Science and Technology

Beckfoot Oakbank Science Team

THE Science team at Beckfoot Oakbank School in Keighley was nominated for the Science and Technology award by the University of Bradford.
James Machelle, the University’s STEM Curriculum Development Officer, said: “The Beckfoot Oakbank science technical team are a fantastic team that are always willing to go the extra mile to help their science staff, students and the wider science community.
“Beyond all their achievements, they are a friendly, helpful group that are a pleasure to work with and play a massive part in helping to promote STEM in schools.”
The team has won inter-school science and technology contests, including the knockout stages of the Lego robot challenge in 2016. Mr Machelle added: “This involves a lot of support from the technical team to the pupils who are of a varied range of abilities.”
Cheryl Moore, senior technician, said: “It is really good to get this recognition for our hard work.
“When you’re working all through the year, including doing some mind-numbingly boring tasks, it’s great for someone to say ‘well done.’
“It has taken a lot of hard work and commitment from both staff and pupils.” 

Emma Speake, St Francis Catholic Primary

EMMA Speake, a teacher at St Francis Catholic Primary School in Swain House, has been nominated for the Science and Technology award for her work improving the school’s science provision.
School head Anne Rowan nominated Miss Speake, saying: “Emma joined our school three years ago as an NQT and stood out from the moment she came to look round. 
“Not only does she want the children to develop their ICT skills and be as innovative as possible, she also helps all the staff who struggle in this area. Her patience knows no end.”
New initiatives she has led on include integrating a full set of 32 iPads into the school which are now used in many lessons across the curriculum, using iMovie and green screening to create a class film as part of a combined literacy and ICT project, and overseeing the development of a new innovate media suite with the latest hardware and software.”
Miss Speake said: “When I found out I had been nominated I was absolutely amazed, I ran around the school trying to find out who nominated me. 
“I’m over the moon, because a lot of hard work goes into teaching, but also doing the technology side of things alongside that.”

Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College

BUTTERSHAW Business and Enterprise College has been nominated for the Science and Technology award for its STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) provision, led by Joe Ryan.
The nomination, from head teacher Richard Hughes, said: “Joe Ryan has led STEM provisions for the last five years at BBEC and seen positive impacts on students of all ages and from all backgrounds. 
“This has included founding the Centre of Excellence for Science, Environment and Technology – an Industrial Centre of Excellence partnership education provider between Bradford Council, leading businesses, the University of Bradford and local schools.
“STEM is alive and growing at the school and there are even more exciting plans in the pipeline for 2017 with plans now underway for students to design and construct a STEM building on school grounds.”
Mr Ryan said: “I’m extremely proud of what we’ve achieved here.
“We’ve grown STEM from what was really very little provision to where we’ve now got a STEM pipeline.
“We have about 70 to 80 students who regularly attend the STEM academy. The head has funded all of this and he has got behind all this 100 per cent.”