Drax Power Station educational visit
Visit Drax Power Station and immerse your students in the fascinating world of energy generation.
The Neon quality mark shows this activity has been reviewed and meets Neon's quality standards.
Overview
Drax Power Station provides the most renewable power of any single location in the UK. It generates 11% of the UK’s renewable energy or enough electricity to power the equivalent of four million homes.
The tour of Drax Power Station offers a captivating and educational experience free-of-charge, enabling all pupils to immerse themselves in the fascinating world of energy generation.
The Station has 4 operational boilers, as high as a 15-storey office block, a main chimney taller than the London Eye, and over 1,200 miles of steel tubing. Enough to stretch from John O’Groats to Land’s End and back again. It’s a site etched on the local landscape since 1974.
Visitors will gain valuable insights into the intricate energy generation process employed at Drax, witnessing first-hand how electricity is produced on a massive scale. They will also learn about the role biomass plays in ensuring energy security and renewable power, as well as a look into Drax's BECCS project all about the future of carbon dioxide removal. This project will help tackle climate change, foster a cleaner, more sustainable energy landscape and create thousands of green energy jobs over the next 10 years.
Educational tours of Drax Power Station shine a light on the employment opportunities in the energy sector by showcasing the diverse careers within the power station, from engineers to technicians. The visit will inspire learners to consider engineering as a viable and rewarding career path.
Cost and logistics
This activity is free, and primary school groups are capped at 40 students (including teachers).
Monday to Friday from 10am, with the last tour departing at 1pm.
Tours take approximately 2 to 2.5 hours.
There is an option to extend the tour to a full day, which includes a visit to the Skylark Centre, an on-site nature reserve where learning can range from exploring the local ecology, to learning more about the power generation process.
Details
- Curriculum links
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- Physics: Electricity and electromagnetism
- Physics: Matter
- Engineering
- Sciences - Forces, electricity and waves: Electricity
- Sciences - Materials
- Technologies - Craft, design, engineering and graphics: Application of engineering
- Physics: Electricity
- Chemistry: Material properties
- Design thinking and engineering: Engineering
- Sciences - Forces and energy: Using electricity
- Technology & design - Control: Incorporate control systems in products
- Sciences - Chemical and material behaviour
- Technology & design - Control
- Group size
- Small groups, Whole class
- Participation level
- Hands-on
- Duration
- Half day
- Dates
- 5 March 2024 – 5 March 2028
- Cost
- Free
- Location
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Offsite
- Drax Power Station, Selby
Learning outcomes
- Improve engagement, interest or enjoyment in STEM subjects
- Attainment and progress
- Learning what the engineering workplace is like
- Develop engineering employability skills
- Improve awareness and aspirations for STEM-related study and careers
- Challenge stereotypes by showing the diversity of disciplines, people and skills involved in engineering
Frameworks
EqualEx
- Introduce and Inspire
- Investigate and Explore
Essential skills
The essential skills every young person needs to succeed in education and their future career. Find out more at the Skills Builder Partnership. This experience builds the following skills:
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Enrichment framework
- 5 - An accessible and engagement enrichment offer
- 6 - An enrichment offer that works in partnership
- 7 - An outcomes-focused enrichment offer