Nineteen education settings are amongst the first to gain a STEM Nation Award from Education Scotland. The group of early learning and childcare settings, primary schools and secondary schools from across the country were among over seventy settings that participated in the pilot phase of the programme. The award has been established by Education Scotland to support Scotland’s STEM Education and Training Strategy.

The award consists of five elements:

• Leadership in STEM – This element celebrates effective leadership at all levels including children and young people leading STEM learning.
• STEM family learning – This element recognises commitment to family learning and practice which is helping to build the STEM capital of learners and their families.
• Employability and STEM partnership working – This element celebrates sustained collaboration between settings and their STEM partner(s) to develop learners’ STEM and employability skills.
• STEM curriculum and learner pathways – This element recognises the work of settings in developing an inspiring STEM curriculum and associated learner pathways.
• Equity and equality in STEM – This element celebrates the work settings are undertaking to address the issues of equity and equality in STEM.

The settings involved in the pilot programme have played an invaluable role in shaping the development of the new award. Many of the other establishments are continuing to work through the various elements of the award programme on their way to gaining the full award.

Education Scotland hopes to be in a position to extend the STEM Nation Award programme nationally in 2021/22, if budget considerations allow. In the meantime, education settings are encouraged to engage with the award documents below and the STEM self-evaluation framework to celebrate, promote and build on effective STEM practice in their setting.

STEM self-evaluation framework

STEM Nation Award application guidance

STEM Nation Award guidance for validators

Please note that the links to STEMnation.scot included in the STEM Nation Award guidance documents will go live in the new year in line with the launch of this new online resource.

                   

Congratulations to the following establishments on gaining the STEM Nation Award as part of the 19/20 pilot:

• Monifieth High School, Angus
• Bowmore Primary School, Argyll & Bute
• Port Ellen Primary School, Argyll & Bute
• Glenwood Family Centre, East Renfrewshire
• Our Lady of the Missions Primary School, East Renfrewshire
• St Joseph’s Primary School, East Renfrewshire
• St Cadoc’s Primary School, East Renfrewshire
• Denny High School, Falkirk
• Graeme High School, Falkirk
• Larbert High School, Falkirk
• Pitteuchar East Primary School, Fife
• Sunflower Family Nurture Centre, Fife
• Gowanbank Primary School, Glasgow City
• Hyndland Secondary School, Glasgow City
• St Roch’s Primary and Deaf School, Glasgow City
• Brediland Primary School, Renfrewshire
• McLaren High School, Stirling
• Wellgreen Nursery, Stirling
• Inveralmond Community High School, West Lothian

The settings involved in the STEM Nation Award pilot can be viewed here: https://goo.gl/maps/v4p8Hg2Dsc2UNGjm9