Case studies

St Saviour's and St Olave's School for Girls became an LEP school in April 2007 and since then has been involved in virtually every LEP event organised. With support from the LEP, the school also runs a very successful after school Engineering Club with regular weekly meetings.

Year 9 members of the Engineering Club, Masabie Cassell; Amisha Patel; Jemma O'Sullivan and Holly Mason, have taken part in competitions and challenges run through the LEP. They said, “During our club sessions we have been working through the club activities booklet doing activities like 'Marble Run' and 'Elastic Band Buggies'. We have also built aircrafts for the Airbus Project Eggs Factor challenge. At the moment we are working on our Greenpower car and our club represented London at the national Young Engineers Awards. All the activities we have been able to do with the LEP have definitely made us consider being engineers in the future.”

Little Ilford School, Newham has been involved in the majority of activities offered by the LEP both in school and externally including the Engineering Islam event, the IStructE Challenge, the Trebuchet Challenge STEM days and Year 7 taster days and the LEP residential courses have been incorporated into the school's science teaching programme.

Year 10 student, Masum Hussain, says, “During my time on the residential course, I made new friends and also learnt a great deal. I hope to attend many more in the future!”

Abu Bakar, a Year 10 student who recently attended an electronics STEM day at LSBU says, “The visit to London South Bank University was an adventure. I admired the way the lecturers teach over there, and the way they help the students with their projects. This type of educational visit is very beneficial for young students and for young, aspiring engineers who want to become a successful engineer in the future.”

Find out more about LEP activities in the Resources section.

Head of Design and Technology at Central Foundation Girls' School in Bow ,Colin O'Donnell, has taken Year 9 on LEP STEM days and Year 10 Resistant Materials classes to the LEP residential course at Harper Adams University.

Colin says, “In school, my subject has progressed rapidly. Within the last two years we have begun running two optional classes of Resistant Materials at Key Stage 4 and plan to set up a post-16 option in 2009-2010. The girls have thoroughly enjoyed their LEP involvement which has aided and reinforced the popularity of Resistant Materials and given them an understanding of the role they could play in the future of engineering.”

Find out more about STEM days and LEP residential courses in the Teachers section.

Oliver Goldsmith Primary School, Southwark has been involved with the LEP since its inception two years ago.The school's Science Coordinator, Hedney Gordon,  who runs the after school club for Year 6 pupils says, “I have found running the club really beneficial for honing my own skills as Science Coordinator. We have 36 children coming to the after-school club, and even some of the Year 7s who attended last year's club are coming back to help out. The club has been so -popular that I would like to introduce activities for Years 4 and 5 too.”

Find out more about running a club in your primary school in the Teachers section.