9-year old Oldham schoolboy scoops one of the top honours in primary schools challenge

Date published: 19 November 2018


Liam Hunt, 9, from St Mary’s CE Primary School in High Crompton, Shaw has been announced as a winner of Make Your World Bigger 2018, a video challenge designed to keep children learning during the summer holidays.

Organised by Discovery Education, the competition encourages pupils to join a 30-day film adventure, watching a daily Discovery video clip to learn something new. Nearly 8000 pupils took part in the 2018 challenge, which is now in its third year. 

Answering questions along the way, and enjoying fun activities such as den building and stargazing, Make Your World Bigger encourages children to be curious about the world around them using films about geography, technology and space to spark their imagination.

Liam was one of 10 national winners, and was presented with his prize at a special school assembly. Liam received a huge Discovery goody bag, packed with fun gifts and gadgets including a VR headset, telescope, butterfly garden and more.

Liam said: “I enjoyed watching the videos for the competition - there were lots of cool things to learn! I liked learning about the great white shark, weather problems and musical instruments.”

His teacher Suzanne Corless said: “Liam is really pleased with his prizes - especially the shark and the volcano making kit. We’re learning about volcanoes in class this term, so it’s great that Liam can share this with his classmates.”

Susanna Goldschmidt, Head of Publishing at Discovery Education said: “Make Your World Bigger encourages children to keep learning and achieving during the long summer break - and to do so while having fun!

"We were delighted with the number of entries we received this year. It’s great to see that these exciting films can inspire children to broaden their horizons and explore the world around them.”

The Make Your World Bigger film clips were drawn from Discovery Education Espresso’s digital learning service – an award-winning platform used by over 1.8 million pupils across the UK.

Featuring spectacular video content from some of Discovery’s best-known channels, such as Animal Planet and Discovery Science, the service helps teachers to meet curriculum goals, while inspiring pupils with curiosity about the world around them.

Schools interested in a free trial of the Discovery Education Espresso service can request one here.