Education

Our education programme reaches students from primary and secondary schools throughout the Thames Water region. Whether playing our award-winning engineering game 'The Network Challenge', or finding out about saving water in the home and school, students have the opportunity to engage with our staff and enhance their learning in a lively and active way.

We have also delivered programmes working in partnership with key community and environmental organisations.

In May 2009, Thames Water volunteers spent a week at Hill End Residential and Field Study Centre, Oxfordshire, working with primary school pupils as part of the Groundwater Awareness Week. The pupils had great fun making fat balls for birds from household fat, which would otherwise clog up drains and sewers, and learning to spot the difference between the water-wise and water wasters' homes.

During the week, pupils also got the chance to visit Farmoor Reservoir to discover more about the water cycle. A particular highlight of the day was pond dipping and identifying the many mini-beasts found in the reservoir.

Throughout the year, our Network Challenge game continued to be in demand, with eight events in schools and community organisations across London and the Thames Valley.

Volunteers from across the company help stage our Network Challenge events.

Process Manager David Verrall chats to a young visitor at Reading Sewage Treatment Works.

Teams of students competed to design and build the most effective water network, while having to manage a number of problems along the way including leaks and disruption from the local carnival.

In Reading, a team of Thames Water volunteers worked with Central Berkshire Education Business Partnership to engage students as part of the Aim Higher initiative, which aims to increase participation in Higher Education among students.

As well as taking part in a Network Challenge event, the students also visited Reading Sewage Treatment Works and the nearby Fobney Water Treatment Works.

Through our Ten for Ten initiative, we have carried out initial investigations into building four new education centres on our operational sites. We hope these will become a valuable resource for out-of-classroom learning for schools across our area.