Vicky Walsh (left) from Monk Fryston C of E Primary School will make the journey to Turku to join hundreds of other primary and secondary school teachers from all over Europe, who will share their most creative STEM ideas at stands, in workshops, and in highlight sessions.

She is one of 450 participants from more than 30 countries who will come together in August after they were specifically chosen because of their contribution to the subject of science within their own schools and trusts.

In addition to attending the event, as the leader of science teaching at Monk Fryston C of E School, Vicky will also host a stand at the 4-day international event showcasing one of the many projects she has delivered since securing a grant from the Ogden Trust that means she can dedicate half a day per week to improving the teaching of physics across the wider STAR Multi Academy Trust.

This includes the now annual Great Science Share event, which last year saw more than 160 children from nine Star Multi Academy Trust primary schools in Yorkshire come together to take part in a live debate to determine which is the greatest invention of all time.

Commenting on the festival Vicky Walsh said: “This is an exciting opportunity, and I am very proud and privileged to have been selected to attend the event and to have the opportunity to showcase the work that is taking place across the Trust to promote and enhance the learning of science.

“The grant has allowed me to really dedicate a significant amount of time to enhancing the science offering across the Trust, particularly focussing on the annual Great School Science Share events, as well as delivering additional physics training and termly meetings for all STARMAT schools.

“The results have been fantastic, and we have seen a real increase in the way that the children engage with their learning of physics. I now hope to share those learnings and look forward to also hearing what the other teachers have to say about their experiences.”

Rick Weights, the executive head teacher at Monk Fryston primary school said, “We are immensely proud of the work Vicky has already been doing to improve the physics and science education we offer our pupils.

“The honour of this invitation only demonstrates what we already knew – that she is becoming a pioneering figure in her field.”

The Ogden Trust is an organisation that supports schools, teachers, projects, and programmes that are committed to enhancing physics teaching and learning.

Star Multi Academy Trust is made up of eleven schools located across West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire.

Established in 2018, the trust’s aim is to create outstanding education within its academies to enable every young person to realise their full potential.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of British Science Week, an annual ten day celebration of all things STEM which this year will take place from 8th-17th March. The Kick Start Grant aims to give schools with children who are underrepresented in STEM subjects the chance to organise a programme of fun and engaging events and help the students discover the joy of science.

The grant, created by the BSA with support from UK Research and Innovation, intends to widen access and participation in STEM subjects by providing the opportunity for inspiration and engagement for children who may otherwise not have the opportunity to take part in science and discover their own passion for the subject.

In previous years, schools have used the grants to explore exciting STEM topics and activities such as a school-wide bridge building competition, hosting local ‘Festival of Science’ events, arranging visits to the London Zoo and Natural History Museum, hosting sensory exploration activities for SEND pupils, and more.

Applicant schools should be committed to breaking down misconceptions in STEM sectors and boosting confidence and enrichment for ethnic minority students or students from disadvantaged backgrounds and the BSA encourages applicants to reflect this in their proposed activities.

Susan Matambanadzo, Education Manager at the British Science Association said: “On the 30th anniversary of British Science Week, we are reminded of the great impacts the STEM sectors have on our society. From spaceships to solar energy to food science, it is important children of all backgrounds have the opportunity to engage with the world through science.

“We are dedicated to ensuring all children, especially those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds or belong to ethnic minority communities, can engage in science learning through enriching projects and activities that help them discover their own love of STEM. Through Kick Start Grants, schools will receive the funding to help break down barriers to access a quality and inspiring science education.”

Kick Start Grants range from £150 or £700 depending on the level of activity or event applying schools plan to host. Any state-funded, non-selective schools or colleges in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are invited to apply if they meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Over 30% of pupils eligible for pupil premium or equivalent.
• Over 30% of pupils who are from ethnic minority backgrounds.
• Small school based in a remote and rural location.

Schools that apply for the grants will also be offered the opportunity to join the BSA’s newly launched Engage Teacher Network, a community of 1,500+ teachers who are committed to delivering science engagement activities for all students and who understand the barriers and potential solutions for schools in challenging circumstances. The Engage community encourages all teachers to share ideas, access free resources and apply for grants to help bring science to life for all young people.

Applications for Kick Start Grants close at 11.59pm, Monday 6th November 2023. For more information on Kick Start Grants, or to apply for a grant, please visit: https://www.britishscienceweek.org/grants/

Teachers can once again excite their students about the wonders of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and spark inspiration for what a career as an engineer or scientist could be like.

Taking place from Wednesday 21 to Friday 23 June 2023 at the NEC in Birmingham, The Fair is the largest celebration of STEM in the UK. Young people will have the opportunity to meet real engineers and scientists and get involved in hands-on activities, exciting live shows and inspiring career panels. Students will also be able to earn stickers as they go, with Big Bang Explore, and will have the chance to enter a prize draw to win exciting rewards.

New for 2023, there will be half-day sessions on offer, with schools able to register for morning (9am to 12pm) or afternoon (1pm to 4pm) sessions. The Fair will be open to groups from state-funded schools for young people in year 6 to year 8 (England and Wales), P7 to S2 (Scotland) and year 7 to year 9 (Northern Ireland).

In a bid to ensure equal opportunities for young people from a diverse range of backgrounds, schools meeting EngineeringUK equality, diversity and inclusion criteria will be invited to apply for a bursary when they book tickets, to support them with attending The Fair.

Phillip McShane, Associate Director – Big Bang Programme at EngineeringUK, commented: “The Big Bang Fair is an excellent opportunity for teachers to ignite a passion for STEM in their students and showcase to them what a career could look like in the sector. The new half-day sessions will give schools the chance to make the most of their time with the STEM inspiration activities. We want all young people to think big and discover their potential, and to inspire young people from groups underrepresented in engineering – so I’d encourage schools to sign up to The Fair and end the school year with a big bang!”

A student, who attended last year’s Fair, said: “The Big Bang Fair is an absolutely amazing experience. There are different business opportunities, education opportunities – I got that in abundance but I got a whole load of other things as well: first-hand experience doing coding, driving a drone, CPR. All these things play a vital part in our life.”

Anne Beglin, teacher at St Crispin’s School who also attended The Big Bang Fair last year, said: “Our students really enjoy events like this and it really does inspire them, particularly when they see young people doing engineering.”

Also taking place at The Fair, will be the awards ceremony for the popular Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition. Winners will be announced, including the crowning of the prestigious UK Young Engineer and UK Young Scientist of the Year.

The Competition, which is free to enter, is open to young people in the UK aged 11 to 18 in state funded education, who are home educated or who enter as part of a community group. There’s still time to get students involved – with The Competition open for entries until 30 March.

With tickets for The Big Bang Fair always booking up quickly – teachers are advised to book early to avoid disappointment. Register for free tickets to The Fair at: www.thebigbang.org.uk/fair

Families, community groups and home educators are also invited to explore The Fair after hours with The Big Bang Fair Unlocked – running from 4:30pm to 7:30pm on Wednesday 21 June.

Find out more about The Big Bang Competition at: www.thebigbang.org.uk/competition

The Department for Education (DfE) has released further details of its National Education Nature Park, created to teach children about climate change and improve biodiversity across the country. Esri UK is providing a digital mapping platform and expertise in biodiversity mapping to help underpin this exciting initiative, first announced at COP26 by the Education Secretary.

The National Education Nature Park will engage young people and teachers with nature, supporting them to play a driving role in mapping and monitoring biodiversity on their grounds using citizen science and, critically, taking action to enhance it. The DfE believe this could play an important part in increasing biodiversity across the education estate and have a real impact on halting the decline of nature in England.

The React Foundation Annual Science and Engineering Shows were hosted in person for the first time in three years following the Covid-19 pandemic, and their return proved a huge success with students across West Cumbria as Science Museum staff brought their hugely exciting ‘Feel the Force’ and ‘It Takes Guts’ shows to the north.

The shows run by the Foundation, the charitable organisation of Cumbrian business React Engineering, were toured around schools and colleges across West Cumbria to enable as many students as possible to participate in the free activities, which are primarily aimed at pupils in school years 5 to 9.

During the interactive shows, Senior Explainers from the Science Museum’s outreach team demonstrated how forces, such as gravity, magnetism and friction, worked.

Pete Woolaghan, the Chairman of React Foundation, said: “We have been inspiring schoolchildren to learn more about STEM subjects through the live science and engineering shows since 2007, but we haven’t been able to host them live since 2019 for Covid-19, although we did run some online shows for pupils.

“The Foundation was created to provide more opportunities for our local young people to engage in science and engineering, and running these shows in a fun, informative and exciting format always helps inspire people to want to learn more.

“By getting the young people to interact with the shows, what they are taught can remain with them throughout their lives and it’s important that we provide these events to show them that learning can be fun.”

The science shows ran for a total of two weeks, with primary and secondary schools in the area signing up to enjoy the free shows.

The team at the Science Museum spent the entire fortnight in Cumbria, and they were overjoyed with the participation from the pupils – and the teachers.

Chloe Wiles, a Senior Explainer at the museum, said: “There are lots of different ways to learn, and that’s not just always in a classroom. When I was young, I was a visual learner and participating in shows and demonstrations like these always helped my education.

“We are here to show that learning about science can be fun and really interesting, so what better way than visiting a different school and getting all noisy and shouty, and joining in with the activities?

“By getting them to join in, it inspires young people to learn more about STEM subjects and it’s very important to us to catch children at an early age so they want to continue their learning when they get older.”

The feedback from the participating schools was overwhelmingly positive, with teachers reporting that their children loved the interactive element of the shows – and they had already requested more demonstrations and experiments in the classroom.

Rebecca Crowther, a Year 6 teacher at Seascale Primary School, said: “It was a really fun show and our pupils were very engaged from the very beginning. They all participated in the activities which were presented in a very dynamic manner.

“The pupils have learned about forces as part of the curriculum and events like this really drum it home to them and show the forces in work in a really impactful way.”

The React Foundation Annual Live Science Shows are supported by a number of partners, including the University of Cumbria and RWE, which operates the nearby Robin Rigg Offshore Windfarm.

Mike Edwards, the general manager of Robin Rigg, said: “It was fantastic to see the React Foundation Live Science and Engineering Show bringing science to life for children across the area. The interactive show was well delivered, lively, educational and fun.

“RWE has always looked to help to bring STEM to a wider community and we have been involved with the React Foundation for more than a decade. We believe that it is really important to bring science to life for all children to enable them to understand the world around them and be able to imagine a future in STEM.

“The energy that the React team brings to enhancing science education for such a wide group of children is exemplary and we look forward to continuing our collaboration.”

The React Foundation was created by Cleator Moor-based React Engineering in 2004 to raise aspirations of young people and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. The foundation hosts various events and activities throughout the year, and also awards annual bursaries to secondary school pupils studying STEM subjects.

Each year, British Science Week is an opportunity for students and their wider school community to get hands-on with all things science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and explore the brilliantly broad range of careers and opportunities in the field.

The grant scheme, run by the British Science Association and funded by UK Research and Innovation, aims to inspire and widen access for children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to take part in science or gain exposure to the sector.

Last year saw schools use their grants in a range of exciting ways, from funding workshops and school trips to Kew Gardens to bringing in external speakers from local universities and businesses such as the University of Hull and Yorkshire Water. The grants also provide schools with additional resources to host STEM-themed competitions and projects; last year the grant enabled one group of Year Seven students to design a wellbeing garden for their whole school to enjoy and another school to grow a ‘spaghetti tower’, to help them understand how energy enables growth.

The grant scheme offers a range of levels to help remove barriers for schools in challenging circumstances, including:

• Kick Start Grant – a grant of £300 for schools to run an activity during British Science Week
• Kick Start Youth Grant – a grant of £150 for students aged 10-19 at school to organise and deliver an activity during British Science Week
• Kick Start More Grant – A grant of £700 for schools to host a science event or activity that involves your students and the local community, for example local businesses and employers
• Combined Kick Start Grant and Youth Grant – A grant of £450 for schools to run an activity during British Science Week and an additional activity organised and delivered by students aged 10-19.

To apply for the grant, schools are encouraged to submit an application for a project that is cross-curricular and challenges science stereotypes which will help engage students who are otherwise underrepresented in STEM. Schools are also invited to use the theme for British Science Week 2023 ‘Connections’ as inspiration for their events.

To be eligible for a grant, schools must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Over 30 per cent of pupils eligible for pupil premium, early years pupil premium or equivalent.
• Over 30 per cent of pupils who are from minority ethnic backgrounds.
• Be a small school based in a remote and rural location.

The British Science Association is also offering Community Grants of £500 and £1000 to help local community groups run their own projects and activities, in an effort to inspire and expand the number of people who enjoy and take part in science.

The British Science Week 2023 Community Grants and Kick Start Grants are now open for applications. The deadline for submission is midnight 7 November 2022. For full details on eligibility and how to apply, please visit the Kick Start Grants guidelines and 2023 Community Grants guidelines.

Applications will need to be submitted via the British Science Association online forms. Please visit the British Science Week Grants pages to apply.

The presentations, features and experiences are specifically tailored for Key Stages 2 (upper), 3 & 4, giving students a unique opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom and bring the world of STEM to life.  The show will connect students with leading-edge researchers and give them the knowledge to engage with the scientific, social and ethical challenges that will shape the world of the future.

Highlights include:

• World-class science presenter Stefan Gates whose presentation will be packed with explosions and will explore combustion, pressure, sound, elasticity, energy storage, pressure and sound. Expect mini-motorbikes, massive balloons, fireballs and flame throwing on the Universe Stage!
• Filmmaker Simon Clark on the Mind & Body Stage discussing how he became a YouTube scientist starting from his A level choices to submitting his PhD thesis, as well as the lessons he learned along the way
• Palaeontologist David Hone featuring on the Planet Stage and discussing why the Tyrannosaurs rex is the most dangerous terrestrial predator of all time.
• Tech wiz Rob Sedgebeer and Steve McNeil who will be presenting an interactive history of some of the earliest advances in videogames so make sure you bring a charged smartphone to play along on the Future Stage
• J Spooner on the Engage Stage with a special guest in the space shed for interactive, intergalactic, mind-blowing fun!

Students can immerse themselves in the latest tech developments, from surgical robots to augmented reality, Artificial Intelligence to VR, and see how the latest medical innovations are being used by world-class clinicians to improve diagnosis and treatment. One feature not to be missed is the immersive pop-up planetarium where you can see what it takes to become an astronaut and let the inspiration take you to new places that you could never have imagined.

With VR rollercoaster rides to piloting a virtual drone, seeing inside an artificial star to smelling space, New Scientist Live features an unbelievable experience for everyone.

A proportion of the Schools’ Day tickets will be made available for free to schools with a high proportion of disadvantaged students and schools with lower science capital ensuring that science is accessible to the widest possible audience and to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and leaders.

For the full Schools’ Day programme visit https://newscientist.com/schoolstalks

The online lessons will be delivered live over Zoom by immersive learning resource, Lyfta, and will take place on Wednesday 6th July and Friday 8th July with sessions to suit older and younger learners. The session incorporates a human-centred short documentary film and interactive learning environments so students can virtually explore and take in the sights and sounds of an active volcano, the scientists’ control room and the local church.

Students will need to tread carefully as they walk in the shoes of the volcanologist and his team, learning about key geology concepts such as why volcanoes erupt, rock cycles and what causes volcanoes to appear in certain parts of the world.

Despite a career in science offering incredible variety and opportunities to make a positive impact on the world, many young people are unaware about the career options in the industry. Part of the challenge is a lack of accessible work experience opportunities, particularly for young people living in remote and disadvantaged regions in the UK. For example, research by the British Science Association found that 29 per cent of young Londoners would consider a career in science, compared to just 17 per cent of young people in the North East.

Without these opportunities to experience the world of STEM, it is difficult for young people to aspire to a career in the science field.

Serdar Ferit, co-founder and co-CEO at Lyfta, said: “Our aim is to provide experiences that give every student equal opportunities to experience new things and develop their cultural capital, no matter their geographic location or background. Through immersive storytelling, students can virtually travel to the Canary Islands and experience a day in the life of a science professional, ask questions and find out more about volcanology.”

“The free, immersive lessons provide teachers with a fun way to supplement geography content and bring learning to life for students, particularly those who might be curious about what a scientist does and how they started in the field. Being able to apply theory and knowledge to real-world scenarios is essential if we want to inspire the next generation of brilliant science thinkers and innovators.”

The lessons will take place on Wednesday 6th July for primary schools and Friday 8th July for secondary schools. For more information and to register a class for the live, “We live amongst volcanoes” lesson, please visit: https://www.lyfta.com/blog-storage/end-of-term-primary-activities

These rare samples were provided to school through a project called ‘Borrow the Moon’ by the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) which provides educational packs in a bid to inspire young people in Science.

Hundreds of schools, colleges, universities, museums and astronomical societies throughout the UK have enjoyed the meteorite samples and NASA Moon rock discs since the scheme began.

The children were encouraged to reach for the stars and learn more about the Universe around us during a week-long interactive experience of astronomy. They were given the unique opportunity to touch a piece of a space rock as they handled genuine meteorites.

The pack provided by STFC included a 1.2-billion-year-old piece of Mars rock and 4.3-billion-year-old nickel meteorite. It is unlikely that children will ever get the chance to hold an object older than this, as Earth itself was formed 4.6 billion years ago.

The lunar samples that we received were collected in the late 1960s and early 70s during some of NASA’s first manned space missions to the moon.

Jayde Weir, Interim Principal at Birstall Primary Academy, said: “When the opportunity was presented to us at Birstall we leapt at the chance to give out students this once in a lifetime opportunity.

“All the children involved thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were fascinated to be able to touch something that was truly out of this world.”

Fiona Goddard, Education Consultant at Whizz Education explains: “We know that Maths education is essential in developing an understanding of climate change.  Without numbers, pupils would not understand ideals like the carbon budget or the limit of 1.5 degrees of warming at the centre of climate change debates.  This learning could help pupils to deploy their maths in innovative, world-changing ways.

“We are now inviting schools to join-in with our Building for a Greener Future summer activities.  Pupils could be measuring rainfall while elevating maths skills by collecting and recording how many millimetres of liquid are captured and discussing how to make the records useful, fair and impactful in the future.  Getting involved with Whizz Education’s collaborative summer project with PiXL might provide other inspirations for local interests too!

“As well as teaching students to handle numbers, the summer project has the capacity to inspire, engage and empower.  Numerous studies have shown that climate change education has the biggest impact when students are encouraged to take responsibility for learning about issues that impact them and their communities.  Join us and help make a difference!”

Whizz Education is an education partner dedicated to improving learning outcomes.  For further information and to access free resources from Whizz Education and PiXL’s free summer climate project please see:  https://www.whizz.com/summer-challenge-2022/