As the new term begins, the STEM Community is here with a fresh mix of CPD, competitions, live events, and resources to support your teaching and bring a little fun along the way.

What to expect this term:

  • September: Back to school tips, coding week and the launch of AI Sprints Season 2.

  • October: Focus on inclusion with Black History Month, SEND support, and World Space Week. Plus, Mole Day and Halloween fun.

  • November: Oracy in STEM, Chemistry Week, and AI Sprints Episode 2 on student voice and equity.

  • December: Festive favourites, technician spotlights, and our final AI Sprint of the year.

Keep an eye on the activity feed on the homepage and join the conversation in your groups!

FREE New Micro CPD Course! 

What's going on... Hot topics and discussions on the STEM Community: 

Focus of the Month: Oracy, the Digital Divide and AI Equity

Weekly news round up: 18/11/25

Focus of the Month: Oracy and Scientific Literacy – Giving Pupils a Voice in Science

Weekly news round up: 11/11/25

Larry Lamb back to school

Focus of the Month: How do you build oracy into STEM?

Focus of the Month: What will you be when involved in learning activities?

Focus of the Month: Double Disadvantage – when poverty and SEND collide

Focus of the Month: SEND in Mainstream Education

Focus of the Month: Inclusion with Explorify

NEW: AI Micro CPD 'Teaching AI Responsibly' - Fully funded (FREE)

Physics Teacher Shortage: the role of Continuing Professional Development

This month our Focus of the Month is all about Oracy in STEM.

When pupils talk about their thinking, they make stronger connections, question ideas and explain what they know. Oracy helps every learner find their voice in STEM — from describing what they see in an experiment to debating which evidence best supports a claim.

We’d love to hear from you:

  • How do you use talk to support learning in your classroom?

  • What works well when helping pupils explain or justify their ideas?

  • Have you noticed a difference when oracy is built in?

Read our focus of the month blog here: https://community.stem.org.uk/blogs/tim-bradbury1/2025/11/03/focus-of-the-month-oracy-in-stem
Join the discussion here: https://community.stem.org.uk/discussion/how-do-you-build-oracy-into-stem

Resource highlights:

Published a month in advance on the STEM Community Featured resources pages! 

World Space Week - 4 to 10 October 2025 - https://www.stem.org.uk/cxhbrc

Biology Week - 11 to 19 October 2025 - https://www.stem.org.uk/cxhrh6

Ada Lovelace Day - 14 October 2025 - https://www.stem.org.uk/cxhbrf

Halloween! - 31 Oct 2025 - https://www.stem.org.uk/cxhe64

Green careers week – 3rd to 8th November 2025 - https://www.stem.org.uk/cxhren

Tomorrow's Engineers Week - 10 to 14 November 2025 - https://community.stem.org.uk/blogs/tim-bradbury1/2025/10/23/tomorrows-engineers-week-2025-dare-to-discover

Chemistry Week - 10th to 16th November 2025 - https://www.stem.org.uk/cxhtmo

National Tree Week - 22nd - 30th November 2025 - https://www.stem.org.uk/cxhfje

For more featured resources check out this page: 

https://community.stem.org.uk/browse/featuredresources

CPD Highlights:

Technicians supporting KS3 & KS4 physics - 1 Dec 2025: https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/542791/technicians-supporting-ks3-ks4-physics

Teaching the triple science biology module - 2 Dec 2025: https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/ondemand/543489/teaching-triple-science-biology-module

Supporting students to access GCSE science - 9 Dec 2025: https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/543214/supporting-students-access-gcse-science

Leading secondary science - 9 Dec 2025: https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/542967/leading-secondary-science

Ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) - 9 Dec 2025: https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/543714/ethical-use-artificial-intelligence-ai

Reaching for grade 9 in science - 17 Dec 2025: https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/542792/reaching-grade-9-science

Skills for new technicians - zero to hero in 5 days - 12 Jan 2026 (5 day residential): https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/542875/skills-new-technicians-zero-hero-5-days

New to teaching GCSE physics - 12 Feb 2026: https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/ondemand/539291/new-teaching-gcse-physics

AI Sprints Season 2 is now live

Season 1 of AI Sprints brought trusted voices together for live, classroom-first conversations on AI—covering intentional leadership, trustworthy assessment (and its limits), equity and the “third digital divide,” and practical wins such as AI-supported feedback loops and SEND-friendly tools.

The key message for teachers was clear: keep the human firmly in the loop, teach critical AI literacy, use evidence, and apply AI where it clearly improves learning—safely, fairly, and with professional judgement at the centre.

You can still catch up on all Season 1 sessions on demand and take ready-to-use ideas straight into your classroom.

Watch on-demand Register here

Check out our conferences...

Applications now open for summer 2026 Research Placements

Following the success of this year’s placements, applications are now open for students interested in taking part next summer. The Research Placements programme gives students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in STEM research, working alongside expert mentors on innovative projects.

To find out more and apply, visit: https://www.stem.org.uk/placements

We've launched a new STEM Ambassador booking platform - Click here to learn how to request a STEM Ambassador to attend your lesson or event:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/educatorygl-training-for-the-new-platform-4417053

'I'm a Mathematician' for Primary

Bring maths to life with I'm a Mathematician. In enjoyable, text-based Chats, students connect with people using maths every day, in their work and beyond. Students see real-world value in their learning beyond the classroom. Sign up: imamathematician.uk/signup/t/sa/

This Green Careers Week (3 to 8 November)

Help your students see where science can take them. In online I'm a Scientist Chats, students connect with people working in STEM, to explore careers that tackle global challenges. Sign up: imascientist.org.uk/signup/t/sa/

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STEM Learning Subscriptions

Plan for the new school year with a STEM Learning CPD Subscription—unlimited CPD, conferences, and network meetings for your school or Trust: 

https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd-subscriptions