PRIMARY school pupils impressed lecturers and engineering students at one of the world’s most prestigious universities with their futuristic visions of school buildings in 50 years' time.
The students from West Cumbria presented their creative designs to the University of Oxford during a recent visit organised as part of The React Foundation’s Schools of the Future programme.
The React Foundation, born out of Cleator Moor-based React Engineering, ran weekly after-school sessions with Year 5 and 6 pupils at St Patrick’s and Montreal CofE, both in Cleator Moor, and St Joseph’s, in Frizington.
The project challenged the students to design and manufacture a prototype of how they envisage what their school will look like in 50 years’ time.
At the end of the 12-week programme, the pupils headed to Jesus and Queen’s College at the university for a two-night stay in dormitories, culminating with a presentation of their work.
Dr Matthew Williams, of Jesus College, said: “It was our immense pleasure hosting three Cumbrian schools in Oxford, and the children from St Joseph’s, St Patrick’s and Montreal were a delight throughout their visit.
“We were blown away by the questions they came up with, their endless energy and the fantastic ideas they had for the future of education. We look forward to them applying to Oxford University one day soon.”
One pupil from St Patrick’s, said: “I learned about how amazing we all are - we had a lecture about humans and our brains, and how powerful they are. My favourite part of the trip was the chemistry activity because I love science, and it was really interesting.”
"I was very proud as the graduates were really interested in our project and impressed with our ideas," said a pupil from St Joseph's.
Annette Savage, the headteacher at St Joseph’s, said: “This has been a once in a lifetime opportunity which has raised aspirations for all involved, and the children thoroughly enjoyed the whole project from brainstorming their ideas of their futuristic schools to making their models and then developing their speaking and listening skills to a standard where they confidently presented at the prestigious Oxford University.
"I cannot thank The React Foundation enough for giving our children such a brilliant opportunity to see a beautiful city they had never visited before and allowing them to be submerged in university life and inspiring them to set high goals for their own future," she said.
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