North Molton Primary School recognised for excellence

North Molton Primary School has been awarded the prestigious SILVER Space Education Quality Mark, in recognition of its excellent work compared nationally.

UK schools and colleges receive the Space Education Quality Mark when they can show that they have significantly used the context of space in subjects, have worked with other organisations, shared resources and used space to enrich the curriculum.

The Space Education Quality Mark was created by ESERO-UK, which supports the space sector and teachers to open doors for young people from all backgrounds, by delivering inspiring world-class teaching in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

Alex Brown, STEM Support Programme Manager at STEM Learning, said: “We are delighted to congratulate North Molton Primary School on receiving the SILVER Space Education Quality Mark. Each school and college who receives the Space Education Mark has demonstrated a real and ongoing commitment to excellent STEM education in their  school. North Molton Primary School is a great example of this.”

Sharon Turney, Science Lead at North Molton Primary School added: “We were initially introduced to Jo Richardson from Space Detectives by Mr Boddington who is the owner of The Poltimore Inn, North Molton. Mr Boddington has two grandchildren who attend North Molton Primary School and he has supported the implementation of Space Education within our school.

“The Poltimore Inn has its own observatory and hosts many Dark Skies events over the year for astronomers and stargazers within the Dark Sky Reserve on the edge of Exmoor. The school has made changes to the curriculum to ensure Space Education is integrated across areas such as science, geography, art, English and Maths.

“We celebrate Space Week every autumn with a range of exciting activities and live events, together with visitors coming into the school to run workshops with the children. There are also after school clubs to encourage children to share their love and enthusiasm for Space.

“It has been a real achievement and we are so proud to receive the Silver Space Education Quality Award - we are one of the first schools in North Devon to achieve this.”