Many people familiar with this podcast will recognise the name 'F1 in Schools', a design, teamwork and engineering challenge that has existed in schools for over two decades. Some of you will have competed in either regional or, if you are fortunate enough, national finals. Others...I want to say the elite few, as getting there is some achievement, will have made it to the world finals, held to coincide with an F1 race somewhere in the world and closely aligned to the FIA.

I would suggest very few of you know just how this design and engineering challenge came about, how it has grown and constantly exceeded expectations and just who is the founder, Andrew Denford and what drives him to keep pushing this challenge to greater heights.

Finally, why has such a seemingly brilliantly branded initiative recently changed its name and branding from 'F1 in Schools' to 'STEM Racing'?

This episode will bring the answer to all these queries, and more as we bring Andrew Denford, Chief Executive Officer of Denford Ltd., and Founder of Stem Racing back to school and then follow his journey into engineering, taking over the family business at a relatively early age, and how he got the idea that racing a small but carefully precision engineered CO2 powered car down a twenty metre track at speed may be something that schools and colleges might buy into.

It's a great story, filled with a few twists and tales that I know you'll enjoy. So sit back and enjoy, Designed for Life - In conversation with Denford CEO and Founder of STEM Racing, Andrew Denford.

https://www.stemracing.com/

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In this episode, we focus on primary education, specifically design and technology education in the primary phase. Our guest in this episode is Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at St.Mary's University, Twickenham, Janine Pavlis.

In recent years, we at the Design & Technology Association have seen significant growth in our primary membership categories, as schools (driven by Ofsted requirements) seek to broaden their curriculum offer to include design and technology across Key Stages One and Two.

Our research suggests that the average primary teacher (and D&T Coordinator) is usually out of their depth in planning and delivering a subject that is often alien and unfamiliar to them. It should be remembered that primary teachers are asked to deliver a broad and diverse curriculum, of which D&T is only part of the picture. The majority of primary teachers in our research hold a humanities or English degree certificate, and for many, their last encounter with STEM-related topics was during their own school days.

Teacher training details now vary across establishments, but many teachers surveyed suggested that their D&T training during their PGCE training amounted to half a day or six hours at most. From this training, teachers are expected to read, understand, plan and deliver an exciting and engaging curriculum offer for their students.

In this podcast, we discuss Janine's unusual journey to primary teaching, specifically her approach to delivering Design and Technology (D&T) to her students. We discuss how St.Mary's offer to postgraduate students is different, not just in its content, but also in its philosophy, and we also discuss how helpful (or otherwise) the STEM label is to the development and growth of D&T at the primary level.

I loved delving into a sector that is doing so well with D&T delivery at the moment and speaking with an educator who is a true expert in the subject. So sit back, get those headphones on and listen to Designed for Life, in conversation with Janine Pavlis.

Janine's Website Bio: https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/staff-directory/janine-pavlis

Janine's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/janine-pavlis123

Some of the work that Janine is currently involved with:

• Roles & Contributions:
  - Advisor in Primary D&T
  - Writer & EdD Researcher exploring primary teachers’ lived experiences and their motivation to teach
  - Reviewer for the D&T International Journal
  - Committee Member of the Design and Technology Teacher Educator Group
  - Lead of the D&T Primary Teacher Educator Hub

- Lead researcher for the STEM Education and Research Hub at St Mary's University

• Current Research Interests:

- The challenges in primary STEM education
- The intersection of motherhood and academia
- The future of D&T education in England

With huge thanks to Arachne.digital, whose sponsorship makes this podcast possible. For a free consultation and assessment of your school's cybersecurity, contact https://www.arachne.digital/, mentioning Designed for Life

Dr Aakeen Parikh is a mechanical engineer with a background in research, design, sustainable technologies, and social impact. She currently works as the Project Manager for the Vehicle Future Hub at Imperial College London. Aakeen discovered engineering through her passion for product design, and she has worked on numerous projects over the years. Aakeen is passionate about increasing diversity, access, equality, and retention of women in engineering. She is on the advisory board for education charity Project Access and is an ambassador for the Queen Elizabeth’s Prize for Engineering. In 2024, Aakeen was awarded the WISE100 Women in Enterprise award as the ‘Equality and Empowerment’ Champion.

Alongside her current roles, Aakeen is the founder and director of The Minazi Impact, a social enterprise dedicated to promoting sustainable development and reducing global inequality through engineering and design. Minazi’s most notable project, the Banana Fibre Sanitary Pad project, involved designing reusable sanitary pads with an absorbent core made from waste banana fibres. The project won the 2023 RSA Catalyst Award and further recognition at the Ripple Effect Conference 2024. This project demonstrates a viable, alternative, sustainable future pathway for sanitary products, whilst creating economic growth and upcycling agricultural waste. Read more here: https://theminaziimpact.co.uk/

This is a great conversation that I know you will love. So grab 50 minutes of 'me time' and listen to Designed for Life—In Conversation with Dr. Aakeen Parikh.

This podcast is brought to you with the support of Arachne.digital. The Cyber Threat Intelligence Platform for Empowered Protection. Reach out now and get a free analysis of your school's cybersecurity www.arachne.digital