Children at West Grantham C of E Primary Academy aim for the stars in science topic

Primary School children have been aiming high and reaching for the stars in their science topic about space.

Year 6 children at West Grantham C of E Primary Academy were tasked with learning about the planets and gravity and followed a six-week STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programme which covered a variety of in-depth studies.

The programme included researching the qualities and qualifications needed to be an astronaut and using that knowledge to write to the European Space Agency, requesting a place on their Astronaut Training Programme, and demonstrating the qualities needed to be chosen.

Children also designed a space suit, designed and built rockets which could fly and researched the necessary requirements to operate a space station, finally building their own models.

Mrs Walledge, Year 6 teacher said: “Providing children with these opportunities promotes a passion for innovation and it is a strong foundation for our future generation of scientists, inventors and engineers. The children enjoy being able to work creatively and are rightly proud of their work.”

At the culmination of their work children wrote a letter during their English lessons to the academy’s executive head teacher, Mrs Anna Martin, requesting a school trip to the National Space Centre in Leicester.

Mrs Martin said: “I was delighted to be able to tell children that they would be visiting The National Space Centre on May 16, which for many children, will be the first school trip since the beginning of the pandemic.”

A kind donation of £500 from the International Air and Space Training Institute (IASTI®) helped to fund the school trip.