COVER STORY
initiative ‘If You Were An Engineer, What Would You Do?’, which is also run by Primary Engineer. This programme challenges children to find solutions to everyday engineering problems. Each pupil presents their suggestions in a letter to an engineer. Letters are judged, and the finalists attend an event at a local university. ‘One of our pupils was invited to have their idea made into a prototype – something that was exciting for the school but also for them and their family,’ says Ryan. He goes on to explain that
teachers’ skills and resources. As part of these initiatives, they invested in training and materials, including Kapla, a construction kit made from wooden planks that can be stacked together to create structures. ‘We now run a Kapla Engineering
Club, where children invent and experiment with different structures. They complete challenges such as building the tallest tower or creating a structure that can withstand a certain weight,’ says Ryan. ‘Every year, we also run our Rail
Club, funded by the Primary Engineer Rail Project, which provides staff training, resources and materials. As part of the club, our school was also connected to Porterbrook, a company that leases rail stock and has a site nearby. The children are asked to construct electronic locomotives that undergo a series of tests. At the end of the project, they can go along to a joint celebration event with other schools. We pair up some of our older pupils with those from lower key stage 2 to give them the experience of working with new people, working as a team and supporting each other.’
Our pupils love to hear what these speakers were
interested in when they were young
Additionally, the school
encourages parents to get involved and work with their children. ‘We often have mums and dads working in STEM careers who can look at the wiring or the placement of the wheels on the locomotives and help their children overcome some of the problems they are facing.’ ‘The final club we run is the
GraviTrax club,’ explains Ryan. GraviTrax is essentially a marble run kit, and at this club, children must work out how to move a marble from one spot on the board to another. A few years ago, the school was fortunate to obtain the GraviTrax kits through free funding. To help address inclusion, St Margaret’s takes part in the
major businesses in the area often direct their funding to communities experiencing higher levels of deprivation. As a result, St Margaret’s often opts for national initiatives, and staff are always on the lookout for the best options. To help with transport, another significant expense, the school utilises a subsidised scheme called the Community Minibus, meaning they can organise visits to science and technology centres, and cover costs for events such as the Rail Club celebration. Ryan emphasises the importance
of inviting a diverse range of people into the school to help pupils see themselves in STEM roles. ‘We hear from women and people from diverse cultures who come here to share their experiences – talking about what they do now as well as how they got there. Our pupils love to hear what these speakers were interested in when they were young, what they were good at and what they weren’t good at. When they realise there are so many different avenues they can go down, they find that quite open and freeing.’ ‘If you look at where the world
is heading, the importance of STEM is obvious,’ says Tej. ‘Given how quickly things are changing, prioritising science, technology, engineering and maths in a practical way is no longer just an option. It’s survival.’
18 SPRING 2026 School Fundraising
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