Joe Shimwell
For more information, contact our Primary lead:
joe.shimwell@northumbria.ac.uk
0191 349 5932
Teachers are a key influence on young children’s career aspirations. NUSTEM develops resources that teachers can use to support the children in their schools with knowledge of STEM careers, and to broaden career aspirations.
To do this, NUSTEM works across the North-East of England, primarily through a network of around thirty partner schools. We aim for regular, ongoing and sustained interactions with students and their key influencers: their teachers, and their families.
Through the partnerships, NUSTEM develops and tests new activities and resources that can be used by teachers in their own schools.
Below, you’ll find descriptions and links to NUSTEM resources for primary schools.
Supporting Teachers
Teacher CPD
From unconscious bias training, and careers in the curriculum, to the ‘working scientifically’ strand of the national curriculum, and subject-specific training on the sometimes-tricky topics of electricity, sound, light, evolution and forces & magnetism … we can help.
We’ve a page specifically about our primary CPD offer, which is available free to partner schools and at competitive rates for everyone else.
We also have a whole school programme ‘Careers Learning in Primary School’ (CLIPS) which helps primary schools and multi-academy trusts to embed an approach to careers which supports the aspirations of all their pupils. Please get in touch if this is of interest to you.
Science Coordinator Support
Integral to the success of the NUSTEM project is the legacy we leave behind. Our CPD courses share the principles and ethos that underpin our work, but putting training into practice takes effort and support. Our Primary Science Coordinators’ Forum convenes a group of teachers eager to develop their teaching, subject leadership and management skills alongside their peers, and with expert guidance from our education and science specialists.
The forum takes place each half term at our lab in the centre of Newcastle, with trademark quiche and cake.
Events run from 5-7 pm. If you’d like to join the group, please contact our primary education specialist Joe: joe.shimwell@northumbria.ac.uk.
Whole-School Initiatives
Working with our partner schools, we have developed STEM Person of the Week, a five-week whole-school initiative designed to challenge children’s attitudes towards science. Each week showcases the work of a professional STEM worker, highlighting the attributes which have enabled their careers.
The resource is simple and quick to deliver, and has proven results, affecting children’s attitudes even several months after delivery.
Suitable for children from Year 1 to Year 6, STEM Person of the Week is available online here. There are several different sets of cards so schools can make STEM Person of the Week an annual event without repeating the people and jobs introduced.
Careers support materials
STEM Person of the Week is part of our suite of careers support materials for primary schools. Our Primary Careers Tool catalogues a very wide range of example STEM jobs, sorting them by curriculum topic in science and maths. The Tool makes it quick ad easy to include careers ideas in your day-to-day lessons. Use of the tool is free!
See our Careers Resources page for an overview, and the pages for science and maths topics.
Supporting Families
It’s no surprise that family support is critical when children are choosing subjects at secondary school – and it turns out family attitudes to science and engineering have a measurable impact on the choices children make. Those attitudes, and the nature and shape of family discussions, start to be formed all the way back in primary school.
Teachers and schools can use these online NUSTEM activities to support parental engagement in their children’s learning.
STEM@Home
NUSTEM has produced STEM@Home activities for families with children aged 3+ to do together. They are designed to be straight-forward and use easily available materials. Each activity also includes information about the science and a career related to it.
Me, You and Science Too
Reading is a key skill that children need to do well. Me, You and Science Too (MYST) is a library of children’s picture books with a linked activity. Parents and carers read the book together and can then work on a shared activity to explore the science ideas in the book more.
The resources were developed in collaboration with Battle Hill Primary School and funded by the SHINE trust.
Engineering for Families
Engineering for families is a 6-session course suitable for an after school club or at home activities. Working together over several weekly sessions, parents and carers explore STEM ideas and careers in depth, and parents will gain confidence in supporting their child’s interest and involvement in science and engineering.
Supporting Children
Classroom Workshops
Our careers-inspired workshops are designed and delivered to showcase the real-world applications of STEM subjects, through hands-on activities. Children get the opportunity to try out and explore the skills, techniques, equipment and ideas that scientists use on a day-to-day basis. Diversity is embedded at the heart of each workshop, with our materials and delivery crafted to ensure that STEM subjects are accessible to all children.
In-person workshops are aimed at NUSTEM partner schools only. However, we’re happy to share our materials with schools/other organisations that would like to deliver the workshops themselves. Just get in touch.
Autumn 2022 workshop offer
Key Stage 1: The Naval Architect
Naval architects design and create vehicles and structures that go in, on or under water, from boats to submarines to oil rigs. During the session, children will be designing and building boats with different materials and investigating which shaped boats float or sink.Download the teacher guide here.
Lower Key Stage 2: The Geologist
Geologists are scientists that work with rocks and the natural processes associated with rocks. During this session children will examine and investigate rocks from space that are over 4.57 billion years old, as well as finding out what happens when these rocks hit the Earth. Download the teacher guide here.
Upper Key Stage 2: Underneath the Ice
Based on the research of our academics at Northumbria University, students in this session will become ice core scientists. These scientists use the gases trapped in ancient ice to discover how the climate has changed in the past and to predict how the climate will change in the future. They will then use poetry as a creative way of sharing their learning. Download the teacher guide here.
Loans Boxes
We’ve curated a series a loans boxes, suitable for EYFS and Key Stage 2 children. They can be borrowed for up to six weeks at a time, and are free to our partner schools.
Box contents vary by theme, and typically involve role-play elements to encourage children to ‘try on’ a STEM job. All materials are age-appropriate.
Our loans boxes are used by partner schools. We are happy to share a ‘kit list’ and print resources for organisations that would like to create their own loans boxes.
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