Young Engineers Take the Wheel: Mead Vale Pupils Build Their Own Go‑Kart
By Schools Correspondent
What began as a playful suggestion in The Cottage, Mead Vale Primary School’s Nurture Hub, soon shifted gears into an ambitious hands‑on engineering project for a small group of Year 3 and 4 pupils.
The idea? To build a fully functioning go‑kart from scratch.
With no tools, no safety equipment and no carpentry experience, but an abundance of enthusiasm, the group embraced the challenge head‑on.
Thanks to generous donations from Screwfix and Travis Perkins, the team was quickly equipped with the essentials they needed to bring their plan to life.
Just as momentum was building, a welcome helping hand appeared. A skilled volunteer, known to the children simply as Mike, offered his expertise and became the project’s guiding force. Under his careful instruction, children learned to use a range of real tools safely, including a saw, sanding blocks, a hand drill, a screwdriver and a spanner.
Each child made their own sanding block and took on meaningful roles in the construction process, gaining practical experience and a new sense of confidence along the way.
When the go‑kart was finally completed, the group carried out a full risk assessment together before proudly taking their creation for its first test drive.
The result was not only a sturdy, impressive kart, but also a powerful lesson in teamwork, courage, problem‑solving and determination.
The Cottage team said they were “incredibly proud” of the childrens’ efforts.
“It’s amazing what you can achieve with positivity, and a little help from your friends.”
The gleaming wooden go‑kart now stands as a testament to what young minds can accomplish when they’re given the space to explore, experiment and believe in their own abilities.
