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Friday 28 Jun 2019

York primary school pupils come out top in railway competition

Region & Route:

Eastern

Four students from Osbaldwick Primary Academy have come out top in a railway competition which encourages children to get involved in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) activities.

The competition was jointly run by Network Rail, Northern, TransPennine Express and the Department for Transport and saw primary schools along the Transpennine corridor invited to design a sustainable station.

Over thirty entries were received, with the top five entries invited to attend a workshop at Eureka! The National Children’s Museum in Halifax earlier this month. Luca, Brandon, Will and Joe from Osbaldwick Primary Academy impressed the judges with their station, which included recycling facilities, renewable technology, green space, rain water harvesting and a cycle hub.

As winners, each member of the group won a family ticket to Eureka, including free train travel.

Rail Minister, Andrew Jones, said: "It is fantastic to see the imaginative minds of young people come up with some exciting and innovative designs for this competition.

“This goes to show that as adults we don’t know it all and that the younger generation can help make our railways greener and more sustainable for their future.”

David Lawrance, Head of Engineering for Northern Programmes at Network Rail, was a judge at the event. He said: “This is a fantastic initiative by the rail industry to encourage more children to take part in STEM activities. The children who took part said that they really enjoyed the day and I hope that we see them designing the railway in the future.”

David Gray, Head of Energy and Environment for Northern and judge at the event, said: “This initiative brings STEM alive. We hope it inspires the next generation to see what exciting opportunities there are in particular within the rail industry.”

Lucja Majewski, Regional Development Manager for TransPennine Express commented: “We are delighted to have been involved with this initiative and really impressed with all of the brilliant entries.  

“It’s so important that we encourage more children to consider STEM subjects and inspire them to consider a career in the rail industry in the future.”

Richard Ludlow, chief executive of Ebor Academy Trust, of which Osbaldwick is a part, said: "Our schools are always keen to get involved in their own communities and we are thrilled that Osbaldwick Primary Academy children have risen to the railway competition challenge – York's railway heritage is to be celebrated and we are pleased to be able to play a small part in helping develop its future."

The competition is set to be rolled out again across schools across the Transpennine region from September 2019.

ENDS