Members' Blogs

The Ofsted report 'Navigating Post-16 Careers Guidance: Supporting Learners from Lower Socioeconomic Backgrounds' April 25

By Kate Sutton posted 4 hours ago
The Ofsted report, ' Navigating Post-16 Careers Guidance: Supporting Learners from Lower Socioeconomic Backgrounds' explores how well schools and colleges help young people- especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds- make informed decisions about their next steps after the age of 16. It draws attention to the inequalities that exist in the careers education landscape and identifies key actions needed to level the playing field. Why It Matters For young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, careers guidance is not just about making a decision for the future- it's a lifeline to opportunity. Without targeted support, these pupils often face ...

Building a Fairer Future: Prioritising Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in STEM Education

By Kate Sutton posted 2 days ago
As a primary science specialist, I was both heartened and challenged by the British Science Association’s Future Forum report: Creativity in STEM – Young People’s Views on Using Collective Collaboration to Build a Better Future, which was published recently . T he heart of this report is a powerful call for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) to be prioritised in how we teach and value science. This goes far beyond lesson planning - it’s about changing the culture of science education to ensure every young person is seen, heard, and empowered. Young People Are Asking for More Inclusive STEM ...

CPD Drop: STEM Community Live: AI in the Fast Lane

By Tim Bradbury posted 2 days ago
This CPD Bite captures the launch of AI Sprints, a new STEM Community Live series designed to explore artificial intelligence in a fast-paced, practical format. The aim is to bring meaningful conversations about AI into the classroom, helping teachers and students understand its impact and potential. The session opened with reflections on the rapid pace of AI developments and the need for educators to stay informed. While new tools continue to emerge, the key message was that understanding how AI is used in education matters more than understanding the technical detail behind it. Central to the discussion was the importance of critical thinking and oracy ...

Celebrating World Earth Day in Primary Schools: A Chance to Inspire Young Eco-Heroes!

By Kate Sutton posted 3 days ago
Happy World Earth Day! Every year on April 22nd , millions of people around the world come together to celebrate World Earth Day —a special moment to reflect on how we care for our planet. This is becoming more important as every year passes, as the issues we face become more prevalent and the knock-on effects more widely understood. As primary teachers, this day offers a golden opportunity to spark curiosity, conversation, and a sense of responsibility in our learners. But where did it all begin, and how can you bring it to life in your classroom? The Roots of Earth Day Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 in the United States, a time ...

Weekly news round up: 22/04/25

By Tim Bradbury posted 3 days ago
A Weekly Digest for UK STEM Educators | April 22, 2025 Welcome back, teachers! As the school term rolls forward and the exam season looms, there's a lot stirring across the education sector. From policy shifts to union movements, the past week has delivered fresh debates and some striking insights into the challenges and innovations shaping our classrooms. If you're a STEM educator in the UK, here's what you should know. 🧮 Maths Returns to the Spotlight (Again) The TES Magazine flagged a renewed emphasis on mathematics in schools, tied to government efforts to raise standards across STEM. But all’s not smooth—teachers are still battling with ...

Preparing Young Minds for a Changing World: Global Megatrends and the Role of Educators

By Kate Sutton posted 9 days ago
As the world undergoes rapid transformation, education systems must adapt to prepare young people not just for the jobs of tomorrow, but for the challenges of global citizenship. In his recent Teacher Magazine article, Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at the OECD, highlights how global megatrends—like climate change, demographic shifts, and especially advances in technology—are reshaping what it means to teach and learn in the 21st century. A key theme emerging from the OECD’s Trends Shaping Education 2025 report is the urgent need to equip students with skills that machines cannot replicate: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, ...

Exploring AI in Education: We need your input!!

By Tim Bradbury posted 10 days ago
Earlier this year, STEM Learning teamed up with the Good Future Foundation to help teachers get to grips with the fast-moving world of AI in education . Since then, we’ve been speaking to educators across the UK about how AI is showing up in their classrooms. We've been talking about the good bits, the challenges, and where support is really needed. It’s clear that AI has huge potential to help with everything from reducing workload to supporting SEND learners and personalising teaching. But it’s also raising big questions - especially around safeguarding, age-appropriate tools, data privacy, and how to keep things fair and ethical for students. That’s why ...

From Planck’s Constant to the Classroom: Celebrating World Quantum Day

By Tim Bradbury posted 11 days ago
Thanks to @Elizabeth Calvert for this great blog piece! This year, World Quantum Day on April 14 is particularly significant as we also celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), marking a century since the development of quantum mechanics. We marked this in a previous blog , where we explored the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, its timeline, and natural phenomena that exhibit quantum behaviour. In this blog, let us look at the practical applications. But, why 14 April? Ever wondered why World Quantum Day is celebrated on this particular date? The clue lies in the number 4.14 which is a familiar figure ...

🌍 Earth Day – Powering Up for the Planet 22nd April

By Linda Crouch posted 14 days ago
Back to school and straight into saving the planet! Earth Day 2025 falls in the first week of the summer term – the perfect time to plug students back in with a jolt of climate awareness and curriculum-linked learning. This year’s Earth Day theme, "Our Power, Our Planet," offers a brilliant hook for revisiting renewable energy – or introducing it in a meaningful, real-world context. Whether you're teaching KS3, GCSE, or aiming to inspire a sixth-form think tank, Earth Day offers a powerful platform to explore sustainability, climate change, and future career paths. 🌱 Greener Futures, Brighter Careers A recent report from ...

Teacher opportunity to get enthused about plants in the classroom: funded summer school 2025

By Mary Howell posted 17 days ago
Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS) run a fantastic Plant Science Summer School each year for post-16 biology teachers. It is taking place again outside York and from Sunday 29 th June to Wednesday 2 nd July with bursary funded places for teachers from UK state schools. Read about one teacher's experience and the impact it had in his classroom below. Whether you are already a plant enthusiast or if teaching about them is currently a struggle this CPD is a brilliant opportunity. For booking information see https://www.saps.org.uk/growth-hub/saps-plant-science-summer-school/ Applications close 11pm on Monday 5th May 2025. We are primarily looking ...

Re Leadership, policy and people moves- Oli de Botton, new government Expert Advisor on Education and Skills

By Kate Sutton posted 17 days ago
Any of you with an eye on Careers Education will know or have heard of the the name, Oli de Botton. He has led the Careers and Enterprise Company since 2021 and has just been named as the new Expert Advisor on Education and Skills to the government. I for one, am extremely interested to see what happens and am really pleased that someone with a passion for Careers Education- so needed within primary education- is in a position advising the government. Follow the link to the new 'Schools Week' article for more details. I will certainly be watching this space with even more interest now! 7 facts about Oli de Botton, Labour's new education adviser

Weekly news round up: 08/04/25

By Tim Bradbury posted 17 days ago
🌍 Education Now: STEM and Beyond — A Week in Review for UK Educators (2–8 April 2025) As the clocks spring forward and classrooms hum with the rhythm of summer term prep, education news has been quietly evolving in ways that matter for STEM educators across the UK. From insights on improving STEM attainment to curriculum challenges and funding shifts, here’s a round-up of the stories that made headlines this past week. 🚀 STEM Momentum: Tutoring, Literacy, and the Power of Targeted Support 📈 STEM Tutoring Boosts Sixth-Form Performance A BBC News story revealed that students in Cambridgeshire receiving targeted tutoring support in STEM ...

Quick Revision Wins

By Linda Crouch posted 18 days ago
Did you miss the first AI sprint? If not, don't worry, the recording is on the STEM Community website here: https://community.stem.org.uk/browse/scl-od In it Darren Coxon walks you through how to create a quick revision website, and supporting quiz, from a piece of text using two free AI-tools. Gamma app is known as a free website that will create presentations for you - but did you know that it will also create a website for you? Simply paste in your piece of text, or upload a document - and opt to make a website. If you use the same text in quizziz you can also create a quiz that can be embedded into the revision website -checking your students recall and ...

The Effects of AI on the Working Lives of Women

By Kate Sutton posted 21 days ago
I was lucky enough to join the recent UNESCO, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD) webinar about AI and the effects on working women. It was a fascinating webinar which highlights the importance of ensuring women are represented at the cutting edge of AI development and strive to be included, so to ensure an AI skills gap does not escalate rapidly as tech continues to evolve. 'The development and use of AI continues to expand opportunities for achievement of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Gender Equality'. (OECD, 25) AI development offers challenges and opportunities ...

Purposeful Practical Work in Primary Science

By Kate Sutton posted 21 days ago
I was really happy to be at the launch of this new report from Professor Sarah Earle, Dr Stuart Read, Professor Lynne Bianchi and Dr Julie Jordan following their scoping literature review/research and subsequent collaborative investigation. It is so great to explicitly be able to see/read about practical work at primary level in a more analysed way- supporting teachers to understand what exactly they are covering in science practicals at school, if they are ensuring effective coverage and also helping teachers to fully understand the breadth and pedagogy required to teach the primary science National Curriculum effectively. Within this work, a definition for ...

Evidence snacks for research hungry teachers

By Linda Crouch posted 22 days ago
If you don't get Peps McCrae's weekly 5-min Evidence Snacks email for research hungry teachers, then I recommend you sign up. Every Thursday I find the summary of a current topic in education hugely useful, and the links to research have often unearthed some gems for me. This week Peps talks about making our lessons accessible by default, and gives a link to information about accessibility as well as a free poster to share with teachers on the do's and don'ts in the classroom. Sign up here: https://snacks.pepsmccrea.com/subscribe?ref=48VPxJuhLQ

Weekly news round up: 1/4/25 (no there are NO April fools)

By Tim Bradbury posted 24 days ago
The Weekly Education Round-Up: STEM, Strategy and Stories from the Sector Published: 1st April 2025 By Voxscript – for UK STEM educators keeping a finger on the pulse Welcome to this week’s long-read update, designed especially for teachers and leaders in the UK’s STEM education community. As we step into April, the education landscape is bustling with stories—from digital innovation and SEND challenges, to policy shifts and AI-powered learning tools. We've combed through the week’s headlines so you don’t have to. Let’s dive in. 🧠 AI, Assessment and Innovation: New Tools Changing the Game AI Writing Assessment Pilot Shows Promise A ...

BBC Teach heads to the Eden Project for an Earth Day Live Lesson

By Tim Bradbury posted 24 days ago
Schools are invited to join hosts, Naomi Wilkinson and Lizzie Daly, for a BBC Teach Live Lesson to be broadcast on Earth Day, Tuesday 22 April. The lesson will follow the journey of the water cycle. Children will be taken on a trip deep inside the Eden Project’s Rainforest Biome to learn about the constant movement of water. During their rainforest ‘expedition’, they will be asked to solve a series of riddles to help them put the different stages of the water cycle in order. They can also join in with interactive activities, curriculum linked for 7-11 year olds. Kate Lennon, Executive Producer at BBC Teach, said: “We’re marking Earth Day with an exciting ...

✨ Visit the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition with Your Students This July

By Tim Bradbury posted 24 days ago
The Royal Society’s much-anticipated Summer Science Exhibition is back for 2025—and it’s an inspiring opportunity for students to explore cutting-edge science in the heart of London! Taking place from 1–4 July 2025 , this free annual event offers a unique chance for secondary schools, colleges, and now—excitingly— primary schools to bring learners face-to-face with real-life researchers and hands-on science. 👩‍🔬 For Secondary Schools and Colleges: Explore the Future of STEM From Wednesday 2 July to Friday 4 July , school and college groups are invited to explore the main Exhibition alongside the public. With 13 flagship stands and a wide range ...

👶 Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures – World Health Day, 7 April 2025

By Linda Crouch posted 28 days ago
A timely prescription for science lessons that make a difference This World Health Day, the World Health Organization is shining a spotlight on a topic that truly matters – maternal and newborn health . The 2025 theme, “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,” reminds us that a strong start in life isn’t just about biology – it’s about opportunity, equality, and survival. As the WHO puts it: "The health of mothers and babies is the foundation of healthy families and communities, helping ensure hopeful futures for us all." So why not let this global campaign deliver more than just awareness? For UK secondary science educators, it’s ...