Navy visits Stockland Green School to inspire students to aim for the skies

Students at Stockland Green School were aiming high when they launched flare rockets that they had designed and made with the help of a team from the Royal Navy.

Petty Officer Ed Grandison and Leading Hand Elwyn Fisher, from the Royal Navy’s Attract and Engagement Team, visited the Slade Road school, which is part of the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.

The Navy team visits schools and colleges to deliver workshops that build teamwork, leadership, self-discipline and other skills.

And they had a bright idea to inspire the Stockland Green students – to design and make their own flare, which they would then launch into the sky above the school.

But while designing the flares would require a spark of inspiration, they wouldn’t need any actual pyrotechnics, because the students made paper flares, which would be propelled skywards with compressed air.

Throughout the day, Year 8 students were split into teams, and given the task of designing and creating a rocket-shaped flare, that would fit efficiently over the air launcher and was aerodynamically shaped to fly as high as possible.

The students were set the challenge of seeing their flare fly higher than the roof of the school.

Associate Assistant headteacher Katerina Lee said: “It was brilliant to have the Navy visit Stockland Green and the students really enjoyed the challenge they were set.

“The visit really inspired them to work together to come up with a design, and it was exciting to see them launched outside. It was actually really impressive to see how high some of them went – a couple are still on the roof of the school!”

Petty Officer Grandison said: “These challenges are really good in developing kids’ communication skills, business skills like team building, leadership skills in an environment that encourages them to work together.

“This workshop also provides an engineering challenge by asking the students to think about designing and then actually making something that will fly as high as possible. They did really well.”

Leading Hand Fisher added: “The students always love the idea of building a rocket – even the ones who are a bit shy at first often want to get involved once they see their friends launching a flare. So, it’s great fun, but it builds really useful skills too.”

Head of School Rebecca Goode said: “The students were really inspired by the visit of the Royal Navy, and seeing their flares launched created a lot of excitement.

“We want to organise more of this kind of visit, as it really helps develop new skills in the students, while encouraging them to work together.”

Main photo Caption:

Shipshape: Leading Hand Elwyn Fisher and Petty Officer Ed Grandison with some of the Stockland Green Year 8 students who took part in the Royal Navy’s flare building workshop.