Pupils from West Cumbrian primary schools let their imaginations run wild during a residential to present their visions for a school of the future to Oxford University.
The trip was co-ordinated by the React Foundation as the conclusion of its 12-week Schools of the Future project it runs with local schools.
The foundation has been running the programme since 2022, which involves engineers from engineering and project management consultancy React Engineering, based in Cleator Moor, working with children in years five and six to come up with ideas for how their school might look in 50 years’ time.
This year’s ideas included a playground with different types of sport pitches which could be altered at the touch of a button, a virtual reality room which could take people back in time to learn about history and AI glasses which were able to answer any questions they were asked by the wearer.
In the final week of the programme, pupils travel to Oxford for two nights to present their designs and concepts to students, alumni and academics from the university.
The most recent group of 32 students made the trip from four schools – Montreal and St Patrick’s Primary Schools, in Cleator Moor, St Joseph’s, in Frizington, and Frizington School.
Lauren Rowlands, future pipeline and recruitment leader for React, said: “It’s completely child-led and they come up with some incredibly creative and unique ideas. Our engineers are there to give them some guidance and offer their project management skills.
“The schools we engage with on this project are within underprivileged areas, with many of the students having never left the county and so it is a great opportunity to show them somewhere like Oxford University, showing them that they can study somewhere like that in the future.
“But it’s also a chance to show Oxford what children in West Cumbria have to offer and their potential.”
Pupils stayed in university accommodation and dined in the college refectory.
They spent a day touring the city, receiving a lecture on the power of the human body and visiting the Pitt Rivers Museum.
This was before presenting their ideas to students and professors from the university.
Project management degree apprentice Connie Dougan who works with the pupils, said: “It is really about getting the children to ask questions and think about how their school might change.
“It is really important to give them the freedom to have that experience of being in charge of their own project.
You can see a total transformation from the start, where they can be quite reluctant to talk to you, but by the time we go to Oxford they are like different people.
“To see what they are capable of coming up with when they are only nine and 10 is incredible. They were asking questions that even the panel at Oxford couldn’t answer.”
Annette Savage, headteacher at St Joseph’s, said the programme was an experience that would stay with children throughout their lives.
She said: “Pupils had the opportunity to showcase their deep thinking and presentation skills to the academic community, which has undoubtedly boosted their confidence and self-belief. This is an experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives, and it will serve as a powerful reminder of the opportunities that lie beyond the confines of their local community.”
Schools for the Future is just one programme run by the React Foundation, which was set up by the three founding directors of React Engineering in 2004 to mark the 10th anniversary of the company.
Initially the charity awarded bursaries to university students from West Cumbria who were going to study STEM subjects and then began offering awards to students at post-16.
Now in its 20th year, the React Foundation has grown its impact through its annual science show for schools which takes place in the first week in September, reaching around 8,000 students annually.
It runs its Reactioneers initiative, which involves visiting schools to run activities throughout the year.
The Schools of the Future project is also supported by Resolve Robotics and Dobie’s Charitable Trust.
