Welcome to the latest STEM newsletter for Primary Schools  from your local STEM Ambassador Hub. 
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Please don't hesitate to contact us if we can support the teaching of STEM subjects in your school or college. 
With best wishes 
The See Science Team

The newsletter that's an essential source of information and inspiration for teachers and anyone with an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) engagement in Wales.

CONTENTS

STEM news
 

Local events 
 

 

Funding opportunities and Awards

Latest CPD
from your local STEM Learning Partnership

 


Ask a STEM Ambassador to visit your school

STEM Ambassador's involvement can engage and enthuse both students and teachers. If you are interested in asking a STEM Ambassador to visit your school you can make your request hereWe’ve created brief guides to encourage both STEM Ambassadors and educators to use the self-service. 

The  video guide outlines how to use the web platform  and  helps teachers and group leaders find the right STEM Ambassador for their activity.

Give us your Ambassador feedback

If an Ambassador has visited your school, or if you have met an Ambassador at an enrichment activity, we would be very grateful if you could fill in our teacher feedback form. Please encourage colleagues to respond.

 

LATEST STEM NEWS

Wild Wood day at Porth Primary

STEM Ambassador Kevin Perry supported a ‘Wild Wood Day’ at his local primary school. A bushcraft / environmental investigation event Kevin joined the pupils in an outdoor
exploration of their local woodland. Pupils build animal hides, dens, discovered varities of trees and plans and how the ecosystem of woodlands operates.

 

‘Thank you for the opportunity to support your "Wild Wood"; theme as a STEM Ambassador. I found the trip very well organised and a fun way of learning for the children. I am all for practical ways of learning as I know how much more information is retained by physical activities. The children were very well mannered and how the teachers  encouraged the children was lovely to see. I can see why some of the children love coming to school.’ Kevin Perry Logistics AR & M Engineer BMT Defences Ltd
Thank you very much on behalf of all the staff and children involved in our visit to Bushcraft Adventures, for your support with a very successful learning experience.
The children have been enthused by the outdoor practical activities which has allowed them to be fully engaged in our Wild Wood theme.
Your help on the day of our trip was much appreciated and our school would be very
grateful for any further support you could give us with future STEM activities.’
Elaine Thomas

Read more

Sandfields Primary STEM in a Castle Day

Sandfields Primary enjoyed a wide spectrum of STEM Activities on their own special day atMargam Castle.
8 Different Employers attended delivering superb sessions – a total of 14 STEM Ambassadors presented mini workshops. Pupils were rotated in small groups of 6 to each activity.

This arrangement allowed pupils more individual attention and STEM Ambassadors a better quality of interaction and control over the session.
Topics included: SureChill Thermal Flow, Making a Lemon Fruit Battery, Lego learning kits,
Pfizers ‘From Molecule to medicine’ workshop, DVLA Coding programmes, CGI Robots,
Magnets and Mechanics.
Teacher Rachael Webbe was absolutely delighted with the response of her Year 5 pupils –
learning outcomes were high and pupils thoroughly engaged throughout.
Racheal commented that pupils had thanked her for choosing them for ‘the best day trip
ever’!
STEM Ambassadors also commented on the exemplary behaviour and politeness of pupils. A very successful formula to be repeated soon we hope!

Read more

Conwy Feast October 2019 - Festival with STEM!

Conwy Feast is a community celebration of food, music, arts, crafts and now STEM!
The Royal Society of Biology hosted a stand demonstrating plants through seed to germination and growth.

They had the same at the Abergavenny Food Festival with STEM Ambassador support, impressed and grateful they hoped for help at the Feast.

Visitors had a chance to pot their own plants with hands on engagement. Following a request several STEM Ambassadors took part and helped the RSB deliver a very full day of engagement. Phillipa Skett of the RSB sent a warm message of thanks

‘A huge thank you this weekend for volunteering with us at Conwy Feast.
 We had an amazing time, and I hope you enjoyed yourselves!
 It was lovely to meet you all and Raghav and I had a great time getting to know you all throughout the weekend.
 We spoke to approximately 700 people across the two days, and potted probably thousands of seeds in the process’. 

Read more

ASE Cymru Conference  16 November. National Museum Cardiff - Adventures in Science
 

The Association for Science Education annual regional conference will have a very special guest this year! Coinciding with the arrival of certain very famous dinosaur skeleton - thanks to Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure - the ASE Cymru Wales Conference will take place on 16 November at the National Museum in Cardiff.

One of the CPD highlights of the year in the region, this event - this year entitled Adventures in Science - is all about helping science educators embrace the most effective teaching strategies to help our students/pupils be inspired by science and learn to their full potential.

We have curated a rich programme of seminars and workshops. With strands covering both primary and secondary education, the day will be packed full of insightful thinking and knowledge sharing. From a keynote on Altitude and Attitude from Tori James - the first Welsh woman to climb Mt Everest - to an exploration into the science of dinosaurs with Cindy Howells, curator of palaeontology at the museum.

 
Whether you are a practicing teacher, a trainee teacher, a researcher, a technician or anyone with an interest in and passion for science education, the programme should have much to interest and excite. In addition to the sessions  there will be an opportunity to wonder around the Museum  and plenty of time to network with colleagues.

Please book here or for more information contact cerianangharad@ase.org.uk
 

Competitions

The Ultimate STEM Challenge is back again and bigger than ever before ! Now open to pupils aged 9-14, this national competition invites young inventors to create a new piece of wearable tech that will improve lives in the future.

To help you bring this competition to life, you can request a STEM Ambassador to support you and your class in entering this year’s Ultimate STEM Challenge.

Read our guidance on how to request a STEM Ambassador to support you and your entry.
BP has also designed a range of free curriculum-linked resources for pupils aged 9-14 that will help you deliver exciting science lessons and inspire entries for this year’s competition.
There are some brilliant prizes up for grabs including:

  • two lucky schools will win £750 to spend on school equipment or field trips
  • attend an exclusive, all expenses paid experience at a one-day Hackathon
  • meet real scientists, coders and designers to help bring their ideas to life

The deadline for entries is 14 January 2020.

Read more

Primary Engineer Competition - fully funded STEM competition including free resources

 
Primary Engineer and QinetiQ are inviting you to take part in a fully funded national STEM competition.  
 
The Leaders Award ‘If you were an Engineer what would you do’, is a curriculum-based competition that helps build literacy, design and technology skills and career related learning for pupils aged 3 to 19.  Click here for a Leaders Award introduction. 
 
Register today  and download your FREE resources, including:

  • Project overview (links to current educational research including the Gatsby Benchmarks for Careers Related Learning and FAQ)
  • Curriculum mapping to National Curriculum
  • Lesson Plans
  • Online live chats/ interviews with Engineers
  • Free Training – masterclass twilights are available across the country

Engineering is all around us, from the cars we drive in, TV screens we watch to the food we eat. It is what makes our lives liveable and as such forms the basis of discussion, creativity and problem solving. How can we make life better for others and ourselves?
Children, pupils and students in Early Years Settings, Primary and Secondary Schools are invited to interview an engineer, identify a problem, draw and annotate a solution to it on an A4 or A3 sheet and explain on one side of A4 (or less) why their solution should be manufactured by engineers.
All entries receive a named certificate. Shortlisted entries are displayed at regional exhibitions and awards presented to the best from each year group.
We will also be offering a Leaders Award Masterclass helping teachers maximise the programme in the classroom, exploring the curriculum links and expanding the literacy and creative aspects of the programme. For further information on one-day courses which are offered across the country, please email info@primaryengineer.com.

Read more

Can you help one of the most iconic bridges in Wales?

The Newport Transporter Bridge team is applying to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the repair, restoration and interpretation of the iconic Bridge. As part of this project a new programme of activities, visits and resources will be put in place for schools and colleges, with activities potentially supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), history, geography, and art design. We also hope to offer volunteering, work placements and apprenticeships for young people.
Please click on the link below, or alternatively type this link into your browser:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3RFRXCC
We would really like your input to help us shape our ideas at this exciting stage in the
project and this survey outlines some of those ideas. This survey should take about 7-10
minutes to complete. All completed surveys will be entered into a draw to win a £50
Amazon voucher.
Read more
The IET’s #SantaLovesSTEM festive video and STEM competition will return for Christmas 2019, bringing you an inspirational video of how science, engineering, technology and maths (STEM) plays a big part in making a difference Join Santa and his family as they celebrate Chritmas at home and find out which presents Santa gives to his own children  and how these presents influence  theirhobbies and future careers. This year there will be a celebrity guest telling us about Santa's family so watch this space  for more information and keep checking  social media chanels #SantaLovesSTEM
There’s an engineer in each of us, whether you are a fixer, maker or creator, all you need is imagination.

Youth Industrial Strategy Competition - have you entered yet?
It's time to get your entries in for the Youth Industrial Strategy Competition - our national initiative that inspires and challenges young people.
If you need a little encouragement, take a look at the list of prizes to be won!
The overall winner in each category (Junior, Intermediate, and Senior) will receive a cash prize of £500 cash for the group's school, and £500 cash for the students who worked on the project. Other prizes for runners-up will include: Amazon vouchers worth up to £20 per student and £100 CREST Award vouchers for schools.
Read more about the competition here.

Funding opportunities and feedback

Resources available from the British Science Association
Here at BSA we are  working on new and exciting resources for you and your students to get stuck into. And as always, all of our resources are free to access via our CREST resource library.
From designing a wind turbine, to designing an accessible messaging service, there are loads of project ideas for young people to develop new and exciting ideas.

Read more

Planning to take part in British Science Week 2020? Why not apply for one of our grants to help fund your activities?

You could get up to £700 to organise an event for your school or STEM club, or up to £1,000 to organise an event within your community group. Both grant schemes aim to help under-served audiences or people who don’t typically engage with STEM. They have different criteria, both of which you can check out here.

Read more

Royal Society of Chemistry. - Funding for Chemistry Clubs
The funds are targeted at activities run at schools/ colleges outside the normal science timetable which may be focused on generating interest in chemistry in all ability levels or which may provide opportunities to stretch and challenge the already able and motivated.  

Applications from existing chemistry clubs looking to expand/ enhance activities would be welcome as would those from colleagues interested in starting a club.  

An application would need to indicate how the longevity of the proposal was ensured and how best practice and experience from it might be shared within and between other (perhaps feeder) schools.  The application will be made by a teacher at a primary or secondary school for sums up to £1000.
Next closing date. 15 November 2019   Details here.

Read more

D&T Excellence Awards 2020
The 20th Design and Technology Excellence Awards nominations are now open. 
The prestigious awards ceremony will be held at The Institution of Engineering and Technology, London on Friday 20th March 2020 hosted by the D&T Association and The Institution of Engineering  and Technology. The awards give professional recognition to individuals nominated by their colleagues for their unique work in design and technology education across the categories.
The award nomination categories for the 20th Design and Technology Excellence Awards are listed below. We had an outstanding number of nominations last year and it is really positive to see all the hard work that takes place in our D&T classrooms. If you made a nomination for last years' award ceremony and your candidate was not successful, they will automatically go into the nominations for this year.
You can nominate online by clicking here  or you can fill in the nominations form which can be found below and either email it to Neesha Mistry (neesha.mistry@data.org.uk

 

Latest CPD from your Science Learning Partnership

To find out more about the latest CPD from your Science Learning  Partnership click here

Using mysteries to improve engagement and learning in primary science… explore an innovative approach to developing primary pupils' science skills and knowledge.

21st and 22nd November 2019
Location- Conference Centre, University of South Wales, Treforest Campus, Pontypridd, CF37 1DL

A two-day course that will show you how to stimulate curiosity and maintain it through purposeful classroom activities that build pupils’ science skills and knowledge
The facilitators, Andrea Mapplebeck and John Walker have excellent reputations in providing high quality cpd that is effective in the classroom and fills teachers with enthusiasm and confidence in STEM.
To book go to https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/457784/using-mysteries-improve-engagement-and-learning-primary-science

Responsive teaching in STEM

28th +29th November Time- 9.30- 3.30pm
 Conference Centre, University of South Wales, Pontypridd (Lunch and refreshments provided)
How can you find out and respond to what pupils do and do not know so that all pupils are challenged, engaged, motivated, active and move forward in their learning?
Effective assessment for learning is key to ensuring that every child strives for and reaches their full potential. This course will give you the skills to do this!
This hands-on two-day course for both primary and secondary teachers will draw on best formative practices from research.
You will be able to:
 Explore a range of classroom activities that can be taken away and used immediately to help you develop your responsiveness with your pupils. Go back to school armed with ideas of how you can create and nurture a
classroom culture that has pupil learning at its heart help your pupils see that they can be empowered to become more responsible for their thinking and learning build pupils self-esteem and motivation to persevere and enjoy learning in science.

Techniquest manages the cpd contract for STEM Learning in Wales.
As a result this course is subsidised and so it is only £50 to attend. Teachers from state schools will receive £165 per day ENTHUSE bursary.
HOW TO APPLY https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/457900/responsive-teaching-stem

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