the day after her eighteenth birthday and became a residential social worker for troubled kids in Devon. She quit to travel Europe in a bus where Sarah learnt to juggle, eat fire and met her husband. Sarah worked in a day centre for people with learning difficulties and at an activity centre in the Derbyshire Peaks. Coupled with her second son not being diagnosed autistic for five years, the strain of which caused her marriage to break down, Sarah combined all her experiences to help people turn their lives round using the outdoors. With a First in Countryside Recreation Management from Sheffield Hallam, PGCE in Business Education and a visit to a Forest School in Oxford to inspire her, Sarah set up her own company, Archimedes Training Ltd in 2001, delivering high quality, inspirational training in the field of outdoor learning where children and adults of all ages can develop a variety of life skills: altruism, independence, self awareness and social communication skills, all of which assist individuals to grow in self-esteem and confidence
Archimedes is now the largest provider of Forest School training in the world, offering training and consultancy throughout the UK and Europe, Malaysia, Australia, Portugal, New Zealand. Sarah has a BSc in Countryside Recreation Management, a PGCE and is licensed to teach outdoor education to national qualification level 5 by the Open College Network.
She speaks at national and international conferences on Forest School ethos, children’s development in the outdoors, outdoor learning and now Beach Schools.

She has appeared in the local press and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio and press. Her new series on Forest Schools is running in Nursery World magazine and she has written for Horizons and Living Woods magazines. Internationally, Sarah has written for an Australian early years magazine and commences Forest Schools Training there in November 2011. She is currently writing her first book called “Forest Schools – the essential guide.” Sarah’s full story can be found at http://www.keepyourfork.co.uk/sarah_blackwell

From 18th to 21st April, fifty students from schools in the Somerset region have been learning how to solve some of the challenges facing the low carbon energy industry. Led by educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust and sponsored by EDF Energy, the four-day residential course, which took place at the University of Exeter, introduced students to the challenges that face the modern low carbon energy world and gave them an opportunity to learn more about exciting industrial developments and the latest cutting edge technology.

Working in teams, the 13 and 14 year old students took part in a design-and-make project, led by engineers from EDF Energy, which challenged them to build a cooling system for a nuclear power station. The students also attended a presentation by the engineers, giving them an insight into what a career within the nuclear industry and in particular working for EDF Energy would be like.

As well as working on the design, build and test elements of the projects, they developed life skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, time management, finance and presentation. The social programme included a film night, sports activities and a formal dinner and disco.

David Eccles, Head of EDF Energy’s Bridgwater office, said: “It’s really important for us to make sure that young people in Somerset are aware of the opportunities within the energy industry and have the right skills to make the most of them. Low carbon energy is vital for the future and we are passionate about passing on our knowledge and expertise to the next generation.”

Dr Andrew Cave, Chief Executive of The Smallpeice Trust commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with EDF Energy to run this residential course. Engineers are vital for this sector as the fossil fuels that we all take for granted aren’t going to last forever. This is a very exciting time to be getting into energy and we hope that this course will inspire more young people to consider it as a future career.” All Smallpeice courses are linked to the National Curriculum and are designed to improve core skills such as team building, financial management, communication and problem solving. By attending one of our courses students will gain experience of university and working life that will accelerate their personal development and their potential for greater academic achievement. The Smallpeice Trust Engineering Experience course is part of an ongoing programme of subsidised residential courses to help young people aged 13 to 18 develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing.

Founded by Dr Cosby Smallpeice in 1966, The Trust has grown tremendously over the past 46 years, helping thousands of young people find a successful career in a multitude of disciplines within the industry from engineering materials, marine technology and naval architecture to nanotechnology and structural engineering. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, 18,175 students have attended a Smallpeice activity in the past year.

Bookings are now being taken for summer residential courses including a further Low Carbon Energy Challenge at Newcastle University from 23rd-26th July. Visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk or telephone 01926 333200 for further details. ———— END ————

Notes to editors:

Word Count: 516

About The Smallpeice Trust:

The Smallpeice Trust is an independent charitable trust which promotes engineering as a career, primarily through the provision of residential courses for young people aged 13 to 18.

The Smallpeice Trust was founded in 1966 by Dr Cosby Smallpeice, a pioneering engineer and inventor of the Smallpeice Lathe. Following the stock market flotation of his company Martonair, Dr Smallpeice invested his energy and part of his personal fortune to set up the Trust to ensure that British industry could continuously benefit from his proven design and engineering philosophies: “Simplicity in design, economy in production.” The Trust is now governed by an eminent board of non-executive trustees and members from a diverse range of engineering, industry, educational and professional bodies.

In the past academic year, The Smallpeice Trust has reached out to 18,175 young people through 37 different subsidised 4-day residential courses and 1-day in-school STEM Days. The Smallpeice Trust has also trained 674 teachers to enhance their delivery of STEM in the classroom.

A strong interface is maintained with industry, education and professional bodies that help to support, promote and develop the courses. Through these relationships the Trust is also able to provide a number of tailored or specialised courses.

From 10th to 13th April, one hundred students gathered at the University of Liverpool to attend a specially designed Railway Engineering residential course. Sponsored by the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) and The Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust (The LRET), this course forms part of a major initiative to encourage young people to consider railway engineering as a future career. Cutting across many disciplines, the course explored the design, construction and operation of railways and gives a valuable insight into what our future railways could look like.

Over the four days, the pupils had the opportunity to learn about railway engineering through a series of presentations and practical exercises. Working in teams, they tackled ‘real-life’ challenges on projects designed and facilitated by young engineers from industry. These organisations included Babcock Rail, FirstGroup plc, Network Rail and Transport for London. Projects included designing and building: a train for towing materials; a railway track complete with bends; hills and tunnels and an operational signalling system.

As well as working on the design, build and test elements of the projects, the students developed life skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, time management, finance and presentation. The social programme included a film night, sports activities and a formal dinner and disco.
Michael Franklin, Director of The LRET commented:
“For a second year, The LRET has agreed to support Smallpeice’s railway engineering Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Days and a residential course. The Smallpeice initiatives give young people an understanding of the skills they need to develop to equip them for the new and increasing opportunities that we are seeing in this fast-moving sector.”

Gil Howarth, Chief Executive of NSARE added: “The Railway Engineering industry offers young people great career opportunities. Now more than ever before is an exciting time to join the industry with a huge amount of money and new technology being invested in our railways to ensure they are world class. There are opportunities for young people to join the industry from school as apprentices or graduates with the opportunity to progress in their career development as far as they wish, quite literally as the industry offers career opportunities across the world for those who wish to pursue them. We are delighted to be working with The Smallpeice Trust and The LRET and to raise awareness of the exciting career opportunities Railway Engineering can offer young people.”

Dr Andrew Cave, Chief Executive of The Smallpeice Trust added: “We are most grateful for the support from NSARE and The LRET on this programme. Rail is one of the greenest ways of getting from A to B and massive investment is being injected into our railway infrastructure. Giving young people an opportunity like this to discover for themselves the excitement, challenge and reward of a career in railway engineering is a vital step in encouraging the engineers of tomorrow.” These activities spark an interest in engineering and science, igniting a genuine desire for many to consider careers in these fields. This is particularly encouraging amongst those who have traditionally had limited or no history of engagement with this type of activity. Following the success of the pilot course in 2011 The LRET and NSARE are also sponsoring an advanced Railway Systems Engineering course for 15 to 17 year olds in the summer which will take place at the University of Birmingham.

All Smallpeice courses are linked to the National Curriculum and are designed to improve core skills such as team building, financial management, communication and problem solving. By attending one of our courses students will gain experience of university and working life that will accelerate their personal development and their potential for greater academic achievement. The Smallpeice Trust Engineering Experience course is part of an ongoing programme of subsidised residential courses to help young people aged 13 to 18 develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing.

Founded by Dr Cosby Smallpeice in 1966, The Trust has grown tremendously over the past 46 years, helping thousands of young people find a successful career in a multitude of disciplines within the industry from engineering materials, marine technology and naval architecture to nanotechnology and structural engineering. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, 18,175 students have attended a Smallpeice activity in the past year.

Bookings are now being taken for summer residential courses including another presentation of the Railway Engineering Course at Askham Bryan College, York from 30th July – 2nd August 2012. Visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk or telephone 01926 333200 for further details. ———— END ————

Notes to editors:

Word Count: 749

About The Smallpeice Trust:

The Smallpeice Trust is an independent charitable trust which promotes engineering as a career, primarily through the provision of residential courses for young people aged 13 to 18.

The Smallpeice Trust was founded in 1966 by Dr Cosby Smallpeice, a pioneering engineer and inventor of the Smallpeice Lathe. Following the stock market flotation of his company Martonair, Dr Smallpeice invested his energy and part of his personal fortune to set up the Trust to ensure that British industry could continuously benefit from his proven design and engineering philosophies: “Simplicity in design, economy in production.” The Trust is now governed by an eminent board of non-executive trustees and members from a diverse range of engineering, industry, educational and professional bodies.

In the past academic year, The Smallpeice Trust has reached out to 18,175 young people through 37 different subsidised 4-day residential courses and 1-day in-school STEM Days. The Smallpeice Trust has also trained 674 teachers to enhance their delivery of STEM in the classroom.

A strong interface is maintained with industry, education and professional bodies that help to support, promote and develop the courses. Through these relationships the Trust is also able to provide a number of tailored or specialised courses.

About The National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE):

NSARE has been established by industry employers to meet the growing demand, both in terms of quality and quantity, for railway engineering skills across the UK.

The industry vision is that by 2015 the engineering workforce will have the necessary skills to support the maintenance, development and expansion of a first-class, cost-effective 21st Century railway with every member of the engineering workforce in the railway industry having demonstrable competencies, This will be achieved by working with employers, education and training providers and wider stakeholders to understand the gaps in quantity and quality of railway engineering skills and develop effective sustainable solutions to address these gaps.

NSARE Limited was incorporated in January 2011 as a ‘not for profit’ company limited by guarantee. We ‘opened for business in’ February 2011 and launched our Membership scheme at our first national conference in June 2011; today we have over 150 Member organisations.
For more information about NSARE please go to www.NSARE.org or contact Sue Gill at sue.gill@nsare.org

About The Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust:

The Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust (The LRET) is an independent charity that was established in 2004. Its principal purpose is to support advances in transportation, science, engineering and technology education, training and research worldwide for the benefit of all. It also funds work that enhances the safety of life and property at sea, on land and in the air.

The final week of the Easter term proved to be a successful one for Windermere School. In a busy few days which included home and away sports fixtures, iGCSE exams, International Baccalaureate (IB) presentations and Sport Relief, the pupils and staff of both the Preparatory School and the Senior School came under the close scrutiny of the Independent School Inspectors, with very positive results.

The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is the body approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of inspecting schools belonging to the Independent Schools Council (ISC). The report follows the ISI schedule which occupies a period of four continuous days in the school. The ISI reports on the quality of academic and other achievements; the quality of the pupils’ personal development; the effectiveness of the governance, leadership and management of the school; the quality of the boarding provision; and the effectiveness of the early years foundation provision.

The school sets itself very high standards, seeking excellence in all things, aiming to inspire and challenge its pupils to reach beyond themselves and to leave the school proud of what they’ve achieved. These high standards were noticed by the team of inspectors. Ian Lavender, Headmaster of Windermere School, is understandably happy with the “highly complimentary” reports, proof of the efforts that have gone into the ongoing improvement of the school, while Ben Freeman, Headmaster of the Preparatory School, was justifiably proud of the Report, saying that it “represented four years of innovation, evaluation and improvement”.

The quality of the pupils’ achievements in the Preparatory School was judged as excellent, supported by excellent teaching and the pupils’ exemplary attitude to learning. The school’s teaching methods earned particular praise, described as ‘effective in motivating and enthusing pupils’, while in the Senior School the inspectors commented that the often excellent teaching standards reflect the recent increase in high grades at GCSE and in the IB.

The Report went on to say praise the success of the students outside the classroom, highlighting the pupils’ achievements in various sports and outdoor pursuits, as well as music, drama, dance and art & design. Recent successes include representation at regional level in hockey, cross-country, netball and skiing, as well as very successful examination results in music where many students attain distinction level. These activities, along with the strong emphasis on outdoor pursuits such as watersports, navigation and mountain leadership, are cited as key to the pupils’ personal development, helping them develop individual confidence, team skills and respect for their peers.

The reports found that quality of the governance of the school was excellent, with the governing body providing outstanding support, challenge and stimulus for the growth and improvement of the school. The leadership of the school was also found to be excellent, delivering clear educational direction across the school, ensuring the quality of the pupils’ education and of their personal development.

The Report also made mention of the relationship between parents and staff. Parents are pleased with the opportunities they are given to become involved in the life of the school, adding that staff are easy to contact and that they receive regular updates from the school relating to their child’s progress. Other areas picked out by the Report for special praise are the boarding provision and the effectiveness of the early years foundation stage (EYFS). The EYFS was judged to be outstanding, with the indoor and outdoor environments used to their full potential ensuring they become true extensions to the classrooms. The boarding provision also was judged to be excellent, the rapport between boarders and staff drawing particular praise. The Reports for the Preparatory School and the Senior School can be found on the Windermere School website – www.windermereschool.co.uk/news.cfm

Notes to editors:

Windermere School is the only independent school in the Lake District National Park. For boys and girls aged 2 – 18, with boarding options from 8, the school has 100 acres of woodland spread over 2 campuses, as well as its own Royal Yachting Association lakeside watersports centre.

For further information contact Windermere School
Patterdale Road, Windermere
The Lake District LA23 1NW
United Kingdom

+44 (0) 15394 46164

For further information on Windermere School please visit
www.windermereschool.co.uk

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