Platform, a dynamic new rail education programme, has officially launched for areas across the South West of England.

Sponsored by Train operating companies GWR and Cross Country, and The Community Rail Network, Platform was established in January and is now inviting schools to “Jump on Board” with its exciting offer.

Platform is a community rail education scheme developed on behalf of Severnside, Transwilts, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire Community Rail Partnerships. Hoping to emulate some of the inspiring education work happening via community rail partnerships in other parts of the country, representatives from each of the four founding partnerships joined together and accessed funding to hire a team of fully qualified teachers to deliver rail education on their behalf.

Its website, www.platformrail.org, launched on April 1 and reached over 600 users in its first month, far surpassing its target of 500 users in year one and illustrating the appetite for rail education in schools. The team now has bookings up to the end of the summer term and have opened their books for the next academic year.

The Launch

The Platform team invited representatives from the Department for Transport, local authorities, schools, GWR, Cross Country and the Community Rail Network to join them to mark the opening of the project on Tuesday 3 May.

Guests were invited to join the team aboard a GWR service from Westbury to Worcester Foregate Street for lunch and presentations at The Historical Pod in Worcester City Centre. With guests joining at Westbury, Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Parkway, Gloucester, and Cheltenham Spa station, it was a lively and interactive journey.

Emilie Dawson, the learning manager for Platform, said: “It was ambitious to have a travelling launch but I am thrilled that it was successful. At Platform, we represent four different community rail partnerships. By beginning the launch on the train, we were able to travel through all four of our areas, whilst demonstrating some of the rail familiarisation we hope to do with school groups. It also meant the majority of our guests travelled to Worcester by rail, therefore choosing a more sustainable method of transport.”

Activity booklets, taken from Platform’s bespoke resources, were handed out and the team was able to explain how it had taken important messaging on trains, local areas, sustainability and well-being, and incorporated it into lessons that met curriculum objectives.

Platform’s Learning Officer Imogen Sackett delivered some rail familiarisation at the station and, later, following the presentations, walked guests into Worcester to demonstrate the range of free, meaningful opportunities schools could access as part of their day out.

Heather Cullimore, Manager at Severnside Community Rail Partnership and a founding member of Platform, said: “It was fantastic to see the Platform scheme come to life. We are delighted that many young people across the area will have the opportunity to benefit from the scheme’s curriculum linked resources, workshops and rail familiarisation trips, and that – thanks to generous sponsorship – these are offered free of charge.”

“If you are in education, I can only recommend you take advantage of this fabulous and free offer.”

Prior to starting the project, the steering group commissioned Bristol educational consultants Sustainable Hive to carry out a feasibility study. This study allowed Platform to base its education offer on research, feedback, and good practice from other Community Rail Partnerships.

Clare Marshall and Olivia Ellis from Sustainable Hive then provided project guidance and support to help the new team move the project from concept to concrete.

After participating in the launch, Clare said: “What a journey! The young people who participate in Platform are in for a real treat.”

Education Offer

Platform have three exciting – and free – offers to bring to schools across the scheme area.

1.In-school workshops on rail safety, confidence, and behaviour; sustainable and healthy travel; careers in the rail industry.

2.Rail-familiarisation trips, where the team can take school groups and their teachers on complimentary rail travel to put their in-classroom learning into practice.

3.A website – platformrail.org – which has the teams own bespoke curriculum lessons and is also a central hub for pre-existing, high-quality rail education resources.

Ollie Hazel is the active travel and cycling coordinator at Gloucestershire County Council. He said: “It’s a great way for schools to engage young people in sustainable travel.”

Hannah McDonnell, co-director of Gloucestershire community rail partnership, and one of Platform’s founding members, added: “This new rail education programme opens out the sustainability agenda in an applied, easy and relevant form for schools and educators. If you are involved in education, I can only recommend you take advantage of this fabulous and free offer.”

Following on from the launch, the team were straight to business last week, travelling to schools in Gloucestershire and North Somerset to deliver workshops on careers in the rail industry, rail safety, and a pre-travel workshop.