The students impressed the selection panel with their vision, enthusiasm, and well thought-out plans. Rick Hall, Director of Programmes for Ignite!, said: “When we visited Peele for the first time to assess their readiness to take on a Lab 13, what impressed the panel most was the leadership of the Management Team who had already worked out what important roles they would need to manage the Lab. The school clearly believed in encouraging young people to take a lead, and Nathan Drew and his team were very enthusiastic to get started.”
Lab 13 is funded by East Midlands Development Agency’s (emda’s) £9m Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) initiative through the Ignition* Programme, and delivered by The Mighty Creative’s and Ignite! The aim of the project is to encourage students to take responsibility for a science space to conduct their own experiments independently of the curriculum, and to encourage creativity in science learning.
A Management Team, made up of students aged 11-16 years, worked together to develop a wide range of experiments they wanted to explore and fundraising activities. Each student selected a management role to decide how the space would be used, and was involved in the appointment of a scientist in residence, Dr Lindsey Shaw Greening who will be based at the school full-time to support the students during science experiments and discovery.
Members of the Lab 13 Management Team, said: “Our Lab 13 will be a place where possibilities are endless. We will use it to explore all sorts of science, technology, engineering and maths. It is a place where you can let your imagination grow. We have been working for the last term to get the Lab ready and are excited about our launch day.”
Impressed by the enthusiasm of the students and the school’s commitment, Cynthia Onions, Head of Employment Learning and Skills at emda said: “This project is a pioneering development in the education of science subjects and Lab 13 will provide a dedicated space for pupils at Peele Community College and encourage them to push their learning beyond the curriculum. We’re pleased to support these young people as they embrace science and hopefully choose it as a future career which will help the region to flourish over the long term.”
