Pupils swap classroom for RAF station

Pupils at a Sleaford secondary school swapped the classroom for a Royal Air Force station recently for a special lesson in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
Carre's Grammar Pupils on a visit to RAF Cranwell. (From left) Nickolai Shklyaver, Thomas Wilkinson, Lewis Chessum, Finlay Sodeau, Jamie Young, Alfy Jones, Harley Cullum, and Benjamin Smit EMN-160912-134751001Carre's Grammar Pupils on a visit to RAF Cranwell. (From left) Nickolai Shklyaver, Thomas Wilkinson, Lewis Chessum, Finlay Sodeau, Jamie Young, Alfy Jones, Harley Cullum, and Benjamin Smit EMN-160912-134751001
Carre's Grammar Pupils on a visit to RAF Cranwell. (From left) Nickolai Shklyaver, Thomas Wilkinson, Lewis Chessum, Finlay Sodeau, Jamie Young, Alfy Jones, Harley Cullum, and Benjamin Smit EMN-160912-134751001

A group of Year Nine Carre’s Grammar School pupils were chosen to visit Royal Air Force Cranwell to see how STEM subjects are used in the workplace – in this case, a division of the military.

The day was split into two parts for the youngsters from the North Gate school.

The morning featured activities designed to develop their teamwork and problem-solving skills, as well as their abilities with mathematics.

The afternoon saw the group move to one of the vast hangars at that station, which counts Princes Charles and William as graduates.

Here, they learnt about weight distribution and how to load an aircraft to ensure it would not be unbalanced as a result.

In another, they learnt how to chain down a Land Rover on a simulated fixed wing aircraft.

Some more mathematics was involved here for the group, as it had to calculate how many sets of chains would be needed to mitigate for vertical and lateral g-forces.

Of the experience, Carre’s Grammar School pupil Nikolai Shklyaver said: “Overall, I thought it was a great day, and a real insight into how some of the subjects we study at school are crucial in the work place.”

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