A donation from Full Fibre broadband provider Fibrus will help to educate a new generation of engineers, scientists and technicians across the Furness peninsula.

The company has donated £1,000 to Penny Bridge School to help fund new laptops for pupils as part of the school’s focus on STEM learning.

The funding was awarded through the Fibrus Community Fund, delivered in partnership with Cumbria Community Foundation,and will contribute towards a new set of 30 laptops for use across the school at Greenodd, near Ulverston.

Simon Brock of the Friends of Penny Bridge School, who leads grant fundraising for the school, said the technology would make a significant difference to pupils aged between five and 11.

“The school has about a 20 percent deficit in funding, which is a common theme in most schools,” he said.

“One of the big things about the schools in the Furness Peninsula, really from Penny Bridge right down to Barrow, is that they are STEM schools.”

Simon explained that the area’s strong links to engineering and advanced manufacturing, including BAE Systems in Barrow, make science, technology, engineering and maths an important part of education locally.

“There’s a big part of the teaching, both in primary and secondary, that goes into that,” he said. 

“There are STEM festivals that take place throughout the yearand it’s a really important part of children’s development that they gain those additional skills, particularly when so many are likely to go on to work within BAE or its feeder industries.

“It’s such a significant employer in the area, and it’s expected tobring another 20,000 employees into the region within the next 10 years.”

The Friends of Penny Bridge School were asked to prioritise sourcing funding for laptops after the school identified a need for improved technology but lacked the budget to purchase it directly.

The donation from Fibrus will now help support a leasing scheme designed to provide higher specification devices that will last longer and benefit pupils for years to come.

“We’re going for a higher-spec laptop than we could have got otherwise,” Simon said.

“So it’s not just a single year group of pupils that will use them, , they’ll be passed on.”

The laptops will allow entire classes to access STEM-specific software and develop skills that can support future learning at secondary schools in the area and eventually local apprenticeships and careers.

“Those software programmes can really give them the grounding of the skills which will then continue to be taught to them at secondary school and hopefully beyond that into apprenticeships in the area as well,” Simon added.

Simon, whose eldest child attends Penny Bridge School, said the funding application process had been straightforward thanks to the involvement of Cumbria Community Foundation.

“Having the Community Foundation as the administrators of the Fibrus money has made it a really slick process because they’re such a good organisation to deal with.”

Linda McMillan, Chief People Officer at Fibrus, said: “As a technology company ourselves, we are passionate about supporting the communities where we live and work, and we know how important it is that young people develop the skills they need for the future.

“Penny Bridge School’s focus on STEM education reflects the opportunities developing across the Furness peninsula, particularly within engineering, manufacturing and advanced technology industries.

“We are delighted that this funding will help provide high-quality laptops that can be used by pupils for years to come and help inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists and technicians.”