Skipton Girls’ High School chosen for national science project

The school will be one of just 16 across the country taking part in the scheme, aimed at encouraging year ten girls into science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

The Girls Engineering the Future project is being run by The Smallpiece Trust and The Outward Bound Trust with the support of engineering partners, BAE Systems, Bentley Motors, Network Rail and Rolls-Royce.

Dr Kevin Stenson, chief executive of The Smallpeice Trust, said: “With the continual concern about the low number of female students studying STEM subjects up to and beyond A-Level, this project aims to encourage and educate our future female talent into engineering.

“Each of the four elements of this project have been created and designed to engage, encourage and excite students about the key role and contribution that women can make in business innovation, design and problem solving.”

Fifty students from the school are due to take part in a STEM induction day at the school later this month.

Teams of students will be set a creative challenge of building a new-generation loud speaker to use with a mobile phone or MP3 player. Once built, each team will work on a name, strapline and logo for their company and develop reasons why their design is the best.

Afterwards, students can opt to go forward to take part in a STEM Club, which will run over ten consecutive weeks where they will work in teams on a project created to enhance their understanding of engineering.

The leading students will then get the chance to attend a residential outdoor experimental learning course run by The Outward Bound Trust.

Natalie Harling, head of education at The Outward Bound Trust, said: “We’ll be enabling female students to realise their true potential and equipping them with key skills needed to achieve in this typically male-dominated sector.

In the second year, the students will learn skills to prepare them for future employment.