Members' Blogs

Weekly news round up: 24/03/26

By Tim Bradbury posted 12 hours ago

The Week in Education: What mattered for STEM teachers 18–24 March 2026 • UK education, STEM-first (but not STEM-only) A teacher-facing long-read bringing together key stories (duplicates removed) and translating them into classroom and departmental implications for science, maths, computing and DT. 1) “Crisis of truth” in classrooms: conspiracy theories, misinformation and AI deepfakes This was the standout “learning culture” story of the week: Schools Week reported that pupils are increasingly bringing conspiracy theories and misinformation into school, with staff in focus groups describing examples tied to current affairs and online narratives. ...

Focus of the month: AI and the environment: a conversation worth having in schools

By Tim Bradbury posted 5 days ago

AI is everywhere at the moment. We are talking about it in relation to workload, planning, assessment, creativity, feedback and the future of teaching. But one question is coming up more and more often and it is one we cannot ignore, ' What is the environmental impact of AI?' That was the focus of the latest STEM Community Live: AI Sprints session , where Alex More was joined by Rita Bateson, Stephen Taylor and Mark Langley for a thoughtful discussion about what sits behind the apparently effortless experience of using AI tools. While AI can feel instant, easy and invisible, the systems powering it are anything but. Looking beyond the prompt When ...

Neurodiversity Celebration Week: building belonging in computing

By Tim Bradbury posted 6 days ago

As part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week , it is a timely reminder that inclusive practice does not just benefit some learners, it improves computing education for all. At the first I Belong Conference, held on 11 March 2026, educators, leaders and experts came together to explore how every young person can feel a genuine sense of belonging in computing. Across keynote presentations, workshops and panel discussions, one message came through clearly: inclusion needs to be designed in from the start. The conference explored practical approaches to supporting learners with a wide range of needs, including neurodiverse learners, through thoughtful curriculum ...

Uncover the stories behind maths: enter the BSHM Schools Prize 2025–26

By Tim Bradbury posted 7 days ago

Maths is full of stories, and some of the most interesting ones sit well beyond the pages of a textbook. That is what makes the British Society for the History of Mathematics (BSHM) Schools Prize 2025–26 such a strong opportunity to share with students. Open to schools in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the competition has two age categories: 11–15 and 16–19. This year’s theme is Ethnomathematics, inviting students to explore mathematical ideas, patterns and practices found in traditional cultures and communities, particularly those that sit outside the usual boundaries of school mathematics. That could include weaving, carving, design, navigation, ...

Weekly news round up: 17/03/26

By Tim Bradbury posted 7 days ago

The Week in Education: What mattered for STEM teachers 11–17 March 2026 • UK education, STEM-first (but not STEM-only) A quick-to-skim long-read for busy teachers: the headlines, what they mean in science/maths/computing/DT classrooms, and a few prompts to take into department time. Duplicate coverage has been consolidated. 1) SEND pressure points: private provision costs, and what “capacity” really means The SEND reform debate moved from “what should the system do?” to “what can the system actually sustain?” this week. Schools Week published an investigation into the rising costs of private special school provision, reporting councils are paying ...

Techognition 2026: celebrating the technicians who make learning possible

By Sarah Atkinson posted 12 days ago

Behind every brilliant practical, every smoothly run lesson, the equipment’s that’s ready before anyone asks. The room that’s safe, stocked, and somehow still standing by Friday. The “can I just have…?” moments that turn into miracles, and “how did you do that?” there’s usually a technician making it happen On Friday 13 March 2026 , technicians across the UK are taking part in #TECHOGNITION #TECHOGNITION is a UK-wide celebration spotlighting the skills, dedication, care and essential work carried out by technical support staff in schools and college, labs, workshops, preproom, classrooms, ICT suites, design and technology (and far beyond) in schools ...

British Science Week 2026: spark curiosity and turn questions into action

By Tim Bradbury posted 14 days ago

British Science Week 2026: spark curiosity and turn questions into action British Science Week 2026 runs from 6 to 15 March , and it is a brilliant excuse to put big questions centre stage in your classroom. This year’s theme, Curiosity: what’s your question? , is a strong prompt for getting learners to notice more, ask more and explore more, whether through science, computing, engineering, maths or careers linked to STEM. For teachers, that does not have to mean planning a huge event or collapsing the timetable. British Science Week can be as simple as choosing one strong activity, building a lesson around a question that grabs your learners, or using ...

Weekly news round up: 10/3/26

By Tim Bradbury posted 14 days ago

The Week in Education: What mattered for STEM teachers 4–10 March 2026 • UK education, STEM-first (but not STEM-only) 1) Staffing and pay: the maths is getting tighter (and support staff are key) This week’s workforce story came in two layers. First, modelling shared by government suggests mainstream schools can only afford a modest pay rise under current funding plans. Second, separate analysis flags that support staff turnover is at record levels — and that’s not a “nice to have” issue. In STEM, teaching assistants and technicians are often the difference between safe practicals, smooth inclusion and “we’ll do this as a demo because we don’t have ...

World Water Day and International Women’s Day: a timely sustainability link

By Tim Bradbury posted 15 days ago

World Water Day: linking sustainability, water and gender Our Focus of the Month for March is Sustainability , and World Water Day on 22 March gives us a brilliant opportunity to explore that theme with learners in a way that is timely, relevant and rooted in real-world issues. This year, there is also a particularly powerful link to make with International Women’s Day , which took place yesterday on 8 March. While World Water Day helps us explore the environmental side of sustainability, it also reminds us that sustainability is not just about protecting the planet. It is also about fairness, access and equity. That link feels especially important ...

Three new opportunities from the Royal Society of Biology

By Tim Bradbury posted 19 days ago

Three new opportunities from the Royal Society of Biology (RSB): grants, photography and Biology Week 2026 If you’re looking for practical ways to bring biology to life, the Royal Society of Biology has shared three opportunities worth popping in your diary. From a student-led outreach day (with grant support), to two photography competitions with cash prizes, to an extended Biology Week in October, there’s something here for classrooms, enrichment, and whole-school celebration. 1) RSB Gopher Science Lab day grants for schools State-funded secondary schools in the UK (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) can apply to host a Gopher Science Lab ...

National Careers Week (2–7 March 2026): help students “own their future” through STEM

By Tim Bradbury posted 19 days ago

National Careers Week (2–7 March 2026): help students “own their future” through STEM National Careers Week (NCW) runs from Monday 2 March to Saturday 7 March 2026 and is a UK-wide moment to spotlight career pathways, build aspiration, and help young people take practical next steps. If you’re short on time, the easiest “quick win” is to drop a short career video into your lesson and use it as a springboard: What skills does this role need? Which topics link to today’s learning? What routes could someone take (A levels, T Levels, apprenticeships, university)? Explore the STEM Learning National Careers Week collection What’s in the STEM Learning ...

Focus of the Month: Sustainability: How Explorify Can Help Primary Schools Deliver Climate and Sustainability Education

By Sarah Dagnell posted 19 days ago

How Explorify Can Help Primary Schools Deliver Climate and Sustainability Education Why This Matters in Primary Science Climate education is becoming an increasingly important part of what we do in primary science, not simply because policy points us in that direction, but because children are so aware of the world they are growing up in. Many already carry quiet worries about climate change, pollution or threatened species. As primary teachers, we have a duty to make sure the information they receive is accurate, age-appropriate and genuinely grounded in science. Explorify , with its rich range of activities, has become a really helpful support here. ...

Weekly news round up: 03/3/26

By Tim Bradbury posted 21 days ago

The Week in Education: What mattered for STEM teachers 25 Feb 2026 – 3 Mar 2026 • UK education, STEM-first (but not STEM-only) This is a practical, teacher-facing digest: what happened, why it matters in classrooms (especially science, maths, computing and DT), and a few prompts you can take into department time. Duplicate coverage has been consolidated. 1) SEND reforms: the “experts at hand” idea meets capacity, workload and reality This week felt like the SEND reforms moved from “policy announcement” into “implementation questions”. A key theme across outlets: the ambition is huge — but so is the workforce challenge. Staffing the new ‘experts ...

Have your voice heard - Science Teaching Survey 2026

By Tim Bradbury posted 22 days ago

Last year's survey received around 2000 responses from science teachers and technicians across the UK and Ireland. The findings cast a light on the rewards and challenges that face science educators, including funding, understaffing and preparing the next generation for the future workforce. You can view more details of what the 2025 survey revealed – and the actions the RSC is taking – on our website. [ The Science Teaching Survey 2025 ] In the 2026 survey, we include benchmarking questions that help to identify trends as well as focusing on areas such as nation specific curriculum changes, teaching of sustainability and climate change, and helping ...

Focus of the Month: Build Physics Expertise with SKPT

By Marc Gillham posted 26 days ago

Each month in the STEM Community we shine a spotlight on a theme to help you quickly find professional learning, resources, and ideas that make a genuine difference in schools. This month’s Focus of the Month is Leadership & Development , and we’re taking a broad view of what that means in practice: building confidence, strengthening subject expertise , and creating the conditions for great teaching to thrive across a department. One programme that fits that brief brilliantly is Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching (SKPT). It is free , blended professional development, delivered by The Ogden Trust in partnership with ...

Weekly news round up: 24/2/26 -BUMPER HALF TERM EDITION!

By Tim Bradbury posted 28 days ago

Bumper half-term catch-up: What mattered for STEM teachers 10–24 February 2026 • UK education, with a STEM-first lens This is a “join-the-dots” round-up for busy teachers: the headlines, what they might mean in classrooms (especially science, maths, computing, DT), and a few prompts to take into department time. Duplicate coverage has been consolidated so you’re not reading the same announcement five times. The big picture: SEND + the Schools White Paper took centre stage If you only read one “system” story this half-term, make it this: the Schools White Paper landed with major proposals on trusts, admissions, disadvantage and accountability — alongside ...

Focus of the Month: Help shape a Level 3 Laboratory Technician Apprenticeship

By Tim Bradbury posted 20-02-2026

This month our Community Focus is on Leadership and development and STEM Learning is exploring the potential to develop a Level 3 Laboratory Technician Apprenticeship for schools, in partnership with Best Practice Network, an established apprenticeship training provider. The programme would be funded through the apprenticeship levy and designed specifically for school laboratory technicians. It would combine on the job learning in school with practical, lab-based training delivered in specialist laboratory facilities. Before taking this forward, we’re keen to understand whether there is demand from schools and trusts for this type of programme. Your responses ...

Less than one month to Mars Day 2026!

By Temitayo Olawale posted 19-02-2026

The countdown to Tuesday 3 March 2026 has officially begun. Join us for this exciting free virtual event adventure for everyone, presented by the UK’s European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO-UK) at STEM Learning and in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Space Agency. Once again, Mars Day has an out-of-this-world programme of live link-ups, activities and resources, talks and live Q&A with space stars, as well as career discussions with the hidden heroes of the UK space industry. Beam in for a sky full of guest speakers and stars across the day. Land on your favourite Martian topics, book a session or two, take part ...

Focus of the Month: Learning Through Technician Networks

By Sarah Atkinson posted 16-02-2026

When we talk about Leadership and Development, it’s easy to picture formal CPD: a course, a certificate, a training day with a workbook and a follow-up quiz. Useful? Absolutely. But it’s not the whole story. Some of the most impactful professional learning I’ve experienced (and witnessed) happens in a different way: through networks, people coming together to share what’s working, ask for help, compare notes, and swap practical solutions. It’s CPD that’s grounded in real classrooms and real labs, shaped by the day-to-day realities of the role. A brilliant reminder from the York Technicians Network This week I had the pleasure of attending a York Technicians ...

From vision to impact: Celebrating Women and Girls in Science

By Tim Bradbury posted 11-02-2026

Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a global moment to celebrate achievements, spotlight role models, and keep pushing for full and equal participation in STEM. UNESCO’s 2026 theme is “From vision to impact: redefining STEM by closing the gender gap”, a great reminder that inspiration is powerful, but it’s the systems around young people (access, opportunity, belonging, funding, mentoring) that turn inspiration into STEM futures. A space story that starts on Earth At our Family Space Day (Dec 2025), we heard from ESA reserve astronaut Meganne Christian, who shared her journey, what it was that shaped her ambition, and ...