INTEREST is building in a pioneering scheme which has turned pupils at a Rother Valley school into young engineers.

Pupils at Rogate Primary School have become the first outside London to take part in the ‘Evolution’ project. The Rolls Royce-funded scheme aims to introduce primary school pupils to engineering by getting them to make working models using smaller replicas of components and materials used in real life.

The ASSMBLR kit which pupils used was devised and created by Rogate parent and former Imperial College worker Richard Palfrey.

He also managed to get the Royal Albert Hall and Cirque du Soleil on board so teachers and pupils could get a better understanding of stage mechanics. They used their newfound knowledge of engineering to build a model replica of the London landmark building complete with working parts.