MORE than 3,100 children under 12 in 50 neighbouring schools will learn the ABC of exports in the new Heathrow Airport Primary School Challenge.

Students from five boroughs surrounding Heathrow – Ealing, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Slough and Spelthorne – will learn about the airport’s hidden world of cargo, and how Heathrow, as the country’s biggest port by value, helps in exporting tons of fresh salmon, jewellery, machinery and medicines to 180-plus destinations.

To apply their lessons, students will then use the computer programme Scratch to code their own cargo journey, to get goods from planes to their chosen destination.  

Besides introducing them to the world of international trade, the Scratch programme will also strengthen the Year 6 students’ science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills that are essential for a future British workforce.

The Primary School Challenge will take place throughout October.

The airport’s head of economic development, Sundeep Sangha, said: “Heathrow is working with local primary schools to ensure children have a positive bank of memories, skills and experiences to use when they are ready to get into the world of work.

“And, with 40,000 additional local jobs and up to 10,000 apprenticeships created through Heathrow’s expansion and additional runway, there will be a huge opportunity for them to start their career with us.”