Platform is a new scheme offering rail education to schools and young people on behalf of Severnside, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and TransWilts Community Rail Partnerships covering the area stretching from Somerset and Wiltshire to Worcestershire. The scheme has been sponsored by train operators CrossCountry and Great Western Railway, with support from the Community Rail Network. The programme is a new area of work for the four partnerships, who have worked closely including sharing knowledge and resources with East Lancashire and South Eastern CRPs who have established education programmes.
The four CRPs and the Platform team are passionate about connecting young people to their local railways and communities, helping empower them to make life choices that are healthy, sustainable, aspirational, and ethical.
The Platform Website
The team produced a bespoke website to provide teachers with clear guidance about how to access the in-person offers, as well as the stations covered by the scheme.
The website holds free rail-related local resources, with lessons that are tightly linked to National Curriculum requirements for a range of subjects, making it easier for teachers to engage with rail-education without sacrificing curriculum time.
The website is quickly becoming a central hub for pre-existing rail-related resources and signposts teachers to a range of excellent resources
In School Workshops
The Platform team includes qualified, experienced teachers with up-to-date knowledge of current classroom requirements, putting them in a perfect position to go into schools and provide fun and informative workshops. These include:
• Rail safety
• Sustainable and Healthy Travel
• Rail Careers
Rail Familiarisation Visits
Platform is committed to providing a free, meaningful experience and have a range of options for days out by rail with no cost. The team can arrange complimentary travel for classes to take a train trip, giving them the opportunity to practice rail safety and learn more about the joys and benefits of rail travel.
Getting in touch
For more information please visit www.platformrail.org or email [email protected]