Joe Shimwell
For more information, contact our Primary lead:
joe.shimwell@northumbria.ac.uk
0191 349 5932
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.
Our workshops, events and courses showcase careers in technology, physical sciences and engineering, to support students – and their families – in making informed decisions about future career directions.
We’re one aspect of the widening participation and outreach work of the Faculty of Engineering and Environment at Northumbria University, but right from the start our funding has been based on how we work with audiences, not on how many students sign up to any specific course or even university. We want to help you find what’s right for you and your students.
Below, you’ll find an outline of the offer we extend to our partner primary schools. Some of these activities and events are open more generally, and you’re welcome to contact us to discuss your individual needs.
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.
| EYFS Workshops | KS1 Workshops | KS2 Workshops |
|---|---|---|
| Exploring bubbles | The Naval Architect | The Marine Engineer |
| Exploring magnets | The Process Engineer | The Medical Physicist |
| The Botanist | The Solar Physicist | |
| The Structural Engineer | The Renewables Engineer | |
| The Geologist | The Mechanical Engineer | |
| The Civil Engineer |
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. We’d be delighted to supply them more widely, for a contribution towards delivery costs.
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.
Supporting Teachers
Teacher CPD
From unconscious bias training, through help understanding the new ‘working scientifically’ strand of the national curriculum, to 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.
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.
NUSTEM has produced a range of family learning sessions which develop the STEM skills of children and their parents and carers. Working together over several weekly sessions, you’ll explore STEM ideas and careers in depth, and parents will gain confidence in supporting their child’s interest and involvement in science and engineering.
Typically, our family courses are delivered by trained teachers in your child’s schools: NUSTEM’s role is to develop the materials and train the course leaders. We have hands-on engineering workshops on catapults and cardboard automata, and a fantastic botany activity available as one-off taster sessions. We’ve also developed, trialled, evaluated and refined multi-week courses:
- Science for Families
- Engineering for Families
- Digital Making for Families
- Me, You and Science Too
Contact us for further details.
