STEM Blog

Education Scotland are delighted to announce that The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has become the 300th setting to register for the STEM Nation Award programme. This now means that over 8500 practitioners and 116 000 learners across Scottish early learning and childcare settings, primary schools, secondary schools, special schools and community learning and development providers are benefitting from the programme.

Education Scotland’s STEM Nation Award is a key component of the Scottish Government’s STEM Education and Training Strategy for Scotland. The prestigious award for sciences, technologies, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education celebrates, promotes and builds on effective STEM practice across Scotland. All settings registered for the programme are committed to providing high-quality STEM learning experiences to ensure their learners develop the STEM skills, knowledge and capabilities required to adapt and thrive in a rapidly-changing world. To achieve the award settings share evidence of their practice across five key elements: Leadership in STEM, STEM family and community learning, Employability and STEM partnership working, STEM curriculum and learner pathways and Equity and equality in STEM. Settings are then encouraged to develop a STEM nation action plan to support and inform future developments in STEM education.

Further details of the award’s five elements and guidance on how to register for more information and support for your setting can be found on Education Scotland’s STEM online resource.

We spoke to Phillip Mathis, Learning Manager at RZSS about why his organisation chose to participate in the STEM Nation Award programme.

Who are we?

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is a wildlife conservation charity with a bold vision – a world where nature is protected valued and loved. And our two zoos, Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park are at the heart of this – allowing us to develop deeper connections with nature.

Why have we registered?

Taking part in the STEM Nation Award programme allows RZSS to evidence and showcase our commitment to learning and promoting STEM. Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths are fundamental to many of the roles within our conservation wildlife charity – from geneticist to carpenter, ranger to conservation project officer.

What ways can teachers or community groups engage with RZSS?

We are always keen to support the knowledge and development of teachers, other CLD providers and associated professionals. We are busy planning our CPD programme for 2025 and will be able to share these details soon. However, should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to our discovery and learning team via education@rzss.org.uk

Do you have any available resources that can be used to support STEM learning?

Yes, our online learning platform ZOOdle (learning.rzss.org.uk) is free to access and contains a wealth of virtual and downloadable content that can support families, individuals and professionals to connect with nature and learn more about our charity.

Where can people find out more about RZSS?

Our website www.rzss.org.uk and we are on all major social media platforms.

We also had the opportunity to meet Blair Cockburn and Jessica Lilley on a visit to Edinburgh Zoo to find out how the local residents felt about being involved in the STEM Nation Award programme. Turns out that meerkats are interested in meteorology, penguins love Pythagoras and flamingos are fans of food technology. Who knew!?!

The STEM team at Education Scotland would like to extend their gratitude to the RZSS not only for registering for the CLD award but also for their endorsement as a STEM Nation Award supporter. In their supporter role, the RZSS help to promote the STEM Nation Award programme and, where appropriate, encourage their partners and stakeholders to register their own settings for the programme. If you are part of a government funded programme, third-sector provider or not-for-profit organisation and would like to become a STEM Nation Award supporter please contact our team at STEM@educationscotland.gov.uk

Welcome to the STEM planner. Keep reading to find out more about exciting STEM developments across Scotland. Please feel free to share this planner with colleagues and school partners.

STEM Nation Award element support sessions

The STEM Nation Award has been developed by Education Scotland to celebrate, promote and build on effective practice in STEM education within and across sectors. All early learning and childcare (ELC) settings, primary schools, secondary schools and providers of community learning and development (CLD) are eligible to apply for the STEM Nation Award. Settings may apply for an individual element or any combination of elements. Settings which achieve all five elements within a three-year period will be eligible for the full STEM Nation Award after successfully completing a validation conversation.

In order to support settings on their STEM Nation journey, Education Scotland are delivering a series of STEM Nation Award element support sessions:

Equity and equality in STEM  30 October 2024

STEM family learning   21 November 2024

Leadership in STEM  23 January 2025

For more information and to book your place click here.

STEM Nation Online resource

The STEM Nation Online resource was created as part of Scotland’s STEM Education and Training Strategy.

On the online resource you will find a range of resources to support, inspire and connect.

One such collection is IGBE Resources

– a range of improving gender balance and equalities resources for practitioners from all sectors including research and documents to support embedding in practice.

RAiSE – STEM Through the Year

Created by practitioners across Scotland, these resources were developed to support staff with links to STEM for each month of the year as well as seasons and key dates such as Maths week Scotland, Halloween, International Women’s Day and many more.

Click here for more exciting RAiSE resources. 

The Power of Curiosity

Young STEM Leader Week is running from 28 October – 1 November with activities, events and challenges to engage and inspire Young STEM Leaders and Tutor Assessors across Scotland.
This year’s theme is The Power of Curiosity – celebrating curiosity as the driving force behind the Young STEM Leader programme.
Each day of the week will be themed with accompanying activities and resources to support your involvement with Young STEM Leader Week.

TechFest STEM Into Innovation

TechFest have launched the new STEM Into Innovation, a free project- based learning programme for S1-S3 learners, supported by the NCR Foundation. Learners will get a chance to engage in masterclasses and hear directly from industry and academia about how they use innovation to design products or in their research.

Upcoming masterclasses which learners can register for include:

• Edinburgh – National Robotarium Sat 9 November (10am – 12.30pm)

For more information and registration click here.

Dynamic Earth Meet the Scientist

Halloween Event Fantastic Fungi Thursday 31 October 2pm

A Halloween schools special in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Dynamic Earth introduce Dr Jo Taylor on the amazing world of fungi. Jo will introduce mushrooms in the Garden’s living collection and delve into a photo tour of some of the most spookily brilliant fungi, such as dead man’s fingers and devil’s tooth.  It’s the perfect mix of science and scariness for Halloween. Ideal for learners working at Second Level and above, open to learners at all levels.

Sign up here

University of Edinburgh – Interactive Engineering Talks

The University of Edinburgh are hosting a series of interactive online talks for senior learners about studying different engineering disciplines. For more information and upcoming dates, visit the website.

Computing Science Week Scotland

Computing Science Week 2024 will run from November 4 – 15 2024. Both weeks will comprise of Live Lessons, Success Sharing Sessions, Educator Webinars, and a face to face event to close out two weeks of highly engaging content.

Dates for your diary

Young STEM Leader Week 28 October – 1 November

Scotland’s Digital Science Festival 1 – 8 November 

Computing Science Week 4 – 15 November

Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 6 – 8 November

The window for STEM Nation Award applications is currently open. We invite applications from all registered settings in ELC, primary school, secondary school and CLD sectors. If you haven’t already done so, please use this link to register.

In order to receive feedback by the end of term, element evidence must be submitted by Friday 1 November 2024. Any evidence received after this date may not receive feedback until after the winter break.

There are two different PowerPoint templates for collating and uploading element

 evidence:

• • ELC settings and schools should use this template.
  • CLD providers should use this template.

When you are ready to do so, the Form on this page should be used to upload your evidence.

Further details on how to apply can be found on the STEM Nation Award section of the STEM Nation online resource.

Settings applying for all five STEM Nation Award elements will be invited to participate in an online validation conversation following the review of your element evidence. In preparation for this you may wish to prepare a STEM action plan using this template and read more about the validation conversation here.

Gaelic language and CLD versions of the STEM Nation Award documents are also available on the online resource.

If you have any questions or would like support with your application please contact us at STEM@educationscotland.gov.scot stating the name of your setting and the local authority in which you work.

In order to support settings on their STEM Nation journey, Education Scotland are delivering a series of STEM Nation Award element support sessions.

During these sessions, you will hear from:

• STEM Nation Award settings who will share examples of their interesting and innovative practice;
• STEM partners who can support professional learning and provide funding, resources and STEM outreach activities;
• Education Scotland officers from the STEM team and beyond who will support you with your application and also help you to make connections with other key areas such as UNCRC and Learning for Sustainability.

The first session on Employability and STEM partnership working was delivered in collaboration with The Royal Society and focussed on their Partnership Grants programme, which offers up to £3000 to support investigate STEM projects in schools. The deadline to apply for the current round of funding is 29 November 2024. The next application window is due to open in February 2025 and applications for this round will close in April 2025. You can find out more here: Partnership Grants | Royal Society

The links below will take you to Eventbrite where you can register for free tickets for the upcoming STEM Nation Award element support sessions:

Equity and equality in STEM (30/10/24)

In this session you will hear from a range of speakers who will deepen your understanding of key equity and equality issues in STEM and provide ideas and support on how you can address these issues in your setting.

• Hannah Brown, Equalities Education Officer with Education Scotland, will share key learning around the ideas of ‘mirrors, windows and sliding doors’ and provide an introduction to using data to support equity and equality.
• Hayyaan Bashir, NextGen Programme Support Officer with the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers, will give an insight to the work and aims of AFBE-UK (Scotland), discuss the concept of allyship and signpost to exciting outreach activities offered by the AFBE.
• We will also hear from practitioners working across early years and primary school and secondary schools to learn from their experience of the STEM Nation Award programme and gain an insight to their work around celebrating diversity through a Froebelian approach and tackling gender imbalance.

STEM family learning (21/11/24)

• Secure your place by registering for your free ticket now. Further details on this session will be published in due course.

Leadership in STEM (23/01/25)

• Secure your place by registering for your free ticket now. Further details on this session will be published in due course.

Key websites 

Wind Energy Statistics – RenewableUK

Energy Statistics for Scotland – gov.scot

ScottishPower

Facts

• 154,000 UK jobs at present in offshore energy
• 79,000 offshore energy jobs in Scotland
• 120,000 remain in oil and gas
• 34,000 in renewables
• In the first quarter of 2024, 10,722 GWh of electricity was generated from renewable sources, a 4% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
• 15.4 GW of renewable electricity operational capacity in Scotland – end of March 2024.
• There are 790 renewable energy projects in the planning pipeline.
• In 2022, 87.9% of electricity generated in Scotland was from low-carbon sources. 11.4% of Scotland’s electricity generation came from fossil fuels.

Reports

Scotland powers nearly half of UK’s wind energy milestone

This 30GW of operational wind power is enough to supply electricity to over 26 million homes and reduce carbon emissions by more than 35 million tonnes annually.

Almost half of this – 48% – is being generated by Scotland’s offshore and onshore wind farms.

Of this, Scotland‘s onshore wind farms, from the Borders to the Highlands and Islands, currently contribute 9.5GW.

Offshore wind farms along Scotland’s coast currently provide 5GW of clean energy, with a target of 11GW by 2030.

Scotland’s green energy suppliers provide services to renewable technologies including:

Hydro

Wave and tidal

Offshore Wind

Solar

Heat

Wind

Hydrogen

Storage

Other

Renewable and low carbon energy – gov.scot

Scotland’s Renewable Energy Industry Supply Chain Impact Statement 2024

Resources

The students at the heart of the green jobs boom

GB Energy to be headquartered in Aberdeen

First Minister opens new Ocean Winds base in Buckie

Scotland on the right path to reach renewable energy potential

Derelict Glasgow sites to be handed to residents to generate renewable energy

Green hydrogen production – gov.scot

Fast-tracking Scotland’s energy transition – gov.scot

Pathways

Engineering & Energy Related – Skills Development Scotland

Careers – ScottishPower

Scotland’s energy transition career opportunities

Education Scotland and the Royal Society are teaming up to deliver a webinar for Scottish teachers on developing impactful STEM employer and industry partnerships – Eventbrite link.

The first webinar in the series of STEM Nation Award element support sessions will take place on Tuesday 24^th September from 4 – 5 pm. We look forward to being joined by Elizabeth Chambers, Schools Engagement Officer from the Royal Society, to learn more about the Royal Society Partnership Grants programme.

The Royal Society’s Partnership grants scheme provides grants of up to £3,000 for schools and colleges to work in partnership with STEM professionals to design and run a long-term investigative project. This includes Tomorrow’s Climate Scientists, a part of the grant scheme that supports projects specifically looking at local climate and biodiversity issues.

These projects are undertaken by the students, with regular STEM partner support, to help develop their key skills and gain insight into potential STEM careers. Grant activity can support delivery of the curriculum and teacher’s professional development.

The current grant round is open for applications, with the last deadline of the year being the end of November 2024. There is lots of support and guidance available to schools interested in using the grant to improve or develop upon their current practical STEM offerings. Examples of projects currently underway or previously completed can be found on the case studies pages.

During the webinar, you will also hear from Education Scotland’s STEM Nation Award team who will explain how the aforementioned partnership work aligns with the Employability and STEM partnership working element of the STEM Nation Award. If you haven’t done so already, register your setting now for the STEM Nation Award programme to ensure you receive details of future webinar events and support.

Register here for your free tickets on Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stem-nation-award-element-support-employability-stem-partnership-working-tickets-1007381032787 

You may also wish to save the dates of future element support sessions in your diary. Tickets are available now and further details will be published in due course.

Equity and equality in STEM (30/10/24)

STEM family learning (21/11/24)

Leadership in STEM (23/01/25)

Welcome to the STEM planner. Keep reading to find out more about exciting STEM developments across Scotland. Please feel free to share this planner with colleagues and school partners.

STEM Nation Award – go for it in session 24/25

The STEM Nation Award has been developed by Education Scotland to celebrate, promote and build on effective practice in STEM education within and across sectors. All early learning and childcare (ELC) settings, primary schools, secondary schools and providers of community learning and development (CLD) are eligible to apply for the STEM Nation Award. Settings may apply for an individual element or any combination of elements. Settings which achieve all five elements within a three-year period will be eligible for the full STEM Nation Award after successfully completing a validation conversation.

Teachers, ELC practitioners and CLD providers from across Scotland worked with Education Scotland during the pilot phase and as part of a CLD working group to shape the award criteria and application process. The programme is designed to be flexible and supportive in response to the varying needs of different sectors and specific local contexts.

STEM Nation Award drop-in sessions are open to practitioners from ELC settings, schools and CLD settings who are interested in learning more about the STEM Nation Award programme. These sessions also provide an opportunity for STEM Nation Award applicants to ask questions or seek support with their application from the Education Scotland STEM team.

STEM Nation Online resource

The STEM Nation Online resource was created as part of Scotland’s STEM Education and Training Strategy.

On the online resource you will find a range of resources to support, inspire and connect such as:

• The latest developments in STEM
• Interesting practice examples to inspire and make connections
• Resources for teaching STEM
• Links to our national networks
• Information on the STEM awards programmes including STEM Nation Award
• Young STEM Leaders Programme (SSERC)
• STEM careers support
• Support to deepen your professional learning

And much more for ELC, primary, secondary, ASN, CLD and school based technical staff.

RAiSE – new resource – STEM Context Planners

RAiSE have developed a new resource – STEM Context planners. Created by teachers for teachers, these planners provide potential STEM learning activities for contexts across Early, First and Second Levels. Linked to Experiences and Outcomes and Sustainable Development Goals and Meta-Skills, these planners provide examples and suggestions for learning, ready for you to adapt and mould to each learning context.

Access and download all planners here: STEM Context Planners

Click here for more exciting RAiSE resources. 

STEM Leader Level 7 opportunity

Gain a fully funded SCQF Level 7 Award to fit around your existing studies!

The Education Academy Scotland has announced its latest opportunity for school, college or university students in Scotland, a fully funded SCQF Level 7 Award in STEM Leadership.

SL7 asks learners to devise a STEM-related project question, then answer the question via research, seeking the support of individuals, groups or organisations who may inform, advise, or contribute to their project.

STEM Leaders then share their findings with two summer showcases planned at Glasgow and Edinburgh University for 2025.

The Young STEM Leader Programme is part of the Scottish Government’s STEM Strategy and The Education Academy is joining the first group of centres in Scotland to offer this highest level of the programme.

See here for more information

Young STEM Leader Programme 

STEM Funding and Festivals Update

STEM Grants and Funding (August 2024)

Highlights:

RSC Scotland Committee – Inspiring Young Chemists’ Fund
The RSC Scotland Committee has £200 awards and £500 awards available for exciting chemistry activities to Inspire Young Chemists, in primary schools and/or secondary schools. Applications open until Friday 5 Oct 2024.

Armourers & Brasiers’ Company – Grants for School Science
Schools use the Grants for School Science to purchase equipment so students can enjoy practical science, to run science enrichment projects in schools, or to enable students to participate in science events and competitions.
The grants are £600 for primary schools, £1,000 for secondary schools.
Deadline 30 September 2024

List of Science STEM Festivals (Updated August 2024)

Highlights:

Orkney International Science Festival     5 – 11 September

Stirling Science Festival    17 -19 October

RHET Professional Learning

RHET Teacher Update – a wide range of opportunities from online collie dog maths sessions to new teacher training offer.

The Journey of Food – All Things Dairy  Royal Highland Education Trust

Career-long Professional Learning  Royal Highland Education Trust

Dates for your diary

Orkney International Science Festival   5 – 11 September

Biggar Science Festival  13 & 14 September

Maths Week Scotland  23 – 29 September

Stirling Science Festival   17 -19 October

Here are the Funding and Festivals updates for May.

STEM Grants and Funding (May 2024)

• Arkwright Engineering Scholarships – For S4 students looking fora future career as a leader in Engineering.
• Edina Trust – Science Grant – offers nursery & primary school science grants and £500 nursery science grants.

List of Science & STEM Festivals (Updated May 2024)

• The Royal Highland Show is taking place in June.
• The Big Bang Fair is being held just before the Summer holidays.

Dear colleagues

Education Scotland is delighted to be offering three exciting secondments for sciences and STEM.

If you have a passion for science and STEM learning then we’d love for you to join the team.

• We are seeking to recruit two National Advisors for Sciences. These secondments will be for an initial period of 8 months with a possibility of extending up to 23 months. National Advisors will play a pivotal role in supporting improvement and development in curriculum, learning and assessment. They will support all aspects of Scotland’s 3-18 sciences curriculum as we move into an exciting period of education reform.
• We are also recruiting a STEM Nation Development Officer to support the next stage of our STEM Nation Award Programme. Over 250 settings and schools are registered with the programme and we are looking for an enthusiastic communicator with a passion for STEM to take the programme to the next level.

Visit our vacancies page to find out more about these roles: https://education.gov.scot/about-education-scotland/vacancies/  Please note: the STEM Nation Development Officer role is also now live on our vacancies page.

Closing date and interviews

• The closing date for the Science Advisor roles is Wednesday 29 May 2024 at 11:59pm.
• The closing date for the STEM Nation Development Officer role is Monday 03 June 2024 at 11:59pm.
• Notification of interviews will be sent after 3 June 2024 for the Sciences Advisor Roles and 05 June for the STEM Nation Development Officer role. Interviews will be held later in June.
• The anticipated start date is 12 August 2024.