Engineering, coding and robotics brings learning to life for students inside and outside of the classroom
7th November 2024
A partnership between the REC Foundation and the Reece Foundation has delivered one of the largest education outreach programmes in our region in recent years.
By using VEX Robotics products, the REC Foundation and the Reece Foundation with the assistance of the Nissan Skills Foundation and Newcastle University, there are now over 150 schools involved in the programme from Year 1 to 13.
Our continued support of VEX Robotics kits used in the VEX Robotics Competitions help to bring engineering, coding and robotics learning to life for students both inside and outside of the classroom and aims to energise STEM education and offset the predicted skills gap.
The award-winning outreach programme has seen nearly 1000 robot kits reach over 150 schools and impact thousands of students.
“To close the widening skills gap in engineering, we need to highlight STEM skills as a key aspect in multiple industries – that starts in schools. The support from the Reece Foundation has been nothing short of phenomenal. The VEX programmes are now embedded in over 150 schools and impacting thousands of students in the region every year. From daytime teaching, local competitions right through to global events. The impact, not just on learning, but also the character building and personal development is immeasurable, and the future will be very bright in the region thanks to the commitment from everyone at the foundation,” said Paul McKnight from VEX Robotics.
What is the VEX Robotics Competition
This is an exciting series of events that promote STEM education by bringing together students aged 8 to 18 who have worked hard to design, build, and program robots to compete in educational and exciting game-based engineering challenges, taking on both autonomous and remote-controlled tasks with their robots. Beginning at a local and regional level, teams can progress to the UK National Championships and ultimately the World Championships.
Many schools in the region have also joined the ranks of others across the UK and the World to take part in the World’s Largest Robotics Competition.
The VEX Robotics Competition programmes span KS2 to KS5, and the North East teams have excelled both nationally and globally. In 2024, three of these teams travelled to the US to compete against the best teams in the World at the VEX Robotics World Championships. For two of the teams, this wasn’t their school’s first rodeo in Dallas, Texas, as they had also attended the competition in 2023. But for the team from Tanfield School, they made local history by being the first V5 team in the region to qualify for this stage of the competition.
The support from The Reece Foundation and others in the local community made it possible for these teams to make the journey to the US and compete in this large-scale competition.
Why is funding from the Reece Foundation important?
Embedding comprehensive learning into a student’s education, rather than an add-on only introduced in one-off lessons or isolated outreach days, is crucial for students, teachers and future employers.
Georgina Dye, a teacher at Bill Quay Primary School, said: “The Reece Foundation has been instrumental in supplying the necessary kits for our curriculum. They have played a crucial role in fostering a culture of curiosity and innovation, which we are truly grateful for and look forward to continuing to work with them.”
Though when started from scratch, a programme of this scale can incur large initial costs. This is where the support from the Reece Foundation comes in.
Dan Burfield, a teacher at Wardley Primary School said: “The fact that a robotics team from a small primary school in Gateshead can win the UK championship is amazing. Support from organisation like the Reece Foundation for opportunities like this not only makes engineering and computer science more accessible and attractive to our pupils, but importantly, it shows that if you have a dream and work hard there is no telling where you will end up.”
What impact has the funding achieved?
The Reece Foundation’s funding combined with the support of the partners in the project has:
- Supported 150+ schools
- Provided 1000+ robotics kits to schools
- Engaged 5000+ students
- Trained 200+ teachers
- Inspired 118 competition teams
- Supported 16 teams at UK Nationals
- Enabled 6 teams to reach VEX World Championships
Why has the Reece Foundation supported the project?
The focus on inspiring the next generation by bringing together engineering and coding means the VEX Robotics outreach programme fitted our funding criteria perfectly, through which STEM education is being energised to offset the predicted skills gap.
Back to Case StudiesAnne Reece, Chair of the Reece Foundation said: “We are very proud to have been able to support the progress of local schools in their VEX Robotics Competitions journeys. By funding this inspiring project, we hope the children’s recent robotics success encourages other schools and organisations to participate. It would be great for the future if more schools and business partners get involved, as it’s not only financial support that is required but also the creation of more opportunities for our young people.”
