Spark Tees Valley

This video takes you through some of the key evidence and theory behind effective CRL implementation in primary. And we promise it isn’t long!

You can also download a ‘crib sheet’ of links and key ideas HERE

Spark Tees Valley

Spark Tees Valley

Spark Tees Valley

Spark Tees Valley

Not only was the development of the steam engine locomotive a huge leap forward in engineering, but it revolutionised the way that people lived their lives ever since. From increased urbanisation to the standardising of time, railways changed societies at a global level in a similar way to the development of the internet. These resources teach children why the railway was invented through to some of its impact. There are a range of resources for each stage:

• Main explanation video
• Comprehension
• Artefact focussed task
• Digital skills task (linked to Spark resources)
• An additional curriculum focussed task

The resources have not been written into a prescribed set of lessons; each school will have a different amount of time allocated to teach this. Instead, the resources offer teachers an opportunity to structure their time with the resources that best fit their needs.

A menu to choose from.

There is a teacher info button and five pages of resources, each linked from the hotspots below.

Click here to view the accessible version of this interactive content

And watch out for our next Challenge Day on 26th September 2025 celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the first journey. More free resources and an opportunity to focus your ‘railways’ work with schools across the country.

More info coming soon….

Spark Tees Valley

In Summary:

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a real-life health superhero? Meet Koi, a gentleman who works for the NHS in the UK as a screening practitioner. His job is to help keep grown-ups healthy by checking their insides to make sure everything is working properly.

Here is how Koi helps people every day:

• The Special Camera: Koi helps with a special test called a colonoscopy. This is when a tiny camera goes on a journey inside a person’s bottom to look all around their bowel. It sounds a bit funny, but it is a very important way to see inside the body!

• Finding “Tiny Lumps”: While the camera is looking around, Koi looks for things called polyps. These are tiny lumps that aren’t supposed to be there. If they are left alone for many years, they might turn into something “nasty” like cancer.

• Fixing Problems Fast: If Koi finds one of these tiny lumps, he can remove it right then and there so it can’t cause any trouble later on. If he finds something more serious, he makes sure the patient gets the right medicine and help as quickly as possible.

• Being a Kind Friend: Many people feel a bit nervous or “anxious” about having a camera look inside them. Koi’s big job is to talk to them, build trust, and make them feel brave and comfortable so they don’t have to worry.

From 8 years old, Koi always wanted to be a doctor because he loved science (even though he says he wasn’t very good at maths!). As he grew up, he decided to become a nurse in a country far away called the Philippines. Later, he moved to the UK to work in hospitals here. He has been learning and working in hospitals for over 12 years, but he says he is still learning new things every single day.

Koi says the most amazing part of his job is saving lives. He loves waking up every morning knowing that by the time he goes home, he has helped someone and made their life better.

Spark Tees Valley

In Summary:

Meet Julie! She works for the NHS (the health service in the UK) at a hospital. Her job is very special because she helps people stay healthy by stopping smoking or vaping.

Here is what Julie does and how she became a health hero:

• Helping People Feel Better: Julie says that wanting to smoke is like a medical condition that needs treatment, just like a broken leg or a cough. She leads a team that talks to people with kindness and understanding (this is called empathy) to help them quit.

• The Power of Help: Did you know that people are three times more likely to stop smoking if they have Julie and her team to help them?

• A Long Career Helping Babies: Before she had this job, Julie was a midwife for 22 years! A midwife is a person who helps mums when they are having a baby. She spent 10 years in the hospital delivering babies and 12 years visiting families in their homes.

• Why She Does It: Julie wants everyone to have a fair chance at being healthy, especially babies and families who live in areas where life can be a bit tougher.

• Big Changes from Small Chats: Julie says that just one small conversation can change a person’s life. When someone stops smoking:

    ◦ They recover faster if they have had an operation.

    ◦ They feel much better inside.

    ◦ Their mental health (how they feel in their minds) gets better.

    ◦ They live a longer, healthier life.

How Julie got her job: When Julie was in secondary school, she decided she wanted to help people. She went to Middlesbrough College to study health, which she says is a great place to start if you want to be a nurse, a paramedic, or a midwife.

Julie loves her job because she gets to see people’s lives improve every single day!

Spark Tees Valley

In Summary:

Meet Vicky! She has a very special job in the UK working for the NHS (National Health Service). Her job title is “Cancer Clinical Educator,” which is a brand-new role.

To help you understand what she does, here is a breakdown of her day:

• A Teacher for Doctors and Nurses: Even though doctors and nurses have already finished school, they still need to learn new things to be the best at their jobs. Vicky is like their teacher. She helps them learn new skills so they can take even better care of people who are sick with cancer.

• The “Practice Room”: Vicky uses a special place called a simulation suite. You can think of this as a practice room where staff can pretend to have difficult conversations or practice making big decisions. This helps them get ready before they talk to real patients.

• Talking is a Superpower: Vicky says the most important skill she uses is communication. She spends a lot of time talking and listening to different teams to find out what help they need and how they can make things better for their patients.

• Her Journey: Vicky didn’t start as a teacher! When she was younger, she volunteered with moms and their children. Later, she worked in a retirement village helping older people. She then went to university to become a nurse and worked in different parts of the hospital helping people before and after their operations.

• Why She Loves Her Job: Vicky loves getting to go out and meet all the different teams in the hospital. She says it is wonderful to see how passionate they are, which means they really, really care about the work they do to help others.

Spark Tees Valley

Meet Ellie! She is a production engineer apprentice, which means she works and goes to college to learn how to keep a factory running perfectly.

Here is what Ellie gets up to and why her job is brilliant:

• She keeps things moving: Ellie makes sure the production lines (where things are made) flow smoothly so nothing gets stuck or delayed.

• She designs on computers: She spends a lot of time doing 3D modelling and drawings on a computer to plan exactly where everything should go.

• She loved D&T at school: When she was at school, Ellie picked Design and Technology because she liked woodwork and using 3D printers. She also studied for a BTEC in manufacturing at college.

• She is very curious: Ellie has always wanted to know how things work. When she was younger, she spent four months looking at her bike to figure out exactly how the mechanics worked.

• She talks to her team: Ellie says the most important skill is communication. If her team doesn’t chat to each other when they change a plan, it can cause problems with the timings and slow the work down.

• Her favourite bit: She thinks it is “pretty cool” to design things on a computer and use a 3D printer to build them.

Think of Ellie’s job like being the architect of a giant, moving puzzle. She has to design the pieces on a computer and make sure they all fit together perfectly so the whole factory moves exactly the way it should without crashing.

Spark Tees Valley

Meet Arthur Phillips, who works as an electronic design apprentice. This means he is learning how to be an engineer while he works at his job.

Arthur spends a lot of his time having meetings with other engineers to decide what work needs to be done. His main task is working with test equipment to design machines and make them better. He tries to make these machines faster, more reliable, and easier for people to use.

According to Arthur, you need two special skills to be good at his job:

• Forward Thinking: You need to think a few steps ahead. Problems can happen very fast, so he tries to solve them before new ones pop up.

• Confidence: You have to believe in yourself so you aren’t too worried about making mistakes.

Arthur first got interested in engineering at school because he had a really good teacher. Later, he went to college to learn how to be an electrician (someone who installs lights and wires), but he decided he liked engineering more because it was more fun and he could learn more. The best part of his job is meeting new people and trying out different tasks to see what he is good at.

Spark Tees Valley

In Summary:

Meet Jennie! Jennie has a very cool job- she is the Head of Creative at a company called Resolution.

Here is what it’s like to do her job:

• Making things look great: Jennie’s job is to look after a “brand.” This means she makes sure that everything a company shows to the world- like their website, social media, and posters- looks the same and looks professional. She even helps create the “look” for new companies that don’t even exist yet!

• Working with cool technology: Jennie works in an office at a desk. She uses a Mac computer because they are specially made to help creative people work faster. She uses special computer programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. Today, she is using a program called Adobe After Effects to make animations, like a logo that pops out and moves on the screen.

• The “Superpowers” you need:

    ◦ Patience: Jennie says this is very important! When you start drawing or designing, it doesn’t always look good right away. You have to be patient and wait for the best ideas to come to you as you work.

    ◦ Creativity: This is the ability to come up with a brand-new idea from nothing.

• How she started: When Jennie was a little “tot,” her mum used to give her cardboard boxes with swirls drawn on them. Her mum would tell her to colour in every space with a different pattern or colour using pens and pencils. This helped her learn how to always come up with different ideas.

• School and University: In secondary school, Jennie was lucky because she got to study Graphic Design. She loved it so much that she went to art school (the Northern School of Art) and then to Teesside University to keep learning.

Jennie’s favourite part of her job is working with a team of people who think just like she does and finding new, exciting ways to solve problems every day.