Meteor lands at Teesside

Over 450 local year six (ten to eleven years old) primary school children will become temporary university students when they attend the eighth annual Meteor Summer School in July at the University of Teesside.

The Meteor scheme aims to raise the aspirations of pupils, aged 10 and above, by placing student mentors in schools throughout the year to help them with their studies and explain the benefits of continuing in education. During the Summer School the children take part in a variety of academic and social activities on the University campus. It was first launched in 1999, for six primary schools in central Middlesbrough. It now includes Abingdon Primary, Ayresome Primary, Brambles Primary, Breckon Hill Primary, Caldicotes Primary, Newport Primary, North Ormesby Primary, St. Alphonsus R.C. Primary, Sacred Heart R.C. Primary, Thorntree Primary, Saltburn Primary, Skelton Primary St. Paul's R.C Primary, Mount Pleasant Primary and Dormanstown Primary School.

During the Summer School, which runs on Monday 3, Tuesday 4, Thursday 6 and Friday 7 July. The children will take part in a range of activities, including:

• Street Dance – an Urban Kaos dance session for children of all abilities
• Sports – a variety of sporting activities including basketball, football and trampolining at the University’s £6.5m Olympia Sports Building
• Art & Design - the children will create and design their own CD cover
• Animation – designing a 3D character using software used in Hollywood films and top video games
• Science – Live Wire is an electrifying hands on workshop to show where electricity comes from and how to power a light, speaker or propeller
• Maths – using origami to explore geometry and structures
• Interactive lectures – each day will end with the opportunity to learn more about science by taking part a lecture which encourages the children to take an active role in experiments and demonstrations.

This year’s Summer School will end in a special graduation for all the children and their families at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Tuesday 11 July. The children will process from the University Gateway at 9.55am along Albert Road before arriving at the Town Hall. Each child will receive a certificate at the graduation ceremony, which will also include a specially recorded video address by Alistair Brownlee, the voice of Middlesbrough Football Club’s radio commentaries.

Joanne Bulmer, Schools & Colleges Liaison, said: “The aim of meteor programme is to increase young peoples self esteem and life chances via empowerment and awareness of achievement.”

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