At now>press>play, we have partnered with the National Grid to make a brand new immersive Experience called Reducing Our Carbon Footprint. The story is about renewable energy and the role of the National Grid in moving the UK to net zero. Featuring a character, our Auntie Ejo, who works at the Grid, the Experience simultaneously inspires children to consider a career in engineering.
As part of the partnership, we have been lucky enough to get National Grid staff members into some now>press>play schools. First the children do the new Experience, and afterwards they get to hear first-hand about what it’s like to work for the Grid.
Recently, St Fidelis Catholic Primary School in Erith did the Experience with Year 5 who then got to speak with the National Grid’s Jess Butcher, an apprentice substation craftsperson who is about to qualify fully as an engineer. Here you can see her in action in her job!
“I loved it and so did the children. They had really strong and well thought-out questions, including how I got into engineering - to which I replied that I’d always been interested in science and had grown up helping my Dad fix and build cars. Sometimes I felt like I was in an interview: someone asked me to describe my job in 10 words! When I asked them whether anyone would now consider going into engineering, more than half the class put their hands, including plenty of girls.”
Ben Kennor, Assistant Head Teacher, said:
The children were really engaged. The setting of the Experience was familiar to them and referenced their real-life experiences. It was one of the most action-packed sessions I've led, with engaging movement and scenarios which kept them hooked whilst telling them how the National Grid functions. This was further boosted by the excellent session with Jess afterwards. She really put across her passion for her work and made the children see what a varied career working for the National Grid is.”
There was also plenty of positive feedback from the pupils themselves:
“I enjoyed all the movement we had to do and I enjoyed it when the person from the National Grid came in and told us all the things that you could do in the National Grid.”
“I learnt that it's our job to care for the environment. There are so many ways to make environmentally safe electricity to power all the things in the world. There are so many possibilities on how to make electricity!”
“The thing that inspired me is to help the environment and to not pollute the world but to take care of it. When we did the missions it taught me that I should not litter or pollute.”
Many thanks to St Fidelis Catholic Primary School and National Grid for providing us with this case study. We’re thrilled to be able to provide a resource, made in conjunction with the Grid, that supports schools to teach the move to net zero while exploring engineering as a potential career.
