School STEM sessions with Taylor Wimpey

A team from Taylor Wimpey West Scotland has worked closely with a local primary school to give pupils a housebuilding perspective in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and how interesting and important they are.

As part of Bargeddie Primary School’s STEM Week, a group from the housebuilder’s nearby Burnside View development visited and asked the children to split into groups and use these four key subjects to design and build a model house, using a variety of materials. Each completed model was then judged against a set of criteria and rewarded for being the strongest, the tallest, the coolest-looking, the best-functioning, and the cheapest, before an overall winner was announced.

The sessions were led by Errin Hendry-Giles, a technical management trainee for Taylor Wimpey West Scotland. She says: “Our project to build a house from a range of fun materials against set criteria certainly got the children thinking and using these subjects in real-time to create some great models. With a number of learning outcomes across each of the core subjects, we were able to help the children reach the conclusion that all four STEM subjects are important because they help us to solve problems at work, school and everyday life.

Lynn Logan, the class teacher and organiser of the STEM event, adds: “The STEM sessions provided by the team from Taylor Wimpey West Scotland were a fun and engaging way to bring each of the four subjects to life. Our children have enjoyed learning more about the housebuilding industry and Taylor Wimpey’s insight into the importance of STEM reminds us how crucial learning in these subject areas is for the future of many industries. ”

Underlining the importance of the STEM subjects and the engagement of young people in them, Hendry-Giles adds: “It’s crucial that we play our role in inspiring children to love these subjects in order to futureproof our industry. Without science we can’t explore new technology, design or investigate soils or materials. Technology is the cornerstone for embracing new technology to help us stay at the forefront of the design of our homes to create places where people want to live. Engineering is vital when we are designing and building our homes. Finally, without maths it is impossible to be able to work out our costs and be able to make sound business decisions.”