The Learning Grid was a UK charity that promoted hands-on activities related to science and engineering for school pupils and students in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The name Learning Grid was also used to refer collectively to the activities themselves.

History

Motorsport Development UK (MDUK) was established in November 2003 with funding from four regional development agencies (

East Midlands Development Agency East Midlands Development Agency, abbreviated EMDA, was the regional development agency for the East Midlands region of England formed in 1999. Structure and function EMDA’s office was located next to a Premier Inn, BBC East Midlands (and ...

, Advantage West Midlands,

South East England Development Agency The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), was one of a number of regional development agencies in England. It was set up as a non-departmental public body in 1999 to promote the region and to enable a number of more difficult regeneration ...

, and

East of England Development Agency The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) was a non-departmental public body and the regional development agency for the East of England region of England. It came into operation on 1 April 1999 and assumed the regional powers of English Par ...

), and from the DTI, with about £11.5m each year. Martin Fellows was head of MDUK. MDUK was a six-year programme, and came to a close in March 2009. MDUK was headquartered at

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...

. The Learning Grid began in 2005 as a recommendation of the Motorsport Competitiveness Panel, a body set up by the UK Department of Trade and Industry whose final report was announced by the then Secretary of State

Patricia Hewitt Patricia Hope Hewitt (born 2 December 1948) is an Australian-born British government adviser and former politician who served as Secretary of State for Health from 2005 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, she previously served as Secretar ...

on 11 July 2003. The name 'Learning Grid' was thought to refer to a motorsport starting grid, since many of the activities had a motorsport theme, although another derivation could be the representation of activities on a map or grid showing the age group on the X axis and level of time commitment required on the Y axis. It was officially launched at Goodwood in October 2005, with an event hosted by

Greenpower Green power or greenpower may refer to sustainable energy. The term may also refer to: * Greenpower Education Trust, a U.K. charity * GreenPower Motor Company * Green Power, a Hong Kong NGO * Green Power Forum, an English organisation * Green P ...

, with Bob Gilbert and a speech given by Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara.

Structure

A Motorsport Academy was also established in 2006. Another programme of MDUK was Energy Efficient Motorsport. Learning Grid was headquartered at

Savoy Place Savoy Place is a large red brick building on the north bank of the River Thames in London. It is on a street called Savoy Place; Savoy Hill and Savoy Street run along the sides of the building up to the Strand. In front is the Victoria Embankment ...

, home of the IET, in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

. On 2 February 2007, it became a not-for-profit limited company.Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee March 2009
At the end of 2009, the registered office was moved from Savoy Place to

Bromyard Bromyard is a town in Herefordshire, England, in the valley of the River Frome. It lies near the county border with Worcestershire on the A44 between Leominster and Worcester. Bromyard has a number of traditional half-timbered buildings, inclu ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

. One of the directors of the company was

Roger Putnam Roger Lowell Putnam (December 19, 1893 – November 24, 1972) was an American politician and businessman. A member of the prominent Lowell family of Boston, he served as Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1937 until 1943, and as director ...

. This company was dissolved on 24 May 2011.

Activities

22 separate activities achieved the Learning Grid quality standard, including Formula Student,

F1 in Schools ''F1 in Schools'' is an international STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) competition for school children (aged 11–19), in which groups of 3–6 students have to design and manufacture a miniature car out of the official F1 ...

, Primary Engineer, Greenpower, STEM days and residential courses run by the Smallpeice Trust, the Shell

Eco-marathon Shell Eco-marathon is a world-wide energy efficiency competition sponsored by Shell. Participants build automotive vehicles to achieve the highest possible fuel efficiency. There are two vehicle classes within Shell Eco-marathon: Prototype and Urb ...

, the

Engineering Education Scheme The Engineering Education Scheme is a scheme run in the United Kingdom by the Engineering Development Trust to promote the education of school students about engineering. It is part of the Royal Academy of Engineering's ''BEST'' programme. The Eng ...

and

The Year in Industry The Year in Industry (YinI) is a UK scheme, which organises gap year placements for pre-university and undergraduate students. Each year The Year in Industry places around 750 students in engineering, science, IT, and business. The Year in Industr ...

. Accreditation was valid for 3 years, with an annual review.

Quality

The Learning Grid created its Learning Grid Quality Standard for engineering and science activities. Accredited programmes featured in a Guide published each autumn which was available to assist teachers in choosing suitable programmes for their pupils. The Learning Grid also ran an annual showcase event at

Rockingham Motor Speedway Rockingham Motor Speedway is a former racing motorsport venue in Rockingham, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom, near the town of Corby. It hosted professional and club races, as well as testing, track days, driver training, exhibition ...

near Corby in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

References

{{reflist

External links

STEM IT
2005 establishments in the United Kingdom 2009 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Defunct organisations based in the United Kingdom Engineering education in the United Kingdom Organisations based in the City of Westminster Organizations established in 2005 Organizations disestablished in 2009 Science education in the United Kingdom Youth science