SATRO recognises Willmott Dixon’s work to inspire young Surrey people

Weeks after getting a Royal nod for its community work, the team at Willmott Dixon’s Cobham office has now been recognised by Surrey social enterprise, SATRO, for its continued commitment to inspire young people across the county.

April saw Willmott Dixon win a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of sustainable development with judges praising the £1 million of investment in local communities, which included the work with SATRO.

 

Now the Cobham office have received praise from SATRO after 37 staff clocked up an impressive 400 hours of support to SATRO’s programme over the past two years, reaching over 7500 young people to help inspire and enthuse them about the world of work.

Willmott Dixon’s work with the programme ranges from attendance at events to mentoring young people about employment opportunities within the construction industry.

SATRO is an educational charity working across schools and colleges in Surrey and the borders. It aims to inspire and enthuse young people aged 5-19 about the world of work through a volunteer programme which involves over 850 volunteers.

Gordon Bell is one of the Willmott Dixon volunteers who has been working with the programme this year and said: “Young people are vital in the future of the local economy and working with SATRO is one way in which we can inspire them.

“The work that Willmott Dixon undertakes out of the Cobham office involves construction across the south east of England however the range of roles that our work involves are wide and varied. All are vital in the smooth running of the business. Giving volunteer support to SATRO enables us to not only inspire young people but also allow us to capture the minds of individuals so that we can hopefully attract future talent into the industry.”

Dr Beccy Bowden, CEO of SATRO said: “I am thrilled that thanks to the fantastic support of companies like Willmott Dixon we are still very much alive and well and working to inspire young people about their future careers. Willmott Dixon is a great company to partner with – their work really resonates in particular with our fleet of mobile classrooms which is training young people in construction skills and giving future career opportunities to many young people at a time when they really need help to get a step up.”

 

Willmott Dixon Construction delivers award-winning projects across the education, health, leisure, workplace and retail sectors. The company works on public and private sector developments on behalf of national Government frameworks, local authorities and private organisations.

Willmott Dixon Group is one of the UK’s largest privately-owned construction, regeneration and support services companies.

With 160 years of experience, the company provides services within the built environment to Government, registered social landlords, local authorities and private sector clients throughout the UK.

PUPILS CAPTIVATED WITH LEGO WORKSHOP @ ST PETERS

On Wednesday 21^st May, 120 pupils from St Peter’s Primary School in Farnham received our newly introduced, innovative programme that is the LEGOWeDo workshop. Pupils worked in pairs to design, engineer and programme robots using LEGO bricks, a computer, a motor and other special elements. Pupils learnt to incorporate tilt and motion sensors into their designs. They then tested their initial designs and programming; after reflecting on what did or did not work, the pupils learnt to consult with peers, adapt their programming, and adjust their designs. One pupil said,

 “It makes me wonder what other things I haven’t learnt yet.”

another commented,

 “It has helped me to find a fun way of understanding how science works. I really liked it!” 

SATRO BRING THE BUSINESS TO NEW MONUMENT

 30 Year 6 children from New Monument Primary School in Woking took part in a SATRO Junior Business Game on Wednesday 21st May.  

The basic premise of the game is that the children are stationery companies for the day, manufacturing bookmarks, which they have to then sell to a discerning panel of buyers.  They have to choose roles, decide on a company name and logo, manage their finances and negotiate orders for their companies whilst trying to learn to work with new people and meet various deadlines.  Each team has a business person acting as a facilitator to guide, support and encourage them throughout the day.

Judging from the pupil's feedback, they had a superb day which definitely opened their eyes to the world of business.  Here are a couple of comments about what they learned...

"I learnt that working in a business is extremely hard and you have to deal with a lot of money. We should appreciate what we have been given in this world."

"I learnt how to be a quality assurance manager and how to work really well in a team."

DANESFIELD MANOR TAKE A TURN IN GLOBAL TRADING

30 Year 5 & 6 pupils from The Danesfield Manor School had a harsh lesson on 19^th May, quickly realising that global trading is deeply unfair!

The children were broken down into 6 groups of three different countries representing rich/emerging & poor countries of the world and tried to generate wealth for their ‘countries’ by making paper shapes which had a currency they could then bank. The poor countries had lots of raw materials (paper) but no technology and the rich countries had all the technology but limited raw materials. The rich countries quickly began manufacturing but were unwilling to trade their technology for the raw materials they needed thereby ensuring the poor countries remained poor. 

The workshop evoked some wonderful thinking and comments from the pupils...

"I learnt that not all countries in the world are as fortunate as us - they have the resources but not the technology.” 

and,

"I learned how chocolate was made! More importantly I found out how unfair life is for some and that one in seven people go to bed hungry, it's shocking. It makes me want to god MAD but unfortunately I am just one small boy in a big world. But it has made me understand how cruel the world is for some." 

A debrief following the game highlighted the plight of the cocoa farmers in Ghana and the fact that out of a £1 bar of chocolate, the farmers only receive 7p, with the rest going to the two Governments in tax, the manufacturers, and the retailers which the children thought was deeply unfair. 

A powerful and thought provoking game for all concerned. 

BLOSSOMING SCIENTISTS AT BUCKLAND PRIMARY

Last week, Buckland Primary School in Staines saw our faithful Associate, Peter and a band of volunteers deliver two of our exciting Discovery Science Workshops. A total of 120 pupils took part. Year 2's learnt about gravity and forces in a fun and practical way, utilising the making of parachutes and dropping eggs! Meanwhile, the pupils in Year 6 became Circuit Detectives for the day. This workshop requires the children to inspect various circuits and find the faults. They consolidated new knowledge in a fun way whilst building on team-working skills. One pupil said, 

“It has made me feel more confident about science and how circuits work.”

another commented, 

“It made circuits much more fun. I thought it was going to be boring but I actually really enjoyed it!”

MAKING AN IMPRESSION IN OAKFIELD

Another Rocks and Soils workshop was held this week in Oakfield School, Leatherhead.  Led by SATRO’s professional geologist, participants had a hands-on opportunity to investigate rock specimens and even had an opportunity to make impressions of some fossils. Simple experiments were conducted to identify different mineral samples and an introduction to soils enabled the pupils to have an understanding of their geological environment. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. This workshop was kindly sponsored by the GeoScience Department at ExxonMobil.

TENACIOUS TEACHING AT TILLINGBOURNE JUNIOR

Today, SATRO's devoted associate, Peter, attended Tillingbourne Junior School in Chilworth. He was joined by 3 of our ever faithful volunteers. At the school, they were met by 120 year 4 & 5 pupils who participated in two of our Discovery Science Workshops. Year 4 faced our K'Nex Structures Challenge in which they had to build and create towers using K’nex and their engineering knowledge in a time limit of 50 minutes. Meanwhile, Year 5 pulled out their deerstalker hats when they became Circuit Detectives for the day. This workshop requires the children to inspect various circuits and find the faults. They consolidated new knowledge in a fun way whilst building on team-working skills. The two workshops, designed to inspire young people about the fun of science and encourage them to continue their science-related studies into secondary school and beyond, were well received by both pupils and teachers.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE WITH LEGOWEDO

On 21st May, 80 pupils from St Peter's Primary School in Farnham received our newly introduced, innovative programme that is the LEGOWeDo workshop. Pupils worked in pairs to design, engineer and programme robots using LEGO bricks, a computer, a motor and other special elements. Pupils learnt to incorporate tilt and motion sensors into their designs. They then tested their initial designs and programming; after reflecting on what did or did not work, the pupils learnt to consult with peers, adapt their programming, and adjust their designs. 

One pupil said "It has helped me find a fun way to learn how science works! I really liked it."

 While another commented, "It makes me wonder what other things I haven't learnt yet."

 The teachers were just as excited, with one commenting, "Great activities; I am going home to get my own Lego out!"

JUNIOR MATHEMATICIANS FIGURE IT OUT

Yesterday, one of SATRO's dedicated associates headed to Southfield Park Primary School in Epsom, to deliver our frenetic Fun Maths workshop. Over the day, an impressive total of 225 pupils from years 3, 4 5 & 6 took part. Working in pairs or three's, the pupils were presented with a range of mathematical puzzles to solve within a time limit.  The variety and graded levels of the puzzles enabled pupils of all abilities to participate. 

The teachers were equally impressed with the new skills learnt by their pupils: teamwork, co-operation, perseverance, problem-solving, following instructions and reading a question carefully!

BOOMING BUSINESS AT ST BARTHOLOMEW'S

On Tuesday 20th May, another faithful band of SATRO Volunteers headed over to St Bartholomew's Primary School in Haslemere. Our volunteers were also joined by numerous parents of the pupils. 60 Year 6 pupils participated in another of SATRO's Junior Business Games. They were divided into mixed ability and friendship groups to emulate the real working world.

Judging from the pupil's feedback, they had a superb day which definitely opened their eyes to the world of business. And, how important teamwork and communication are in an effective organisation...

"I learnt about all the jobs in a company. I also learnt that I have the gift of haggling!"

"I learnt that working with people you don't usually work with helps because they all have different ideas that you can use. I have also learnt that jobs are hard to do."

GOAL MAPPING MADE EASY!

This week 40 students from @stmarks_academy in Mitcham took part in SATRO i-Map session.  The workshop is designed to inspire students to become more motivated and positive about their futures.  Judging from the feedback, it did just that with students remarking...

"I know anything is possible if you believe it can happen."

"If you visualize you doing what you want to do you will achieve it." 

"I'm not going to take the time I have for granted anymore, I am going to do more with my life." 

TAKING THE LEAD IN LEARNING WITH LEGO

On Friday 9th April, 30 pupils from St Bartholomew's Primary School in Haslemere received our newly introduced, innovative programme that is the LEGOWeDo workshop. Pupils worked in pairs to design, engineer and programme robots using LEGO bricks, a computer, a motor and other special elements. Pupils learnt to incorporate tilt and motion sensors into their designs. They then tested their initial designs and programming; after reflecting on what did or did not work, the pupils learnt to consult with peers, adapt their programming, and adjust their designs. One pupil said "It has made me feel so glad and lucky to be in an amazing school that lets us do these activities. Science is an incredible subject and I really enjoy it." While another commented, "It has made me think more about being a scientist or engineer! I would liek to get one of the kits."

Inspiring 'Cake Science' at The Next Big Thing!

I've just come back from attending the Key Stage 3/4 Final of Satro and Siemens' Next big Thing Challenge - as one of the judges from Siemens put it 'what a fantastic way to spend a Friday'!

Teams of students from schools all over the area took part in the competition, in which they work with volunteers from Siemens to design the next big product for this world-leading science and engineering company. We heard a wonderful range of presentations for products ranging from health-monitoring wrist-bands, to energy generating devices for fixing to waste water pipes. The presentations were amazing - one teacher was seen to shed a tear of pride [don't worry, Sir, your secret is safe with us!]).

The winning team came from Gordons school (@GordonsSchDev) with an innovative design for artificial photosynthesis - backed up by the amazing use of a chocolate layer cake to demonstrate the workings of their device. Cake Science - genius!

I'm delighted too that all the participants taking part have become Industrial Cadets (@IndustrialCadet) thanks to our partnership with the super EDT (www.etrust.org.uk). 

If only every Friday was so good! Watch out on 13th June for the judging of the
Key Stage 5 teams - should be another fantastic event.

A DAY AT THE RACES

On Tuesday 29th April I attended a Numeracy Day at Lingfield Park Race Course along with circa 20 students from local secondary schools. When I arrived I was warmly welcomed by Ollie McPhail, a retired jockey, who was to be delivering the day’s activities to the students accompanied by his amiable colleague Rob, also a retired jockey.

As the students arrived, there was an enthusiastic buzz of excitement amongst them as it soon became apparent that many of the students had never attended a race course before. Before the activities commenced, the students were given their own jockey silks to wear for the duration of the day (including myself!), which I believe positively contributed to the excitement of the students. The children were split into two groups and headed off; each led by one of the retired jockeys, to different parts of the race course. I followed Ollie, who led me and the students towards the weighing room. Here he taught us about the process that the jockeys undertake as they arrive at the course for their race. The students were taught about the differences between the metric and imperial systems, and also successfully had a go at guessing their own weights before hopping onto the scales. After checking that there were no jockeys around, Ollie proceeded to show us into the jockeys changing rooms where he taught us about the sauna and the science behind the jockeys use of this room to lose the necessary weight before commencing their race. The students were eager to get in the sauna and try it out for themselves!

Throughout the duration of the day, the students and indeed I learnt lots of new facts about a range of aspects of the race course, from the geometry in the construction of fences to the symmetry used in jockey silks. As the day drew to a close, there was one last activity the children had waited all day for… which was watching the horses’ race of course! The children anxiously stood at the side lines shouting and cheering for their favourite horse as they belted across the finish line. The favourite to win, a horse called ‘Little Big Man’ came away with first place. As the horse’s owner stepped up to receive his winner’s trophy, to their surprise, the children were invited up onto the presentation stand, where one student handed the owner his trophy!

The days programme offered us a unique insight to what happens behind the scenes of the racecourse which made the learning experience ever more exciting and engaging for the children. Very few other settings would have the ability to apply the students’ learning of the national curriculum to a real life situation. The programme appeared to inspire much interest into the sport of horse racing and opened up the children’s minds to possible career opportunities within the industry. One student came away aspiring to become a jockey! I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the racecourse and would strongly recommend the programme to any school!

BRIDGE BRIGADE BUILDS CONFIDENCE

Another band of SATRO's volunteers headed off to St Dunstan's Junior School in Woking where we held a Mega-Structures Challenge on 29th April in which their Year 6 pupils were tested on their engineering skills. 60 pupils took part in The Bridge Building Challenge. The day involved using design and build techniques, combined with team-work, to create a bridge structure entirely of rolled paper held together with nuts and bolts. They then tested the strength of the structure by hanging weights from the bridge.

One pupil said,“We all worked together to create a structure. I think engineering is really fun and a good skill to have.”

Another pupil said,“This activity helped me understand why triangles are important in bridges. I now understand why forces are important in building and structuring.”

INSPIRING STUDENTS IN ENGINEERING

Visiting engineer ‘adds value’ to mobile sessions – students learn about career routes.

Joe Wu, Assistant Engineer at building services engineers Gratte Brothers, joined SATRO's construction mobile sessions at Richard Challoner School and Blenheim High School on Thursday 1 May. SATRO arrange these visits which ‘add value’ to the mobiles programme through our extensive industry links.

Joe said he had “a great day” and wants to do it again. The students said meeting Joe was “inspiring” and “so helpful” – one lad making an extra special effort to attend. The schools were delighted, as arranging relevant and engaging ‘careers’ visitors can be a challenge. So three successful outcomes and satisfaction all round!

TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY - 1ST MAY - THE INVENTIONS OF WILLIAM B. PURVIS

Today in 1894, African American inventor, William B. Purvis patented an ‘Electric Railway’. This was just one of several patents obtained in his life. In 1890 he also patented the fountain pen. Purvis’ pen was the first of its kind. This invention made it possible to eliminate the need to carry around a bottle of ink, in that it provided a reservoir to hold ink inside the pen. His biography shows that he spent 40 years from 1884-1897 inventing and patenting things such as bag machines, hand stamps and a bag fastener.