Navy News
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Naval officers go back to school
4 November 2016
Royal Navy Officers recently took time out from their System Engineering and Management Course (SEMC) at HMS Collingwood, Fareham to help Stoke Park Infant School.
The team of 6 worked under the direction of the school site manager and got stuck into their 2 day mission to renovate parts of the school grounds in Bishopstoke, Eastleigh.
This included renewing 3 overgrown and neglected areas across the site.
With the school’s overgrown vegetable patch once a popular part of the site for pupils and teachers alike, the officers were on hand to assist the school to re-introduce this educational and interactive feature.
The team were also tasked with painting and maintaining 2 play areas within the school, overall creating an enhanced outdoor area for the pupils.
These sorts of projects really encompass what the Royal Navy is all about and on a more local level, having the chance to enhance the material state of Stoke Park infant school proved both a privilege and a firm test of the Officers' management skills.
The day also allowed the Officers to interact with the infants and staff, assisting in games lessons and getting involved in the school’s extreme reading project – promoting weird and wonderful ways to read. Getting involved with community projects, such as this, makes a welcome relief from the rigours of engineering management.
These projects are one way for personnel from the establishment to engage and offer support with different organisation’s initiatives.
One of the team members, Sub Lieutenant Andrew Sinclair, commented “These sorts of projects really encompass what the Royal Navy is all about and on a more local level, having the chance to enhance the material state of Stoke Park infant school proved both a privilege and a firm test of the Officers' management skills.
"However for some reason the infants were consistently amazed as to why our overalls were so white and clean!”
Following their contributions to Stoke Park Infant School, the SEMC students are back in the classroom at HMS Collingwood, as they prepare for their forthcoming assignments as Weapon Engineering Managers at sea.