Kingsbury Green Academy pupils have been put to the test by the REME Museum to design and build a model vehicle, strong enough to tow an egg, but smooth enough not to break it.
60 Year 8 pupils took part in a special workshop held by staff from the REME Museum in Lyneham near Chippenham to test their skills as future engineers. The REME Museum tells the story of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, the corps that provides engineering support to the British Army.
Working in small groups, pupils were challenged to use Lego engineering kits to design a geared vehicle. This vehicle would then need to tow a trailer containing an egg, which must not be lost or damaged during transit.
Pupils had to apply their mathematical skills in a real-world context by testing their vehicle along a short track and then calculate its speed, plotting a graph to represent the journey and using all of this information to make predictions for their vehicle when tackling a longer track with added obstacles.
Heidi Nevison, Co-director of mathematics at Kingsbury Green Academy, explained, “This was a great opportunity for our pupils to put their learning to use through real-world problem solving as well as find out more about engineering.
“The day gave our students lots to think about and the chance to practice and develop skills that will not only help them in their school life but are also useful to every aspect of life. Skills such as teamwork, problem solving and creativity skills, as well as staying positive when test runs did not go as expected, were all employed!
“It also showed our pupils what it would be like if they pursued a career as an engineer, and gave them first-hand experience of the sort of activities and challenges they could face.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to the REME Museum for providing this opportunity and to our students for engaging so positively in the day.”
Kingsbury Green Academy is part of the Ascend Learning Trust. For more information, visit www.kingsburygreenacademy.com