STEM Blog

Kinross High School is celebrating a landmark achievement—becoming the first school in Scotland to secure renewal of the prestigious STEM Nation Award. This recognition not only cements the school’s reputation as a leader in science, technology, engineering and maths education, but also highlights its sustained commitment to connection, inspiration, equity and excellence.

At Kinross High School, STEM isn’t confined to a handful of subjects or classrooms—it’s a whole-school ethos. As headteacher Jillian Shaw explains:

“STEM has always been much more than a set of discrete subjects. It’s about opening up thinking and new ideas across the curriculum, sparking curiosity and creativity… ensuring that every single young person can experience STEM based learning regardless of age, stage, or gender.”

This inclusive vision lies at the heart of the school’s success. From their work with primary schools across the cluster through to senior phase courses and post-school destinations, every learner is given opportunities to engage meaningfully with STEM, building confidence, curiosity and critical thinking skills that will serve them long beyond school.

A Culture of Curiosity and Creativity

One of the standout features of Kinross High School’s approach is its emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning. Pupils are encouraged to explore, experiment and showcase their ideas through initiatives such as the S1 science fair, where young people design and present their own investigations. This focus on real-world application helps learners see the relevance of STEM in everyday life and across disciplines. The curriculum also breaks down traditional subject boundaries and ensures connections are made with a wide range of subjects including home economics and physical education.

Preparing Learners for the Future

Kinross High School’s STEM programme is deeply rooted in preparing young people for life after school. Through a skills-based curriculum and strong partnerships with industry, pupils gain valuable insights into future careers and develop essential employability skills. Opportunities such as the Industrial Cadets programme give students direct access to mentors working in engineering and related fields. The wide range of senior phase qualifications on offer, including the Creative Thinking qualification from Daydream Believers and the Scottish Baccalaureate in Science, ensure all learners throughout the school have opportunities to explore and apply their learning in new ways, across different curriculum areas. These experiences are complemented by guest speakers, clubs and careers education, helping pupils make informed choices about their futures.

Taking STEM to New Altitudes

Kinross High School’s commitment to STEM is perhaps best illustrated in its unique aerospace and aviation opportunities. In collaboration with Aero Space Kinross, one of the school’s main STEM partners, learners have been involved in building a light aircraft—an extraordinary achievement that brings STEM learning to life through avionics and aviation. Learners at the school can participate in free flights in the aircraft and will soon be able to undertake internships with Aero Space Kinross following the development of the Aerospace Discovery Centre. Plans have already been submitted to build this exciting and innovative new centre on the grounds of the Loch Leven Community Campus. Experiences like these allow students to see STEM in action—fuelling ambition and showing just how far their skills can take them.

A Launchpad for Continued Success

The renewal of the STEM Nation Award is not just a recognition of past achievements—it’s a signal of Kinross High School’s ongoing ambition. As Graham Armstrong, Principal Teacher of Science and lead applicant for the award, reflects:

“We’re really delighted that we’ve been able to be the first school in Scotland to be able to get the renewal and I think that reflects our plans going forward. We’re really ambitious for STEM in our school. We’re really ambitious to give our young people the best opportunities in STEM.”

This milestone demonstrates the power of a sustained, whole-school commitment to STEM education—one that nurtures curiosity, builds skills and inspires the next generation of innovators. As Kinross High School continues to push boundaries and aim higher, one thing is clear: their STEM journey is far from over—it’s only just taking flight.

If you want to learn more about the award-winning STEM practice at Kinross High School we have created a video playlist that will allow you to hear from a range of pupils and staff from different faculties in the school. Please follow this link: STEM Nation Award Kinross High School

Would you like to know more about the STEM Nation Award? Is your setting ready to apply for STEM Nation Award renewal? All of the information you need can be found here on our STEM Nation Award site. The programme is currently open to applications from early learning and childcare settings, schools and community learning and development organisations across Scotland. Our friendly team are here to help you on you STEM Nation journey. Please do not hesitate to contact us at STEM@educationscotland.gov.scot if you have any questions or would like support with your application.

STEM Nation Open Days

Building on last year’s  successful STEM Nation Award Open Days, our team at Education Scotland is working with a group of inspirational educators to host a series of STEM Nation Open Days across Scotland. The programme of visits will run throughout March 2026.

Event dates and locations

Practitioners are welcome to attend any event that is of interest to them. These events are FREE to attend. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

Oakburn EYC, East Dunbartonshire Council

• • Craigdhu Rd, Glasgow, G62 7TJ
  • Friday 13th March 2026, 10.15am – 12.30pm
  • STEM Nation Award Open Day – Oakburn EYC Tickets

Hillhead Primary School, Glasgow City Council

• • 110 Otago Street, Glasgow, G12 8NS
  • Tuesday 24th March, session 1: 1.30 – 3.00pm, session 2: 3.45-5.15pm 
  • STEM Nation Award Open Day – Hillhead Primary School Tickets

STEM Nation Award

Congratulations to Farr High School in Highland Council on achieving a full STEM Nation Award! The school was praised for its inclusive & forward-thinking approach to STEM education.

Congratulations also to Livingston Village Primary School in West Lothian Council on achieving a full STEM Nation Award! The school was praised for its commitment to equity and equality in STEM.

Find out more about the STEM Nation Award –

• General information about the STEM Nation Award – STEM Nation

The STEM self-evaluation and improvement framework underpins Education Scotland’s STEM Nation award. It’s a great place to start! Check it out here:

STEM self-evaluation and improvement framework | Resources | Education Scotland

STEM Outdoors

As Spring is (hopefully) here, you may want to plan some seasonal outdoor learning. Don’t forget we have a range of activities for all seasons and any time across Early, First and Second Level. STEM Outdoors – STEM Nation

Education Scotland Sciences Network– Curriculum Improvement Cycle Webinar

Thursday 19 March 4pm to 5:30pm

The Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) for 3–18 sciences is well underway, with significant progress already made thanks to the valuable engagement of practitioners across Scotland.

The Education Scotland science team is eager to continue hearing from as many colleagues as possible, ensuring that your expertise and insights directly shape a forward-looking sciences curriculum. To support this, our series of network webinars are continuing in 2026.

These webinars are open to all practitioners in early years, primary, secondary and ASN settings who deliver science. We warmly welcome participation from every sector. Broad and diverse engagement is essential to ensuring the curriculum reflects the needs and ambitions of the whole sciences community.

Education Scotland Sciences Network– Curriculum Improvement Cycle Webinar Tickets, Thursday, Mar 19 from 4 pm to 5:30 pm

Education Scotland News and Events

Mathematics and the Curriculum Improvement Cycle

The mathematics component of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) is progressing; our latest Curriculum Improvement Cycle podcast episode is now live.  Listen to hear the progress so far in the Curriculum Improvement Cycle for Maths.

The Curriculum Improvement Cycle – Focus on Mathematics | Education Scotland podcast

Find out more about the Curriculum Improvement Cycle via our blog.

Tara Harper, Lecturer in Mathematics Education University of Dundee, explains what most excites her about the prospect of an updated maths curriculum.

Curriculum Improvement Cycle – Education Scotland

Science and the Curriculum Improvement Cycle

Sciences Curriculum Improvement Journey – all key information, dates, updates and links can be found on Sciences Curriculum Improvement Journey blog post, which is updated regularly.

The sciences component of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) is progressing; many thanks to the members of our Science CIC Core Group for their valuable contributions to our two day workshop firming up the concepts and big ideas for the revised 3-18 sciences curriculum.

Access the reports and thinking from both groups:

• Collaboration Group Padlet
• Core Group Padlet

Other resources and support

Our national STEM partner organisations have lots of programmes, events, resources and funding available. Here are the highlights:

STEM Professional Learning from SSERC

SSERC offers a range of STEM professional learning opportunities for Early Years and Primary practitioners.  The professional learning is centred around practical, hands-on activities, which are linked to the Curriculum for Excellence.

SSERC offer face-to-face courses and online sessions, including SSERC Meets.  Many of the courses feature resource kits, allowing you to try activities in the classroom or share your learning with colleagues.  Supportive online materials are also provided.  Most of their professional learning opportunities come at no cost to your setting or are supported by funding.

All 3:30-5pm on Teams, suitable for a group of staff – try out a range of practical STEM activities using the kit provided.

Find out more and apply:  https://sserc.org.uk/professional-learning/early-years-primary-professional-learning/

Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) 

Talk to a Farmer is back for 2026!

Bring your class along from 23-27th March to hear directly from farmers across Scotland, as they share what they do to produce your food. There are a range of farmers lined up, from large sprout producers to a school who grow and sell their own produce.

Talk to a Farmer – Royal Highland Educational Trust

Keep Scotland Beautiful

Live Lessons – register now

Keep Scotland Beautiful Live Lessons support Climate Education, Learning for Sustainability and work on Eco-Schools and Young Reporters.

Live Lessons are delivered online via Microsoft Teams. All lessons are accompanied by follow-up resources, and will be recorded so you can watch them again.

Register now for this year’s exciting lessons, featuring collective action activities and high quality resources, bringing schools and nurseries together to work towards a more sustainable future…

Spring Clean Week 2026: 16 – 23 March

• Interactive Live Lesson and associated resources, inspiring you and your pupils to take part in the annual Spring Clean Scotland Campaign and join the fight against litter and waste!

Natural Scotland Week 2026: 11 – 19 May

• Learn all about our amazing natural world and take action to look after it.

Live Lessons | Keep Scotland Beautiful

You’ve received this e-bulletin because you are a member of our national science or STEM networks. Don’t want to receive future newsletters? No problem – just let us know.

Socials

You can now follow us on BlueSky:

@EdScotSciences: https://bsky.app/profile/edscotsciences.bsky.social

@stemedscot: https://bsky.app/profile/stemedscot.bsky.social

@EdScotLfS: https://bsky.app/profile/edscotlfs.bsky.social

@RAiSEScotland (Twitter/X): https://x.com/RaiseScotland

Networks

Join over 2000 practitioners on our national Glow networks. Joining codes are:

STEM: kz41xx4

Sciences: uh9sf32

Learning for Sustainability: o4sj08j

Websites

STEM Nation Website and our events calendar: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/stemnation/

LfS Portal:

https://education.gov.scot/resource-themes/learning-for-sustainability

Email us

science@educationscotland.gov.scot

STEM@educationscotland.gov.scot

LfS@educationscotland.gov.scot

Feedback – let us know what you think about our newsletter. All feedback welcome.

The Education Scotland STEM Team compiles a list of grants and funding for STEM learning.

Download the document below for the latest update on grants and funding for STEM-related learning and programmes.

STEM Grants and Funding (June 2025)

If you know of any other grants or funding available then please email us at STEM@educationscotland.gov.scot and we’ll add it to the list.

The work to review and update Scotland’s 3-18 sciences curriculum is now well underway. The Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) process, which began for sciences in November 2024, offers a structured way to review and refresh the 3–18 sciences curriculum. The ambition is for the revised sciences curriculum to reflect current scientific developments, build the knowledge and skills needed for future careers, and equip children and young people with the confidence to meet society’s challenges. Practitioners, learners, parents, carers, and partner organisations will all play an important role in shaping the future of science education.

The co-design process  is being shaped by the following groups:

• The Sciences Collaboration Group brings together around 100 participants to represent different local authorities, sectors, roles, and experience. Around 70% of attendees are practising teachers and educators. Members meet face-to-face twice a year, with online meetings taking place as needed. The role of the group is to identify what’s working, explore improvements, test emerging ideas, gather feedback and share learning. Membership is refreshed regularly to ensure new voices join while maintaining the group’s collective expertise.
• The Sciences Core Group is a subset of the Collaboration Group, made up of 30 participants. Its role is to co-design distil and refine the ideas and thinking of the Collaboration Group. The group’s work feeds back to the Collaboration Group for further development and iteration.
• The Sciences Critical Friends network provides wider perspectives to complement those of the Collaboration Group. The role of the network is to act as a sounding board and to critically review proposals and outputs. There are a number of Critical Friends groups for sciences including for: Senior Phase, Children and Young People, Technicians, ASN, industry voices etc.
• The Sciences Steering Group guides the strategic direction of the sciences CIC process. It is co-chaired by the Association of Directors of Education (ADES), Education Scotland, and the Scottish Government and includes 10–15 representatives from local and national government and initial teacher education.

The key reports and outputs from previous Sciences CIC events and workshops are available below. This blog will be updated as the CIC process progresses – so keep checking back to keep up to date.

Collaboration Group Day 1 (November 2024)

Summary report: Collaboration Group Day 1 – 3 page summary

Full report: Collaboration Group Day 1 – Event Summary

Event Padlet link:  Sciences Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) Collaboration Group 28.11.24 Padlet

Core Group Workshop 1 (March 2025)

Workshop report:  Core Group 4-day workshop – Report

Collaboration Group Day 2 (June 2025)

Summary report:  Collaboration Group Day 2 – Summary Report

Full report: Collaboration Group Day 2 – Full Report

Event Padlet link: Sciences CIC Collaboration Group Day 2 12.06.25 Padlet

Senior Phase Focus Group (June 2025)

Focus group report: Senior Phase Focus Group Report June 2025

Core Group Workshop 2 (August 2025)

Workshop report: Core Group Workshop 2 – Summary report

Core Group Workshop 3 (November 2025)

Workshop report: Core Group Workshop 3 – Summary Report

Collaboration Group Day 3 (December 2025)

Summary report: Collaboration Group Day 3 – Summary Report

Event Padlet link:  Sciences CIC Collaboration Group Day 3 (03.12.25)

Core Group Workshop 4 (January 2026)

Workshop report:  Core Group Workshop 4 – Summary report

ASN and ELC Focus Group – one day workshop (January 2026)

Workshop report:  ASN and ELC Focus Group Report

Event Padlet link: Sciences CIC ASN and ELC Focus Group Sharing Platform

Science CIC Development Days (February 2026)

Day 1 report: CIC Development day 1 05.02.26 – Summary report

Day 2 report: CIC Development day 2 27.02.26 – Summary report

Event Padlet link: Science CIC Development Days – February 2026

Science Newsletter

Each term, the Education Scotland Science Team shares a newsletter filled with updates, insights, and resources designed to support science practitioners across Scotland. Whether you work in early learning, primary, secondary, or community settings — or lead within a department, faculty, or STEM initiative — the newsletter offers a window into the ongoing work of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle and highlights opportunities to stay connected with the wider science network.

Inside each edition, you’ll find:

• Curriculum updates – Key developments and insights from the Curriculum Improvement Cycle

• Spotlight stories – Exploring a specific area of focus or interest each term.

• Professional learning opportunities – Events, webinars, and workshops to enhance your practice

• Networking tips – Ways to connect with fellow educators and share ideas

Don’t miss out! Click the links below to access the latest edition and explore past newsletters. Stay informed, inspired, and connected to Scotland’s vibrant science education community.

Term 1 –  Science Newsletter September 2025

Term 2 – Science Newsletter November 2025

Network Webinars

The Education Scotland Science Team has scheduled a series of webinars for practitioners from all sectors to support understanding of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle and to share progress on the development of a futures-oriented 3–18 sciences curriculum. These webinars provide a space for practitioners to engage directly with the work of the Science Team and contribute their perspectives.

Following requests from attendees, we are pleased to share the PowerPoint presentations from these past webinars. During the sessions, practitioner input was actively sought and collated, helping to inform and shape the ongoing work of the improvement cycle.

What you’ll find in the presentations:

• Updates and insights from the Curriculum Improvement Cycle

• Key themes and findings gathered from practitioner engagement

• Emerging priorities and considerations for a forward-looking science curriculum

Access the presentations below to explore the content from past webinars and stay connected with the conversation shaping Scotland’s science curriculum.

Webinar 1 – Science Network Webinar Meeting 17.09.25

Webinar 2 –Science Network Webinar Meeting 29.10.25

Webinar 3 – Science Network Webinar Meeting 26.11.25

Science Network Webinar Recording 26.11.25

Draft 3-18 Sciences Curriculum Rationale

Webinar 4 – 10.12.2025

Science Network Webinar Meeting 10.12.25 Part 1 – Big Ideas

Science Network Webinar Meeting 10.12.25 Part 2: Overarching concepts

Science Network Webinar Meeting 10.12.25 Part 3: Next steps

Science Network Webinar Recording 10.12.25

Webinar 5 – 19.03.26

Science Network Webinar Recording 19.03.26

Register for our next webinar using the links below

Keep up to date

• Scottish educators can join our national sciences network on Glow to be kept up to date with developments. Use joining link https://bit.ly/3WfFnBl and joining code: uh9sf32
• For all other information about the Curriculum Improvement Cycle Process, visit our CIC blog: Curriculum Improvement Cycle – Education Scotland
• If you have any questions about the sciences CIC process then contact us on email: science@educationscotland.gov.scot

Science CIC Communications Update – February 2026

We are delighted to share a number of communications recently released across Education Scotland’s social media channels on the Curriculum Improvement Cycle for Science, including:

• A Facebook reel from practitioners on the work so far to help improve and update the science curriculum;
• LinkedIn articles from Emma Smith, Primary STEM, and Chris Ranson, Teacher of Physics.
• A new podcast episode from Lise McCaffery and Fiona Shaw.

Please share with your colleagues within your schools, settings and networks.

Education Scotland is delighted to announce that Spartans Community Foundation in North Edinburgh has become the first community learning and development provider to achieve the STEM Nation Award.

Debbi McCulloch, CEO at Spartans Community Foundation, said:

“We are honoured to receive the STEM Nation Award, as it is a proud moment for us all as we receive national recognition of the outstanding STEM initiatives taking place here at the Spartans Community Foundation, and within the local primary schools we work with. I feel deeply proud of our staff whose dedication and innovation has made this possible. The broader range of STEM pathways now available in North Edinburgh is enabling young people to enjoy lots of fun STEM activities whilst providing a positive, and engaging, learning environment and the chance to try new things.”

Graeme Logan, Chief Executive of Education Scotland, said:

“Congratulations to Spartans Community Foundation on becoming the first community learning and development provider to achieve the STEM Nation Award. Spartans does a lot of great work to empower the local community including its signature STEM learning programme for schools encouraging exploration, imagination and perseverance using codeable robots. This success is very well deserved and we hope it will encourage other community learning and development providers to apply for the STEM Nation Award.”

Minister for Higher and Further Education Graeme Dey said:

“This award is testament to the commitment and hard work of dedicated staff at Spartans in providing opportunities for young people across communities to gain the valuable skills needed for learning, life and work.

“It underlines the impact which community learning and development can have in empowering people, individually and collectively, to make positive changes in their lives and in their communities.”

The STEM Nation Award programme has been developed to celebrate, promote and build 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. The diagram below shows the new STEM Nation Award roadmap for practitioners working in the community learning and development (CLD) sector:

David Service, , Senior Education Officer at Spartans Community Foundation, said:
“Engaging with the STEM Nation Award has provided The Spartans Community Foundation a fantastic opportunity to really evaluate the impact of our STEM programmes across the CLD sector. The STEM Nation Award provides a very detailed and structured framework which allowed us to truly reflect on our strengths and shape our future endeavours as part of our action plan. We have been able to identify growth initiatives, increase our awareness of partnership collaboration opportunities, and have been able to widen our reach in the CLD setting as a result.

One of the great benefits of the STEM Nation Award is that you can join at any stage and there are dedicated members of the team who are willing to help at every stage of the application! All settings and providers can access the materials provided by the STEM Nation team and this can allow for the development of a current project or even the creation of something new and unique!

Our team at Spartans will be forever grateful to the STEM Nation Award and are happy to share our journey with others in the CLD sector as they embark on their own journey and strive to dream big and dream fierce.”

Building on from Spartans Community Foundation’s recent success, Education Scotland invite further expressions of interest from the CLD sector in the STEM Nation Award programme. Youth groups, family learning teams and community-based adult learning providers operating on a not-for-profit basis are all eligible to apply for the award in recognition of the work they are doing to make sciences, engineering, technologies and mathematics (STEM) more accessible and inclusive for the communities they serve. CLD providers should click here to register for the STEM Nation Award programme. Registered settings will receive termly newsletters and email updates about the programme. You will also have access to our team of STEM Education Officers to support you with STEM developments and improvement planning in your setting or organisation.

You can access the full suite of CLD guidance documents here.

As part of Education Scotland’s STEM Nation Open Day programme, Spartans Community Foundation will open their doors in the new year to CLD practitioners and other educators from across Scotland to share their journey towards achieving the STEM Nation Award. Practitioners will hear from learners about the impact of STEM in the community, learn more about the relationships Spartans have developed with STEM industry partners and find out how the staff at the foundation and local primary schools have been able to access training opportunities supporting them in the delivery of STEM experiences. Staff from the Education Scotland STEM team will also be on hand to provide more information about the programme and help you identify your next steps in your STEM Nation journey. Tickets for the event are available free of charge from Education Scotland and will be available on the Education Scotland Events page in due course.

We are pleased to share the PISA 2025 Support Package for Scotland, developed by Education Scotland in collaboration with Scottish Government and the National Foundation for Educational Research. These support materials are designed to help schools prepare for their participation in the PISA 2025 assessment, which begins on 01 September 2025.

• Access the support package here: https://education.gov.scot/resources/programme-for-international-student-assessment-2025/
• See this BBC Bitesize page for learners and parents: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z7hvxg8

What is PISA?

Through September and October this year, around 3500 learners in 119 Scottish secondary schools will be participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The assessment is organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The assessment tests the performance of 15-year-olds in science, mathematics and English. Over 700,000 learners from 80+ countries will be taking part globally.

How do I know if my school is taking part in PISA?

If your school has been selected to take part in the PISA assessment, then your head teacher will have received a notification letter at the start of this year. Often a DHT is given the role as the school coordinator for the PISA assessment. It is important that science, English and mathematics teaching staff are aware of their school’s involvement as they have a key role to play in preparing learners for the assessment – helping them to understand what PISA is, why it is important, and familiarising them with the format of the questions and assessments. Science will be the main focus for PISA 2025, but there will also be questions to test performance in reading and mathematics.

Who is the PISA support package for?

The PISA support package is for school leadership teams and teachers of science, English and mathematics. There are also resources targeted at learners, parents and carers. The materials will be of general interest to other educators and decision-makers, as they provide insight into one of the world’s largest educational research studies.

What’s in the support package?

• Videos for teachers explaining what PISA is and what to expect in 2025.
• Recorded webinars for teachers which provide an insight into the PISA assessment and exemplar questions.
• Exemplar PISA questions for science, reading and mathematics.
• A PISA in depth podcast for educators.

Support for learners, parents and carers

The PISA support package also contains resources and videos for learners, parents and carers including:

BBC Bitesize page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z7hvxg8#zmnbtcw

Information leaflet: https://education.gov.scot/media/uwtoev1x/pisa-2025-learnerparent-and-carer-information-leaflet.pdf

Information videos:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P7OuFxQuN4
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOMOlpnKDnw
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzNWtwa6ivs

We would like to express our gratitude all the learners and staff involved in PISA 2025. Your support will provide us with valuable data to help us improve education in Scotland.

Want to learn more about Education Scotland’s STEM Nation Award programme? The flyer below illustrates the many benefits of engaging with the programme and shows how this whole setting approach to STEM improvement links with other programmes and priorities in Scottish education.

As ever, if you want to learn more or would like some help planning your next steps please contact our team at:

📧 STEM@educationscotland.gov.scot 

Top reasons for being part of the STEM Nation Award Programme

Download the flyer below to learn more about the support that’s available for ELC settings, schools and CLD providers embarking on their STEM Nation Award journey. In addition to the resources and events listed on the flyer, our friendly team here at Education Scotland can be reached at the email address below. If you’ve got any questions or are looking for some guidance on your next steps please do get in touch!

📧 STEM@educationscotland.gov.scot 

STEM Nation Journey flyer

Download this guide for ELC practitioners to explore how the STEM Nation Award aligns with Froebelian principles and practice.

STEM Nation Award for Froebelian settings