A University of Nottingham-led project has been awarded funding to bring 3D design and printing into hospital education for children and young people in England.
The award comes from a Royal Society Science Community Grant and the Julia Rausing Trust. Its purpose is to widen access to STEM subjects for pupils who attend specialist schools because of complex health needs or long stays in hospital.
The work runs for three years in collaboration with the National Association for Hospital Education (NAHE), with engineers and scientists from universities around the country lending support. The emphasis is on training staff in 3D design and printing so they can run practical projects themselves.
Printers, training and a showcase
- An initial 25 schools will each receive a 3D printer.
- A national training programme led by Nottingham, with support from local partner universities, accompanies the equipment.
- The programme runs across a term in coordinated sessions built around user-centred design.
- It ends with a showcase event; students begin by examining their own surroundings to find product designs that could work better for them.
Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, said schools are where most people first encounter science, and that practical work lets students go through the scientific process, weigh evidence and understand uncertainty. Embedding more practical science, he said, is an important step towards building future scientists and a scientifically literate public.
Professor Ruth Goodridge, who leads the project, said children who spend long spells in hospital or attend specialist schools often miss the hands-on STEM experiences their peers take for granted. Hospital school staff report that illness can shrink a child's world, with disrupted education, anxiety and low confidence affecting engagement. 3D printing, she said, offers an accessible and rewarding way to develop skills, solve problems and make something tangible, giving a real sense of achievement when much of life may feel beyond their control, and for many a sight of new possibilities for the future.
The NIHR HealthTech Research Centre for Rehabilitation, led by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, is partnering with the project to explore how 3D printing could support children's rehabilitation and recovery after serious illness or injury.
Stephen Deadman of NAHE said the project gives children who cannot access traditional school vital skills and rare hands-on experience with specialist equipment, and that working together within and between schools adds a sense of community and shared achievement.