Member Article

Chemical company fuels pupils interest in STEM subjects

A Cross Hills chemical company has inspired pupils to consider a STEM-related career following its recent partnership with a local school.

Airedale Chemical invited year four pupils from Sutton-in-Craven Community Primary School for a day of experiments and an insight into working in the chemical industry.

A survey carried out after the event found that almost all of the pupils (ninety-seven percent) said they were now more interested in science as a result of their visit to the Yorkshire chemical company.

More than half (sixty-five percent) said they wanted to work in a science-related career when they were older and seventy-one percent had decided that science was now their preferred school subject because of their experience with Airedale Chemical.

The theme of the activities were designed to fit in with the current science curriculum and a huge ninety-four percent of pupils said the partnership with Airedale Chemical had helped them to better understand the Living Things module of their learning.

David Horton, year four teacher, said: “It is so encouraging to see the children embracing the sciences in this way. It is easy to opt for subjects like art, design and physical education but it’s great to be able to boost their interest in STEM subjects like science and chemistry which can be equally creative, fun and rewarding.”

Head of marketing at Airedale Chemical, Daniel, added: “When we collated the results of this survey we were overwhelmed by the positive feedback we received. The whole aim of the partnership is to share the knowledge and expertise we have within the company and to spark a greater interest in science and STEM amongst future generations of possible scientists.

“One hundred percent of the pupils said they were keen to take part in future visits to the site so this is the most fantastic result we could have hoped for.”

Additional comments received via the survey included; Thank you for letting us come, It was great, I loved it and Can we come again?

Airedale Chemical is a leader in chemical and contract manufacturing, servicing markets including agriculture, dairy, water treatment and waste management. Plans are already in place for future educational visits and events as part of the Airedale Foundation activity and ongoing community corporate social responsibility commitments.

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