From curious hands to future fixers: Kent County Council brings repair into the classroom

Children use electronic products every day. But how often do they get the chance to open one up, find the fault and bring it back to life?

Through Kent County Council’s partnership with Team Repair, pupils across Kent did exactly that. Using specially designed games consoles and remote-control cars to build practical STEM and repair skills and confidence.

Impact at a Glance

Through Kent County Council's partnership with Team Repair, 3596 young people had taken part during 25/26. Using training gadgets designed by Team Repair to simulate real electronic products and common faults, pupils learned to disassemble, diagnose and repair devices in a safe, structured setting. Delivery was organised across six clusters in Kent. Students feedback came from 36 schools, with pupils completing 1,807 repairs on Team Repair-designed training gadgets.

For pupils, the result was much more than successfully completing the repair:

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At Bromstone Primary, one teacher said the children “felt like real engineers”, adding that they referred back to the experience in later science lessons. Sholden CEP School described the sessions as “brilliant”, with pupils “totally engaged” by the challenge of diagnosing a simulated fault. The same enthusiasm appeared elsewhere. Sholden CEP School described the sessions as “brilliant”, with pupils “totally engaged” as they worked through troubleshooting challenges.

That confidence did not stop at the classroom door. Dartford Grammar School reported that some pupils left planning to repair their own faulty gaming devices at home - a sign that the session had begun to shift how they thought about products that stop working.

The programme is learning from every classroom too. Teacher feedback has already informed the next phase of the programme, including more accessible reading options, clearer preparation guidance and strengthened component quality checks.

The Kent County Council partnership shows that the circular economy does not have to remain an abstract classroom topic. Pupils experience it through the product itself: a gadget designed for repeated repair, recovery and reuse. By opening the device, tracing a simulated fault and restoring its function, students practise the same thinking they can later apply to real products. Because Team Repair collects and resets every kit, the lesson continues travelling from school to school.

Help more young people discover their STEM potential.

Partner with Team Repair to bring hands-on STEM, repair skills to schools and communities, contact partners@team.repair.

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