The Signaller’s Challenge KS2 1 hour
Goathland Station or Pickering Station, 30 Pupils

This is a design challenge against the clock, promoting team working, as pupils are tasked to build their own working model of a fixed signal. The session begins with an introduction to the original Railway Bobbies and the methods of communication used on the railway before fixed signals, before exploring the role of the Signaller and how important they are in ensuring safety on the railway. We will discuss how codes can be used to quickly send messages and how this has been used by railway signals. Pupils have chance to examine some artefacts from the museum collection linked to communication and safety. In small teams, pupils will plan and build their models with the materials provided and devise their own method of communicating with engine drivers. Can they rise to the challenge?

National Curriculum Links

Design & Technology:

• Make - select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.
• Technical knowledge - apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures.
• Technical knowledge - understand and use electrical systems in their products.

Computing:

• Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts.

History:

• A study of an aspect of history or a site dating from a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the locality.

View our Suggested Visit Itineraries and Generic Risk Assessment, designed to help primary schools visiting Goathland Station; it contains all the information you are likely to need, helping you and your group make the most from your visit to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

There is no cost for workshops and activities, you just need to book; please complete our Booking Form and we will be in touch shortly.