Over 400 senior pupils from primary schools* in Bearsden and Milngavie recently gained an insight into what they can expect at secondary school if they are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).
The young people went along to Kilmardinny House in Bearsden to a STEM Festival arranged by the Council’s Primary Science Development Officer working for the Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAiSE) programme and the Developing the Young Workforce - Lanarkshire & East Dunbartonshire (DYW LED) Team.
RAiSE is a programme of Education Scotland, The Wood Foundation, Scottish Government, and participating local authorities to empower primary teachers with the confidence, skills, and networks to develop and deliver motivating and exciting STEM opportunities.
Thirty-three industry partners were exhibiting at the event and, alongside young STEM Leaders from Bearsden and Boclair Academies, provided a range of exciting STEM related activities for the P7 learners.
There was straw model building, explosive experiments, computer coding, pressure rockets and more to demonstrate that these subjects play a huge role in our daily lives, can be fun and provide job opportunities for the future. Each partner delivered a short interactive workshop with explicit links to STEM that learners might not have thought about before.
This is the second STEM Festival for senior primary pupils to have been held in East Dunbartonshire and we have found them to be an excellent way to build on the STEM learning already taking place in our primary schools.
She added “By gathering industry partners under one roof our young learners can explore the myriad of opportunities offered by STEM subjects and the workshops help to illustrate how STEM subjects apply to real-life situations. I spoke to lots of young people at the event in Kilmardinny House and the hands-on experience sparked an interest in some students who had never considered the importance and opportunities offered by STEM before. In addition, the input from STEM leaders from local secondary schools whetted their appetites for secondary level STEM education and gave them the opportunity to ask questions on what they can expect when they move up to secondary school after the summer holidays.
“The introduction of STEM Festivals has been an invaluable addition to our transition year activities, and I’d like to thank all our partners and secondary school STEM leaders who helped to deliver the fantastic event at Kilmardinny House this week.”
Rebecca McMillan, DYW LED’s Programme Executive Team Leader added, “The STEM festival offered future secondary school students a unique chance to delve into the exciting world of STEM careers and envision their potential in these fields. It also facilitated connections between primary school teachers and industry, fostering valuable partnerships.
“A highlight for DYW LED was the involvement of two groups of secondary school students from Bearsden Academy and Boclair Academy, Young STEM Leaders, who delivered workshops to the pupils, providing a valuable glimpse into what lies ahead at secondary school.”
* The participating schools were: Baljaffray Primary, Bearsden Primary, Clober Primary, Colquhoun Park Primary, Craigdhu Primary, Killermont Primary, Milngavie Primary, Torrance Primary and Westerton Primary.
