Science Sisters: Their School Gate Story

Guest post by Karen Dickens

Back in 2007, I was fortunate to be involved at the outset of the Science Sisters project in Christchurch, Dorset. The project was the brain-child of Dr Jan Peters and funded by UKRC & EU.

The project created a network of local mums to support science and technology enrichment in their children’s schools. Each with a background or interest in science and the desire to do more than help with reading, we aimed to help schools engage children in science, challenge perceptions and stereotypes around STEM and fire young imaginations.

Over a period of two years, we delivered a wide-ranging programme in schools throughout the Christchurch pyramid including:

• Setting up science clubs
• Initiating BA Crest Award and National Science & Engineering Week participation
• Developing and delivering practical activity sessions in schools,
• Organising inter-school competitions
• Facilitating knowledge sharing events for Head Teachers, Science Co-ordinators and teaching assistants.
• Organising a week-long science festival throughout Christchurch Primary schools.

Above all, the original core of ten mums honed their investigative, administrative and presentation skills, giving them the confidence to enhance, progress, or kick-start their careers in science or teaching.

For me, it was the start of an ongoing participation in the STEM Ambassador scheme, the co-ordination of the STEMnet programme for Dorset, and a return to study as I began my MSc in Science Communication.

My first school activities

The original cohort of Science Sisters met in a local school lab and community hall for some training in the delivery of experiments and projects from a resource library we had assembled. We all enrolled as STEM Ambassadors, as their support services include managing criminal record checks and issuing DBS Certificates.

Very quickly we made our first school visits, attending our own and each other’s children’s primary schools. Initially, we visited in pairs or groups depending on the number of children involved – this certainly helped us to understand and familiarise ourselves with the school environment.

I would definitely recommend “buddying up” for your first visits, particularly if you have not been into a school since Year 11!  It’s great to have someone alongside in case you ‘forget your lines’ or need help circulating the classroom in the throes of a hands-on project and answering questions.

My first activities were with Foundation to Year 6 pupils and included simple kitchen chemistry or bridge & Millennium Wheel construction projects.  Seeing the enthusiasm and curiosity of the pupils (and teachers) was a real spur to do more. As time progressed, my confidence grew and I went on to develop my own activities and demonstrations presenting them single-handed in classrooms. This eventually led on to organising and delivering Chemistry at Work events funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry in Secondary schools across Dorset too.

I would thoroughly recommend getting involved in supporting STEM activities at your own children’s Primary Schools, perhaps with a group of like-minded Mums or Dads you’ve met at the School Gate! Primary teachers often have Arts or Humanities backgrounds and really appreciate support in delivering science and technology subjects. If you can assemble a small group, you could consider starting an After School Science Club, taking it in turns to run sessions.

I really enjoy going into classrooms and school halls to help young people understand the world around them and hone their ability to question, investigate and experiment for themselves. One of many rewarding moments came a few years in when a Year 8 pupil came to me during a session and said that she remembered me running a chemistry activity when she was in Year 2!  She has gone on to choose Triple Science at GCSE and I hope that her engagement with the sciences will carry on through her future studies and career.

I have been constantly surprised and delighted by the young people I have met over the last few years. I’m thrilled that a few of those pupils may have had their ‘light bulb moment’ as a result of an activity or idea that I have introduced. I would encourage anyone with an interest and enthusiasm for science or technology to make some time to support their local schools.

My Top Tips:

• Be patient when trying to find the right contact within Schools
• Make sure that you communicate with teachers beforehand and discuss the content, timing, aims and objectives of your activity
• Children with Special Educational Needs usually have individual support in Primary Schools – it is helpful to be aware of any SEN or disabled pupils in advance in case you need to adapt the activity or timings
• Practice! Sometimes the simplest things take ages with pupils unfamiliar with equipment, or caught up in the excitement of practical activities. It can be useful to do a ‘test run’ with a small group of similarly aged children.
• Prepare a Glossary Sheet covering new vocabulary and terms.
• Have one or two short extension activities that you can give to pupils who finish ahead of the rest, or that can be left as ‘homework’ – e.g. design a poster, Wordsearches, etc. 

Ed: Ready to get started? Check out our Top 10 sources for STEM clubs and activities!

Maths Masters and Reading Rangers

Guest post by Claire Eagling
EYFS/KS1 Teacher at a village school in West Norfolk

A couple of years ago we identified a need to improve our pupils' mental maths. This is a core skill which underpins all of mathematics and requires consistent practice to master. Unfortunately, the time constraints in the school day limit how much time teachers can devote to working on this.

In order to make mental maths practice a regular part of home learning across the school, we developed "maths passports". Children "travel around the world" completing a set of mental maths challenges at each location. They collect stamps which show their progress. This gives the children plenty of opportunities to practise their mental maths. It also keeps parents aware of the level their child is working at and gives them the appropriate mathematical language to help their child practise and progress.

A Year 6 Passport

Hints for parents

Initial feedback from parents was positive, but many felt that the school wasn't recognising their children's achievements so they weren't being moved on as quickly as they could be. Teachers aimed to check every child at least once per week to assess their progress, but in reality this wasn't always possible.

We already had parents coming into school to read with the children ("Reading Rangers") so we decided to designate some of them "Maths Masters". These parents help us by checking the children's mental arithmetic (we provide a list of questions, with answers, so it doesn't matter if their own skills are a little rusty!). The parents give the children stamps in their passports and report to the teachers when a child is ready to move onto the next level.

This is an extremely valuable contribution to the school: it saves the teachers a lot of time while still ensuring that each child's progress is checked regularly and in depth.

Ed: Does your school also make use of parental involvement to help with STEM subjects? We'd love to hear about it! 

Kate Bellingham: My School Gate Story

When my eldest child started at Primary School, I was working part time and was happy to help out as part of the ‘Mums Army’.  The requests included the Christmas fete, helping on school outings and listening to readers.  I tried all of them, but was most comfortable sitting in the corner of the reception class with a small child next to me and sharing in the adventures of Biff, Chip and Kipper.  I felt that I was doing something useful, but was also getting a better understanding of my children’s education.

When my son moved up to Year 1, I did too.  At some stage, I must have offered to help with Maths.  I can’t remember exactly when, but I do remember I was not immediately welcomed with open arms.  Having since trained as a Maths teacher, I understand why – Maths is taught in a very different way to how it was in my school days, and you wouldn’t want an enthusiastic parent confusing things.  Also, I expect the teacher was concerned it would be more work for her to manage another classroom assistant, rather than just someone sitting in the corner plodding through the Oxford Reading Tree. Someone has since suggested that the reluctance could have been a lack of confidence from the teacher when faced with someone with an A level in Further Maths and a Masters in Electronics.  That might be true with some teachers, but I’m pretty sure it was not the case here.

So, I started helping out with Maths.  And I loved it! Other parents might prefer helping with cutting and sticking, or with sports day, but I was in my element.  I found I was really looking forward to going into school to help, and started toying with the idea of retraining as a teacher.  What was clear to me from my experience at my children’s school, however, was the I wasn’t cut out to work in primary, so I offered my services a morning a week in the local secondary school.  I went on to train and work there as a Maths teacher for two years, so my volunteering at the primary school stopped for a while.

Some years later, in my still part-time ‘day job’ I was involved with Young Engineers Clubs and the newly emerging STEM Clubs in secondary schools.  I asked Pixies Hill if I could run an after-school club for them.  The only day we could fit it in was Friday, and children signed up for the term to stay from 3.15 – 4.30.  I’m realistic that some parents saw it as free/cheap childcare, however, I was thrilled when we got as many as 16 Year 5 and 6 children (out of a possible 60) turning up bouncing full of energy in the dining room at the end of the school week.

I will write more about my specific experience and advice on running a primary STEM club in a different blog post, but the main thing to add here is how everything changed for the even better when I found someone to help.  As a STEM Ambassador myself, I approached the local Hertfordshire SETPoint and was put in touch with a number of volunteers, one of whom was Phil Robbins.  He was a young, enthusiastic practising engineer working nearby and looking to get experience to support his application to gain chartered status with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. His company finished work early on Fridays, and by working through his lunch break, he was able, with the blessing of his boss, to get away in time come along most weeks to help out at the club. 

My children left the school, but we still carried on until both Phil and I were offered new jobs which would make it impossible to attend the school regularly. The club ran for 7 terms, ending at Christmas 2012, and children and parents who were involved still talk about it fondly when they see me.

There was a clear benefit to the school and the students involved.  Phil is now a chartered engineer, and I have gained a great deal of insight by having the direct connection with STEM activities, and the link with my children’s school.  However, if I hadn’t had the idea, or the confidence, to offer to help with maths, or run the club, I would probably have still have been listening to readers and helping with sports day – not that these are any less valuable, but there are probably other parents more capable at these and without the STEM skills. 

And a final benefit was to enable the children and their parents to be introduced in person to a woman engineer.  At the end of the first term I arranged for the children to show examples of their work at parents’ sharing assembly, and they introduced it with ‘We do STEM Club every week with Emily’s Mum.  She’s an Engineer’.  How much influence could that have?  We’ll never know, but in a world where the stereotypes are still pretty pervasive, every little helps.