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Increase awareness in schools about operational research, develop enrichment resources, and engage pupils in math activities. The program will involve ambassadors spending time in local secondary schools, focusing on GCSE level with the long-term goal of boosting A-level maths enrollment. The initiative aims to address challenges like low GCSE mathematics grades and inspire students to pursue mathematical education and OR-related careers. Feedback from ambassadors and schools has been positive, indicating increased mathematical confidence and enthusiasm for the program. The initiative also benefits the OR Society by creating new educational resources and establishing valuable connections with schools for ongoing collaboration. Key activity areas include bin packing, queueing theory, critical path analysis, graph theory, scheduling, and game theory. Ambassadors receive training and support to deliver engaging lessons tailored to their schools' needs. The initiative plans to continue expanding its reach and impact through university partnerships and undergraduate involvement.
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Operational Research Ambassadors in Schools Noel-Ann Bradshaw, Paul Harper, Vincent Knight and Louise Orpin
OR in Schools - Visibility of OR: raiseawareness in schools - OR in Schools Taskforce and Education Officer
Wider maths issues • Half of those taking GCSE mathematics do not achieve grades A*- C • Desire to increase the numbers of pupils taking A-level maths • Recent initiatives (More Maths Grads etc)
The pilot scheme • 5 ambassadors • 5-6 weeks in local secondary schools (from early June) • Development of enrichment resources • Initial focus on GCSE
One-day training session (ambassadors, university supervisors, Louise & Sue de Pomerai)
Example resources • Bin Packing and linear programming (theatre booking) • Queueing Theory (theme parks & festivals) • Critical Path Analysis (cooking bolognaise) • Graphs and matching algorithms (sports) • Scheduling (swimming gala) • Prim’s and Kruskal’s algorithms • The travelling salesperson problem • Game theory
Feedback & impact:ambassadors “Being able to work with in partnership with the school was extremely beneficial, in that we were able to acknowledge the different ways teachers taught their lessons and use/slightly alter some of their ideas and methods in our lesson plans. This all helped to make our lesson plans much better.” • Progression to PGCE (Greenwich ambassador) • Confirmation of desire to be a teacher (Cardiff year 2 ambassador)
Feedback & impact: schools “Very pleased to have been involved in the project; our pupils have gained mathematical confidence as a result.” • Enthusiastic and supportive • Benefit from pool of resources • Desire to be involved again
Impact for the ORS • New resources for OR in Schools programme • Links with schools • Project to continue with wider university and undergraduate involvement • Ultimately, more teachers and young people aware of OR
