The Scottish Maritime Museum has today (Monday, December 2) announced a schools travel subsidy to help pupils with their studies.

Bosses at the popular tourist attraction want to increase the number of West Dunbartonshire schoolchildren participating in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) activities at the Museum.

Local authority primary schools are eligible for a travel subsidy of up to £250 towards private coach hire to the Museum in Dumbarton.

The scheme, which applies to visits between now and June 2020, is designed, in particular, to enable schools in areas of deprivation or rural isolation or without access to public transport, to take part in Curriculum for Excellence linked out-of-school STEM learning at the Scottish Maritime Museum.

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The Museum is accepting bookings for now until Summer 2020 but, as funding is offered on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, schools are urged to get in touch as soon as they can.

Teachers can call the Scottish Maritime Museum directly to register their interest, or via an online form on the Museum website.

The STEM programme at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Dumbarton, which is housed on the site of the former innovative William Denny Shipyard, is claimed to be "exciting and relevant for all ages".

Schools can choose from a range of bookable activities for Nursery to S3 kids, which includes bespoke staff-led guided tours and hands on workshops or self-led teacher trails.

Jamie Menzies, learning and access officer at the Scottish Maritime Museum, said:

“With a nationally recognised collection of maritime heritage and engineering, the Scottish Maritime Museum is an exciting and directly relatable place for schoolchildren to embrace STEM learning, in particular engineering and mathematics.

“We have great trails, workshops and a flexible programme which means schools can choose between activities led by trained staff or self-guided experiences.

“Our education team is also happy to develop bespoke sessions catered to an individual school’s needs.

“We’re excited to offer this travel subsidy and welcome more schoolchildren to the Museum, particularly those who have been unable to visit before due to prohibitive transport costs.”

The award-winning Scottish Maritime Museum is home to Scotland’s national maritime heritage collection.

Visitors can watch the Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank - the world’s first commercial tank - in action and discover the scientific and engineering innovations of the influential William Denny Shipyard.

They can also visit the new and interactive Engage, Experiment, Engineer gallery.

It is hoped that on their visit, pupils of all ages can get curious, creative and inspired by investigating local and national history, seeing STEM principles in action and handling real historical objects.

Further information on the Scottish Maritime Museum's education programme, including all the STEM experiences and outcomes, can be found online at scottishmaritimemuseum.org.