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Rockingham 2008 Overview | |
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Overview
What is the Rockingham Festival?
Rockingham Festival is the Learning Grid’s annual three day celebration of science, maths and engineering.
Now in its second year, Rockingham Festival gives young people from 8 to 16 the chance to try hands-on activities and be inspired by real-life opportunities in science and engineering.
Teachers are invited to bring a class or a whole year group for a day out that combines learning and entertaining through a variety of workshops, shows and race events.
In 2007, over 2,100 pupils and 241 teachers from 54 schools across the UK came to the Festival. 97% of teachers agreed that the activities offered curriculum enrichment opportunities that were relevant to their pupils and 92% said they would like to get their school involved next year.
What will my pupils do?
Each school receives an individually tailored activity programme for their visit, for a half to a full day depending on your requirements. The programme will include a selection of the activities on offer, based on availability and pupil ages. Please see opposite for a selection or visit our website for the full list.
Activity programmes are designed to balance hands-on workshop activities with entertainment, including free-time to watch Learning Grid Quality Standard competitions taking place on, and around the track.
The programme also provides an opportunity for teachers to assess the suitability of Quality Standard activities on show for use in their own school and meet people who are already involved.
Teachers are assigned a mentor, an undergraduate or young graduate engineer, to guide their group around the site (including controlled areas such as the pit garages) and make sure the day runs smoothly.
Curriculum links
All of the activities are relevant to the curriculum, in particular physics, design and technology, maths and citizenship. The Youth Engineering Show, for example, gives pupils an overview of the wide range of career opportunities from science and engineering and the implications of engineering and technology in areas such as energy, robotics and computer games.
More intensive half-day educational programmes are also available: Primary Engineer and Imagineering Clubs for Key Stage 2, the Trebuchet Challenge from the Smallpeice Trust for Key Stage 3.
Pupils will also be able to meet apprentices and recent graduates working at companies such as MBDA, Bentley and Jaguar Land Rover. They will have the chance to hear, first-hand, what opportunities are available and what working as an engineer is really like.
How will they find their way around?
Each pre-booked group will be assigned a mentor (typically an undergraduate or young graduate engineer) who will make sure the day passes smoothly and will guide the group around controlled areas such as the pit garages.
How much does it cost?
Entry is free and so are all the activities except for Maths Inspiration, which costs £2 per pupil. Visitors are welcome to bring a packed lunch or purchase food on-site; drinking water will be provided free.
