Surrey Homes | SH109 | February 2024 | Education Supplement inside

The Priceless Education Supplement
Get with
The Times
The world is changing apace, so how do our schools equip children for the future?
to apply the knowledge we gain and
acquire skills to be able to function
in and contribute to society – 21st
century skills. There is no subject that
builds all these skills so effectively and
simultaneously as engineering.
istockphoto.com/ Pimpay & Anna Drozdova
Somerhill tell us about their
innovative engineering tuition.
Recent experience during
the Covid pandemic made it clear how
vital scientists and engineers are to our
society. At Somerhill, the pandemic
confirmed our existing approach – to
teach engineering to our pupils at
the earliest opportunity. In 2019, we
became the second school in the UK to
offer the subject to all pupils from Year
3 (age 7) to Year 8 (age 13). Our pupils
have an hour of dedicated engineering
teaching every week, offering them
significantly more than a typical design
and technology (DT) curriculum.
We are proud to be taking the
path less travelled by championing
STEM education. Not only is this
area of learning incredibly beneficial
to children’s all-round development, it
also provides them with skills which
may help tackle global challenges and
open up possibilities in their future
working lives, regardless of gender.
Women are still underrepresented in
these career fields and we want to help
our young girls recognise their potential
to become the engineers the world is
looking for.
So how do we teach engineering to
such young pupils? The short answer
to this question is: we don’t – not
in the traditional sense of teaching
facts. Instead, we teach the skills that
engineers need, equipping our pupils
with practical, hands-on construction
and design skills. Through a creative
problem-based curriculum, pupils work
together to find solutions to challenges.
With technology being omnipresent
in society, we are moving away from
the need to retain knowledge and recite
formulae. More important is the ability
Since launching the engineering
curriculum, it has continually
evolved. Children are undertaking
more complex digital and physical
projects such as creating digital escape
rooms and learning about flight
through the construction of gliders,
as well as building Formula 1 cars
and electric go-carts. Facilitating our
programme are our three state-of-theart
science and engineering labs. We
remain forward-thinking, exploring
advancements like augmented reality
(AR) and virtual reality to enhance our
teaching methods. An exciting range of
STEM clubs are also available to pupils
so that they can continue their learning
in activities outside the classroom.
“...pupils work together to
find solutions to challenges”
By learning engineering in a
problem-based way, our pupils are
empowered to overcome challenges,
fostering a sense of accomplishment
as they complete tasks. This enhances
their understanding of the subject and
contributes to their personal growth.
In the current landscape, cultivating a
sense of achievement through problemsolving
and practical skill acquisition is
more crucial than ever.
Visit Somerhill to see this in action, or
find out more at somerhill.org
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