Teams of students from across London are set to present Transport Minister Derek Twigg MP and Douglas Oakervee OBE, Chairman of Cross London Rail Links Ltd (CLRL), with their plans for a hypothetical London to Cambridge railway.
The event, to take place on Wednesday 14 June at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in London, is the climax of an innovative five workshop series called ‘Parliament in Action’, designed to engage young people with the political process and encourage creative thinking within their National Curriculum studies.
It is organised by CLRL, as part of its Young Crossrail education programme, along with London Gifted and Talented, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, and the Parliamentary Education Unit. CLRL is the company tasked with developing Crossrail, a new railway from Maidenhead and Heathrow to Shenfield and Abbey Wood under the centre of London.
London Gifted & Talented is a Government-backed initiative that supports gifted and talented students and their teachers, and in particular, under-achieving and disadvantaged students.
The students were set the task of planning the legislation to allow a hypothetical new railway to be built between London and Cambridge, one of the most overcrowded routes on Britain’s rail network. Crossrail’s own experts provided direct support and advice to help the students create effective proposals.
The project has enabled the young people involved to meet MPs, officials and lobbyists, including senior civil servants, staff from Crossrail, and a Barrister from the Landmark Chambers. Students have also visited the Royal Courts of Justice, a Barrister’s Chamber and the Houses of Parliament – where the Crossrail Select Committee is meeting to hear petitions to the Crossrail Bill.
Ian Rathbone, manager of Crossrail’s education programme, comments: ‘This project has provided students, from west to east London, with a fascinating insight into the parliamentary system. We hope to see more of this work, which helps young people develop an understanding of how democracy works, and has a significant role to play in encouraging their participation in the political process.
‘The course is part of Crossrail’s ongoing education programme, which involves working with young people and communities living along the proposed route of the Crossrail line.’
Liz Worthen, Deputy Director of Development at London Gifted & Talented, says: ‘This programme has provided an excellent opportunity for students to exercise their critical thinking skills and address high challenge questions in a real life business environment.
‘The students have also been able to work closely with a number of professional bodies and leading experts including barristers, lobbyists and civil servants.’
Elizabeth Reid, Chief Executive of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, comments: ‘We are delighted to be supporting this project, which demonstrates a very creative educational challenge. Partnerships are important to raising standards in education and are central to the specialist schools and academies network of over 3,000 schools.
‘This task highlights the power of collaborative working by providing schools with the opportunity to work together, and with business, on issues that span a range of curriculum topics within a contextualised environment.’
Chris Weeds, Education Officer at the Parliamentary Education Unit, says: ‘We are very pleased to have been able to support a project such as this, which has provided a great opportunity for the students to discover more about parliamentary processes and the impact and relevance of these on their daily lives.’
Ends
Issued 6 June 2006
There is a 24 hour seven day a week helpline on 0845 602 3813 and an e-mail address helpdesk@crossrail.co.uk
Visit the website for more information: www.crossrail.co.uk
Crossrail Education Programme Manager Ian Rathbone talks to students
Students hard at work on their presentations ...
Students visit a Barrister's Chambers ...
London Gifted & Talented
London Gifted & Talented is an education initiative funded by the Department for Education and Skills and creates high quality e-learning resources which stretch gifted and talented students, and support their teachers. LG&T works in all 33 London Boroughs, prioritising the needs of key communities, especially underachieving and disadvantaged students. London Gifted & Talented has developed e-resources to support teaching and learning at Key Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5 and to date has delivered over 140 online and live programmes, reaching more than 6,000 teachers and 5,000 students in over 850 schools across London.
Visit the website for more information: www.londongt.org
The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is the leading national body for secondary education in England, part funded by the DfES, delivering the Government's Specialist Schools and Academies programme. The Government's aim is that by 2010 all schools will be specialist or academies. The Trust seeks to give more young people access to a good secondary education by building networks, sharing practice and supporting schools. The Trust's way of working is based on the principle 'by schools for schools'. There are over 3,000 schools affiliated to the Trust including primary, secondary and special schools and Academies.
Visit the website for more information: www.specialistschools.org.uk
The Parliamentary Education Unit
The Parliamentary Education Unit provides a number of services for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, including the answering of enquiries from teachers and young people, liaison with educational bodies and organisations, occasional visits to schools, teachers' conferences, etc, and the provision of resources about Parliament's work.
Visit the website for more information: www.parliament.uk/directories/educationunit.cfm
