Staff and children from Oakburn Early Years Centre in Milngavie welcomed colleagues from across Scotland to their first ever National STEM (sciences, technologies, engineering and mathematics) event last month.
The centre received its STEM Nation Award at the end of 2025 and hosted this event for other practitioners to showcase the work that they do with children to encourage an early interest in these subjects through play.
Oakburn is the first Early Years Centre in East Dunbartonshire to receive the STEM Nation award and joins four primary and two secondary schools* who have already earned the prestigious accolade. Several other schools and EYCs are working towards the award.
Oakburn was praised by Education Scotland for its commitment to STEM family learning with its family learning workshops and grandparents’ days singled out for recognition as they provide opportunities for children and their families to engage in intergenerational STEM learning.
Education Scotland also noted that staff are helping children to explore STEM at home and in the local community with take-home STEM learning activity bags and visits to local facilities such as the train station and fire station. You can read more by visiting the Education Scotland website.
At the event, staff set up hands-on displays around the impressive building to share best practice with their peers and demonstrate how they get children and families involved in the STEM world. These displays included information and advice on the centre’s popular forest school as well as woodwork and science experiences.
East Dunbartonshire Council’s Chief Education Officer, Greg Bremner, said, “This was an excellent event that highlighted the success that Oakburn EYC is having in promoting STEM to local families. Staff are blazing a trail in this area, using innovative thinking and learning to give children access to important early learning opportunities in a way that is fun for the whole family.
“Being able to share what they do with others is so important and I’m delighted to see that so many practitioners from across the country came to East Dunbartonshire to find out more and learn from what is happening here.”
* Baljaffray Primary, Meadowburn Gaelic Primary, Meadowburn Primary, Mosshead Primary, Bishopbriggs Academy and Kirkintilloch High.
