Racing car challenge opens up world of possibility for Billingham pupils
A “world of possibilities” has opened up for pupils at Billingham’s Bishopton Pupil Referral Unit after Atomix Educational Trust’s CEO secured a donated racing car kit for the school.
Nichole Munro, CEO of the Trust—which also includes Errington Primary School, Prior Pursglove College, and Stockton Sixth Form College—decided in June that a fresh approach was needed for teaching T Level Engineering. Introducing the T Level also attracted capital funding, prompting Nichole to reach out to a wide range of businesses to apply for matched support.
Greenpower Education Trust, an education charity based in West Sussex, responded to learn more about Atomix and were enthusiastic about Nichole’s vision to create a more experiential, hands-on curriculum.
Success doesn’t have to come in academic forms
Following initial conversations, the charity suggested the Trust bid for a grant for one of its race car kits (sponsored by Blink EV Charging) and become part of its Greenpower Challenge: a unique opportunity for pupils to design and build a Formula 24 electric kit car to race at Greenpower events — one of which is in Gateshead!
Nichole reacted positively and wrote an application, which was accepted by Greenpower. Now, a car will be built by pupils at Bishopton Pupil Referral Unit, who will then race it in Gateshead. Not stopping there, they’ll also support younger pupils at Errington Primary School to build another car that was donated to the Trust.
“This is about more than just building and racing a car, as it demonstrates success doesn’t have to come in academic forms, but can come in a whole host of other ways,” Nichole says.
“The pupils will get the opportunity to race the car in Gateshead with 130 other schools that travel the country to be there and race.
“They will be involved in manning pit stops if it breaks down and they’ve got to be able to fix it.
“Attached to this race car is something that’s going to be a portfolio for those young people, linked to building literacy and numeracy skills, as well as confidence and soft skills.”
Nichole believes building and racing the car, as well as supporting younger pupils to do the same, will provide them with invaluable experience they can take into interviews for jobs or further education colleges.
She said: “What I want is, when those young people leave us and go to an employer or college and an interviewer says, “tell us about a time you worked as a team” or “tell us about a time you made a good decision” they have an experience that will enable them to say “this is what I did.”
“The doesn’t just represent a simple race car, it represents a lifeline to young people to bring out those inherent skills that they have.”
Supporting them to develop a range of skills and increase confidence
Staff from Greenpower travelled all the way from Cornwall to meet the students at Bishopton Pupil Referral Unit — a seven-and-a-half hour journey!
Two groups of pupils aged 11 to 15 had the exciting opportunity to view the unique car.
Nichole said: “You could see their eyes light up and widen as they asked ‘are we really going to get a chance to race this!?
“They don’t know how transformative this car is going to be for them. The younger group could not take their eyes off it and were asking all sorts of questions. They were absolutely ecstatic.”
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: ““Projects like this demonstrate the power of hands-on, experiential learning to transform young people’s education.
“By engaging with real-world challenges, pupils not only develop practical skills in STEM, problem-solving and teamwork, but also build confidence, resilience and ambition that will support them far beyond the classroom. Initiatives like the Greenpower Challenge show that learning can be exciting, meaningful, and directly linked to future opportunities.”
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