STEM Blog

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 practicing 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

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

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

Welcome to our February newsletter which is packed with news, resources and support for science and STEM education.

We’ll update this blog with new offers as they come in – so remember to revisit this page for the latest updates!

DOWNLOAD this newsletter below:

ES Sciences and STEM February Newsletter 2025

Education Scotland News and Events

STEM Nation Award Open Days – Sign up now

Over 300 settings (ELC, school and CLD) have now registered for Education Scotland’s STEM Nation Award, with over 116,000 learners in these settings. Sign up now to visit a range of settings (in-person or online) that have gained the full award. Don’t miss this valuable opportunity: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/STEMcentralinmotion/2025/01/22/stem-nation-award-open-days-2/

Assessing Progress and Achievement in BGE Sciences – Early to Fourth Level

Education Scotland is hosting events to support assessment and moderation in BGE sciences from early to fourth level. Join the days to moderate at a national level and to build confidence in professional judgement. Glasgow and Edinburgh events are now full but there are still spaces at the events in Aberdeen (20 March) and Inverness (25 March). Register now: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/STEMcentralinmotion/2025/02/13/assessment-and-moderation-in-bge-sciences/

Renewing Scotland’s 3-18 Sciences Curriculum

Work has begun to review and update Scotland’s Sciences 3-18 curriculum. The national Sciences Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) Collaboration Group met in November to discuss what’s working well and what changes need to be made. Check out our latest Sciences CIC Update to access the event report, summary and PowerPoint: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/STEMcentralinmotion/2025/02/13/reviewing-scotlands-3-18-sciences-curriculum/

Building a #STEMnation

What are the key factors for success in terms of STEM approaches in Scottish secondary schools? What was the reach and impact of the £4.5 million invested in Education Scotland’s STEM grants programme? Education Scotland commissioned these two informative reports to answer these questions. Check out our highlights videos too: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/STEMcentralinmotion/2025/02/13/stem-education-reports-published/

Target 2030 – Learning for a Better World

Would you like to live in a better world? January 2025 marks the five-year countdown to Target 2030 – the date we are due to meet our national target for every 3-18 school and setting to be sustainable and for all learners to receive their entitlement to Learning for Sustainability. Check out the inspiring videos on our LfS portal and please consider committing to the Target 2030 in your forthcoming improvement plan: https://education.gov.scot/resource-themes/learning-for-sustainability/

Other resources and support

Royal Society Partnership Grants – Apply for £3000 funding

The Partnership Grants scheme funds UK schools and colleges up to £3,000 to work in partnership with STEM professionals from academia or industry to run an investigative STEM project. The scheme is open to all levels of education supporting students aged between 5 – 18. Grants are available too for a climate change focus: https://royalsociety.org/grants/partnership-grants/

NatureScot – Nature Discovery Map

Did you know? If we added together all the school grounds in Scotland then they would be equivalent in area to the city of Dundee! NatureScot’s Nature Discovery Map is a valuable national resource to help your setting record the amazing nature and biodiversity in your school grounds and local environment: https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/young-people-learning-outdoors-and-developing-skills/nature-discovery-map-scotland

School Grounds Survey

The 2025 Scottish School Grounds Survey is now LIVE and is being run in partnership with Learning through Landscapes, Play Scotland and NatureScot. The survey is being distributed to all schools in Scotland in January, gathering data on the provision and use of school grounds. Schools who participate will be entered into a prize draw to win outdoor learning and play resources, such as training and den-building equipment: https://ltl.org.uk/projects/scottish-school-grounds-survey/

STEM partner offers 

Education Scotland leads national networks for STEM partner organisations. They have loads of programmes, events, resources, funding available. We’ve captured the highlights from our recent network meetings and put them onto one handy post for you to peruse: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/STEMcentralinmotion/2025/02/13/stem-and-lfs-partner-updates-feb-2025/

Secondary School Focus

New qualification – FIDA International Sustainability Diploma

This exciting new qualification from the Futures Institute of Dollar Academy (FIDA) puts Learning for Sustainability at the heart of the senior phase. It is equivalent to a Higher (SCQF Level 6 and 24 credit points) and has been recognised by UCAS. It is also fully resourced and is now being rolled out nationally following a successful pilot phase. Check out this blog to access more information: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/STEMcentralinmotion/2025/02/13/fida-international-sustainability-diploma/

Daydream Believers Creative Thinking Qualification

Many secondary schools in Scotland are now offering the Creative Thinking Qualification from Daydream Believers – available at SCQF Levels 5 and 6. Both teachers and learners are loving the freedom and flexibility it affords with many using the qualification to address STEM and Learning for Sustainability contexts. Find out more: https://daydreambelievers.co.uk/qualification/

PISA 2025 Framework

This September, some 3000 learners in 118 Scottish secondary schools will take part in the OECD 2025 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) Survey. The main focus for this year’s survey will be science.  Education Scotland is working on support materials for schools. In the meantime, check out the PISA website to find out more: https://pisa-framework.oecd.org/science-2025/

Climate change survey for learners

The Royal Meteorological Society is asking S4 learners to complete a short climate survey by June 2025. The ambition is to release this survey annually across the UK to track changing views and perceptions over time, providing valuable data. Please share this survey: https://www.metlink.org/blog/climate-change/participate-in-climate-literacy-survey-2025/

Research placements – Apply now

There are amazing opportunities for students to participate in research placements with universities and industry over the summer through SSERC’s Research Placement Programme and also with the IN2STEM Programme. These are targeted at S5/S6 pupils. Check here for further information: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/STEMcentralinmotion/2025/02/13/research-placements/

Socials

You can now follow us on BlueSky:

• @EdScotSciences: https://bsky.app/profile/edscotsciences.bsky.social
• @stemedescot: 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 is welcome.

Education Scotland leads national networks for STEM partner organisations. Here are some of the links to programmes and events coming up in February and March 2025 which they shared at our most recent network meetings.

Dynamic Earth

Careers showcase in March: https://dynamicearth.org.uk/learning/schools/schools-careers-day/

Institute of Physics

Mimi’s Space Adventure: https://www.iop.org/explore-physics/mimis-space-adventure

Royal Highland Education Trust

Talk to a farmer week commencing 17 March: https://e-sgoil.com/dyw-live/events/24-25/talk-to-a-farmer-week-2025/

Techfest

Interview with an Astronaut: https://www.techfest.org.uk/space-into-energy  Pioneers of Progress: https://www.techfest.org.uk/education/ages-over-11/stem-into-innovation

University of Highlands and the Islands

Lend a Lab kit boxes & probationer programmes: https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/about-uhi/stem/primary-schools/

Institute of Civil Engineers

Partnership with Girlguiding: https://www.ice.org.uk/news-views-insights/latest-news/ice-and-girlguiding-partnership-expand-new-regions

Outdoor and woodland learning (OWL) Scotland

Scottish Junior Foresters Award and Scotland’s Finest Woods Award – Opens on 01 Feb: https://owlscotland.org/woodland-learning/awards/

STEMovators

Celebration of STEM events: https://www.stemovators.scot/events/ and also Energy quest: https://www.stemovators.scot/for-teachers/energy-quest/

Young STEM Leader Programme – Many activities can contribute to a YSLP Award. Come along to a training session to find out more – Events | Young STEM Leader Programme

Keep Scotland Beautiful

For more information on the Biodiversity SCQF course: https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/lfs-education/biodiversity-action/

British International Education Association

STEM competition: https://bieacompetition.org.uk/2025-competition/

Applications for the Research Placement Programme for S5 pupils are now open. Formerly the Nuffield Research Placement Programme, S5 pupils get the opportunity to spend 2 or 3 weeks in a university or industry over the summer, completing a research project. This programme is aimed at disadvantaged pupils or those who will be first in their family to go to university. Placements can be in any of the STEM related subjects, including social sciences, computing, data science and geography/environmental so please make sure all departments are aware of the opportunity. Pupils can start their application now and will be able to apply directly for placements from mid-March onwards.

For more information, teachers and pupils can view the recording of an information session at Research Placement Student session (2) January 2025

Eligibility: Students must be:

• Over 16 years old and in S5
• Have at least 5 x National 5s at Level B or above, including maths, a science subject and English (or another humanities subject).
• Studying one or more Highers in science, technology, engineering, economics, geography, psychology, computing, statistics or maths.
• Available for 2 consecutive weeks over July and/or August

Students must also meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Be living, or have lived, in local authority care, or be a carer
• Come from a family with a combined household income of below £40,000 a year (pre-tax)
• Be entitled to free school meals, either now or at any time in the last six years
• In receipt of, or entitled to, discretionary payments at school/college (e.g., EMA)
• Be the first in their immediate family to participate in higher education (not including any older siblings).

Pupils can begin their applications by clicking “apply now” at https://www.stem.org.uk/research-placements/students

If you have any questions, please contact aileen.hamilton@sserc.scot

In2STEM Initiative

In addition, the In2STEM programme is a free initiative designed to support students aged 16–19 (S5/S6) who are interested in pursuing careers in STEM. The programme will take place between July and August 2025 and includes:

• In-person work placements tailored to participants’ areas of interest.
• Online workshops focused on employability, skills development, and career exploration.

Visit the In2STEM website for further details and to apply: In2STEM – In2scienceUK

FIDA – The Futures Institute at Dollar Academy – is delighted to offer the International
Sustainability Diploma to schools across Scotland.

Key resources

• FIDA website: Sustainability Diploma – Fida
• International Sustainability Diploma by FIDA 2025_For Teachers
• International Sustainability Diploma_Introduction for Learners_2025
• A short video to introduce the course: https://vimeo.com/1052427098
• An online brochure: https://issuu.com/dollaracademy/docs/internationalsustainabilitydiploma?fr=sNjhkODgwODYxMTI

The course is free of charge, and schools may register from November 2024 for the 2025-26 session.
The Diploma is an innovative one-year programme. Students learn by tackling real-world projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and co-created with experts from industry and universities.

The course is designed to develop the important skills of independent research, problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and entrepreneurship. Instead of examinations, students are assessed on a varied Portfolio of work which they build throughout the year. Assessment is carried out in schools and verified by FIDA.

The Diploma credit-rated at SCQF Level 6 and is worth 24 tariff points (equivalent to one Higher). As such, it is recognised by UCAS, universities, colleges and employers, and also carries international recognition.

To register, email: Smith-JA@dollaracademy.org.uk