Outwood Academy Freeston

Here is a case study we received from Sarah Pearce, the Big Ideas programme lead teacher at Outwood Academy Freeston, Wakefield, which participated in the programme in 2019/20:

Outwood Academy Freeston joined the Solutions for the Planet Big Ideas programme this year because it was a STEM activity that we knew our pupils cared a lot about. It was also an opportunity for pupils to find out more about STEM careers. On the Big Ideas Day there were lots of engaging activities that our pupils enjoyed and learnt a lot about the environment and key sustainability issues
affecting our planet. Pupils discovered that it is down to them to save our planet. This realisation led to an amazing variety of excellent Big Ideas such as a ship that recycles oil spillages, an eco-friendly drone that plants trees and an Eco-Bike that can recharge your phone and laptop through your kinetic energy. Our pupils learnt through teamwork and collaboration that together they can create incredible ideas to make the world a better place. They also gained key employability skills as a result of the experience.

Our presenter Claire Fitton was outstanding and had an amazing rapport with pupils and staff. She encouraged our pupils throughout the day and so many of them presented their Big Ideas to the rest of their year group at the end of the session. We were also joined by fantastic industrial mentors from Kongsberg Automotive, a business local to the school. Claire and the team from Kongsberg Automotive continued to support our pupils at an after-school enrichment club. Kongsberg continued to support our whole school during careers week and are also planning to support year 10 mock interviews.

The highlight of the whole experience for me has been to see how our pupils have grown in confidence. They were initially uncertain, but through working collaboratively and researching their ideas, they created some very professional business plans. They amazed themselves with what they could achieve. They have not only developed incredible ideas to make the world a better place, but have learnt about marketing, writing speeches, creating logos and presentations, and how to develop a business plan. The whole programme has been a truly memorable and inspirational experience for all of us and will have a long-lasting effect. It has given our students an opportunity to engage in real life issues and make a difference to the world around them. We are thoroughly looking forward to the next set of Big Ideas for Solutions for the Planet’s Big Ideas programme 2021.