Kings International College and Glyn Technology School will be ‘adding up’ with a difference on Friday 10th June as 35 pupils will head to Sandown Park Racecourse to take part in the Racing to School programme, an initiative devised and developed by The British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust (BHEST) which sees the classroom brought to life.

The day’s activities, led by BHEST Executive Director Judith Allen and Lead Education Officer Ollie McPhail, start with an exclusive tour of the weighing room and a detailed insight into a jockey’s preparation prior to a raceday which provides an excellent backdrop for some practical maths tasks. This is followed up by a series of learning activities in the paddock and on the course itself helping the pupils to see how their school subjects can be applied in the real world.

The British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust was set up in 1993 as a charity and company limited by guarantee and is a government-recognised Awarding Body for a range of qualifications in racing, breeding, equine and farriery industries. Racing to School is a scheme developed to open horse racing to a new, young audience through the use of exciting and informative educational activities based on the National Curriculum.

Since its inception in 2000 Racing to School has grown from strength to strength, enjoying rapid expansion, enthusiastic participation by schools and racing alike, with excellent feedback from teachers, pupils and others in the education sector.

The programme currently runs activities for more than 10,000 schoolchildren of all ages annually, covering a range of school subjects. It allows young people to become more aware of the industry both as a spectator sport and a potential career path as well as creating meaningful, stimulating and innovative ways of providing learning opportunities.