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Mayor's London Scientist Teacher Programme 2020/21
The Mayor of London is working with the British Science Association, STEM Learning and the Royal Institution to offer the Mayor’s London Scientist Teacher Programme for a third year, but this time it's virtual!
The aim of the Programme is to give London pupils positive experiences with hands-on STEM work by getting creative with STEM projects and achieving the nationally-recognised CREST Awards. Alongside this, the Programme offers teachers support, CPD, mentoring from a STEM professional, and funding towards materials so that you are best placed to help your pupils succeed.
Schools are eligible for the Programme if they are a non-selective state secondary schools in London with one of the following characteristics:
- 30% or more free school meals students
- 75% or more ethnic minority students
- SEND school
- alternative provider/PRU.
The benefits of participating in the Programme are:
- fully-funded Discovery or Bronze CREST Awards - saving you up to £5 per pupil, with no cap on pupil numbers
- (virtual) mentoring from a STEM Ambassador - you will be matched with a volunteer STEM professional who will provide inspiration, guidance and support with your pupils' STEM projects
- a CREST Awards workshop - you will be invited to a practical, online training session in November on how to run CREST Award projects effectively (one session for primary and one for secondary)
- CPD - you will be offered tickets to high-quality, fully-funded STEM CPD sessions
- small grants - £150 cash contribution towards materials and travel costs to the first 80 schools that register their projects on the CREST Awards website.
If you are interested in participating in the Programme, register for the virtual kick-off event on 7 October at 4.30pm.
As part of the Programme, a number of free webinars are on offer. The upcoming ones to mark Ada Lovelace Day are listed below.
Breaking the Gender Barriers in Computing (12 October, 4.30–5.30pm)
This webinar that will explore strategies for breaking down gender stereotypes and encouraging more girls to engage in computing at school. To register for the webinar, visit the Eventbrite page.
Careers with Impact: Meet the Programmers who #CodeTheWorld (16 October, 4.30–5.30pm)
This webinar will explore the social and cultural barriers to girls’ participation in computing and offer strategies to encourage wider participation in computing, both in primary and secondary. It is open to any young person who is interested in learning about different and exciting careers within computing, programming, computer science, software engineering, etc. To register for the webinar, visit the Eventbrite page.
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Biology Week 2020 - 3–11 October
Biology Week is an annual celebration of biology, with events for everyone, all over the UK and beyond. The week is a great opportunity to take part in, and learn about the breadth, depth and variety of biology and the natural world. Students and teachers can attend a free online Policy Lates event on healthy ageing. You can also take part in the #iamabiologist social media campaign. Other ways for schools and colleges to get involved with the celebration include the BioArtAttack 2020 competition or visit the Royal Society of Biology website for further ideas such as running quizzes or events.
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VaccAid: fighting infections competition
The topic for the 32nd Microbiology in Schools Advisory Committee Annual Competition for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 students is vaccines. Entrants are required to produce information for a social media website for teenagers aimed at increasing their understanding of how vaccines work and their uses in controlling infectious diseases in children.
For more information on how to enter the competition, visit the Committee’s website. The closing date for entries is 31 October.
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Farmvention
Farmvention (when farming meets invention) is a national STEM competition run by NFU Education and aimed at children aged 5–14 in England and Wales.
This year, the challenge is all about the problems that climate change creates for British farmers and how they are fighting it to become Climate Superheroes. There are four themed inspiration hubs to get pupils thinking and each one is full of investigations to complete at home or school, alongside tours of climate superheroes’ farms.
Pupils can enter the competition individually or as part of a team or class and there are prizes for the winning schools. Winners will present their ideas at an event at the Houses of Parliament and win £1,000 for their school to spend on STEM or outdoor learning equipment. All entrants will become certified ‘farmventors’ and receive a reward pack including a certificate and mini prize.
The deadline for entry is 31 May 2021. For more information, visit the Farmvention website.
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OCR Women in Science posters
OCR have published a series of free Women in Science posters. They highlight the work of prominent female scientists and how it links to the content in the OCR Science GCSE and A-Level specifications.
The posters can be downloaded here.
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ASE publishes report on making practical science happen post-Covid-19
The ASE has published the second report in its 'Good Practical Science - making it happen post-Covid-19' series. It features a series of recommendations for science educators to consider in light of the issues that all schools and colleges are currently facing.
This new report focuses on the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic on the 10 key benchmarks outlined in the Good Practical Science Report written by Professor Sir John Holman. The report takes each of the benchmarks in turn and shares a series of specific recommendations for schools to consider to ensure young people continue to have access to frequent, varied and purposeful practical science. It also includes high-level recommendations for policy-makers and others working in science education that will be crucial in enabling the benchmarks to be achieved.
The report is available from the ASE website.
Free webinar series to support practical science teaching
To follow up the report, ASE, in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Royal Society of Biology and the Institute of Physics, are offering a series of practical science webinars in November and early December. They aim to provide immediate, subject-specific support for teachers, for example, around ways to use digital technologies to support and enhance experiments where practical work may be limited by social distancing restrictions.
Places are limited, so you are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment. For more information on the webinars and to book, visit the ASE website.
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Still time to apply for the ENTHUSE Celebration and STEM Inspiration Awards 2020
The ENTHUSE Celebration Awards recognise the schools, teachers and technicians that have gone the extra mile to inspire their students and develop their professional practice. Teachers, who have undertaken CPD at the National STEM Learning Centre in York, through their network of Science Learning Partnerships, via their online CPD, or with one of their partners in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are all eligible to apply.
The STEM Inspiration Awards recognise the individuals, organisations and clubs working to inspire young people in science, technology, engineering and maths. It aims to celebrate the initiatives that make a real impact, sparking an enthusiasm for STEM subjects and careers.
The deadline for applications for both awards is 27 September. (Please note, this deadline has been extended from its original April date. Any applications submitted before April are still valid.) For information on how to apply for the ENTHUSE Celebration Awards and STEM Inspiration Awards, visit the STEM Learning website.
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