AN £8,000 boost has been given to two Central Fife schools to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects.

The donation was provided to Beath High and Lochgelly High by ExxonMobil’s Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP) and will be used to invest in activities and equipment.

Six smart boards have been bought and installed at Beath High, which are hoped to make lessons more fun and interactive for pupils.

Martin Darling, principal teacher of business and IT, said: "As a school we were absolutely delighted to receive such a significant investment from FEP.

"We want our young people to learn in the best environment with the best resources that prepare them to go on to a positive destination that is right for them.

"These SMART panels will allow a more interactive learning experience for our young people."

Lochgelly High has used its donation to help towards the costs of STEM related school trips which were put on hold during the pandemic and to buy equipment for its new plastic moulding machine.

Steven Heggie, Principal Teacher of STEM, said: "ExxonMobil’s funding of these STEM trips for our young people will help them to engage in activities at places like science fairs and museums with various partner companies.

"The aim of these trips is to try to engage more of our young people in STEM subjects and they will be targeted at pupils aged 11-14."

Three Fife schools - St Columba's in Dunfermline, Beath, and Lochgelly - were all given funding as main link schools to the Mossmorran plant.

Martin Burrell, Plant Manager at FEP, said: "We are always looking to encourage more pupils to consider engineering as a career and we hope these will help with the subjects which promote such careers.

"Who knows, maybe some of these pupils could become our engineers of the future."