Inspirational speaker assembly at Bishop David Brown School, Woking

Invest in Your Success is all about inspiring young people about their futures and, in particular, getting them to think about opportunities they wouldn’t considered.  On 24^th November 2011, SATRO organised inspirational speakers Estelle Hughes and Saffron da Silva to talk to 100 year 9 students at Bishop David Brown School.

Estelle, Managing Director at 3Line Media, showed some great clips demonstrating how she put together her TV programme; from how they design the characters to developing story lines and also how 3Line Media produces the animation .

Saffron, Head of News at Eagle Radio, stood and chatted to the students with no props and engaged them by asking questions to discover if they knew what path they wanted to take.  She also shared with the students how she was nervous and uncertain of her career at their age.

Both speakers were absolutely fantastic and kept over 100 year 9’s interested and quiet the whole time, no easy feat! Even the staff at the school were extremely impressed. Sean Furness, a new member of staff at Bishop David Brown School, said “It was my first experience of the work SATRO do in schools and the impact they can have - I'm now very much looking forward to the Soap Challenge”.

SIEMENS “The Next Big Thing” Challenge

 SATRO are delighted to announce that SIEMENS have once again agreed to sponsor “The Next Big Thing” Challenge for 2012.

This year’s challenge is aimed at KS4 and KS5 students in teams of between 4 and 8 to develop an idea for a product or service that they believe will be the next big thing in one of the four Siemens business areas:

·         Industry

·         Energy

·         Healthcare

·         Consumer products

The Challenge has been set with the aims of helping students:

•             Be more likely to consider studying STEM and to enter careers in these sectors as a result of their participation

•             Be more aware of the working world and the opportunities & skills needed by Siemens as a result of participation

•             Have a greater understanding of the application of STEM to real problems.

The Challenge is limited to 12 teams drawn from across Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire.

·         Project ‘Kick-off’  on 13th January 2012

·         Judging at Siemens on 10th May 2012

All participating teams will also be automatically entered to exhibit their entry at the SATRO Festival of Science and Engineering at Brooklands Museum on the 6th June 2012

Contact mike@satro.org.uk as soon as possible if you are interested in entering a team this year

GLOBAL TRADING AT WARREN MEAD JUNIOR SCHOOL

75 Year 5s took part in a Global Trading Game run by SATRO on Wednesday 9^th November 2011 at Warren Mead Junior School, Banstead.  The pupils divided into teams of ‘countries’ - some rich, some poor – and gained knowledge about trading and diversities of wealth between countries.  Some interesting and valuable lessons they learnt were reflected in their feedback:

What they learnt…

“I learnt that lots of people go to bed hungry.”

“I learnt that we are a rich country and we are very lucky to have food and water.”

“I learnt that working with a team is better than working on your own because you have your friends to cheer you on.”

What they enjoyed…

“Making money, teamwork, trading and having fun.”

“I really thought about other countries and how they do not have technology like us and I learnt a lot about global trading, I really enjoyed it!

NUFFIELD BURSARY CELEBRATION

Tuesday 8th November 2011 at Esher College saw the fantastically successful conclusion to this years’ Surrey Nuffield Science Bursaries. SATRO organise 40+ placements on behalf of the Nuffield Foundation each summer for Year 12 students from Surrey schools with projects ranging from wildlife studies to medical research projects - all in real research and working environments.

The students had the opportunity to display and talk about their work with schools, providers and VIP guests including Professor Michael Joy, High Sheriff and TV’s Jon Tickle, SATRO patron. All students received Nuffield and Gold CREST certificates , with Charlotte Burton (above with Prof Joy) of Lady Eleanor Holles School receiving the Exceptional Achievement Award for her work on Tissue Growth in Mice Mandibles at Kings College Dental School. SATRO, with its education and business links, brought together students, parents, teachers and hosts for presentation evening. Record numbers of schools attended with prospective students and 2012 promises to be even more exciting!

GLOBAL TRADING AT BARNSBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL

A group of 10 and 11 year olds took part in a SATRO Global Trading Game on Thursday 3^rd November 2011 at Barnsbury Primary School, Woking.  One of the objectives of the Game is to teach young children diversity of wealth in countries and link it to the real business world of trading.  The pupils learnt some powerful lessons, as these feedback comments attest to:

What they enjoyed:        “The way that it was a game, but it made you aware of the people around you and how much they struggled to live.”     

What they learned:         “It shocked me that people go to bed hungry.” 

“I learned that I will not chuck food away.”  

“That not all countries have a lot of stuff to really keep them alive.”

How to become an Apprentice

On Monday 31^st October, SATRO arranged for Kevin Cowan from ATL, the leading training provider of building services training, to speak to our Year 11 Construction Bus class at Oxted School, Surrey.

The school  told us “The talk he gave made a real impact and engagement from the kids was fantastic!”, “Happy for many more of this type of provider to come and talk to the kids”,  and “We will soon be arranging a visit to ATL to show the kids how it all works”.

The Construction Bus visits Oxted School every Monday and Tuesday.