Award winning, Spark Tees Valley have supported primary, secondary and SEND schools for almost 25 years at both strategic and operational levels.
Our projects encompass all areas of the curriculum and the wider school community focusing on effective use of technology in the classroom and connecting children to the wider world by working with many Tees Valley employers to develop cultural capital. Our resources and projects allow schools, particularly primary and SEND, to integrate a full programme of aspirations and awareness of the world of work into an already crowded curriculum in a way that supports teachers rather than adds to their workload.
The ‘World of Work at Your Feet’ project is a fabulous opportunity for pupils to spend a day getting to know some of the companies that are in all 5 boroughs of the Tees Valley. Working in small groups to develop teamwork, communication and task focussed skills, the children will learn to code Dash robots that will navigate around iconic floor maps of the Tees Valley area.
Each task will unlock a new business which the children will be able to ‘virtually visit’ through a short film before being introduced to a new task based on what the company does. Pupils will gain a greater insight into the World of Work through engagement with businesses on their doorstep. They will also develop coding skills in context; algorithmic thinking and bug fixing.
Dates will be released in July 2021 with delivery from September 2021. All events will be hosted at the brand-new conference centre in AV Dawson’s Port of Middlesbrough Headquarters from 09.30-14.30.
If you are interested in this programme and want to find out how your school can be involved, please contact Andrew Stogdale, Managing Director.
This provider is now fully booked until the end of the pilot (July 2022)
As a leading provider of business and education support, RTC are passionate about facilitating links between education and industry across the north of England for the past 30 years. Through the delivery of Enterprise and STEM contracts, we understand the importance of bringing together teachers, parents and young people with our network of over 1400 inspiring STEM and Enterprise role models to facilitate real-world understanding and application of Entrepreneurship and STEM subjects. Our vision is to provide World-Leading Enterprise and STEM Education for all young people.
Our suite of regional education projects supports the National Curriculum in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), raise awareness of careers, enterprise skills development and regional entrepreneurship. They allow students to fully experience hands-on activities that motivate and bring learning to life, in addition to supporting teachers and education staff with their professional development, help parents support their young people to raise aspirations and understand life changing opportunities.
Key Stage 1 (KS1) Book Box Loan
Schools will access a book box loan to inspire both staff and children with a variety of texts. These books are great stories that can be enjoyed by the whole class at story time and include a diverse group of main characters including female and BAME protagonists. Texts can link into the curriculum as well as other topic linked ideas such as making Owl ice cream (Science/Food -Gruffalo), building a tower (D&T -Iggy Peck, Architect) or programming a caterpillar (Computing/Maths -The Very Hungry Caterpillar).
In advance of receiving the boxes teachers will be provided with a 1.5 hour online professional development session on how to effectively use the book box, ideas for delivery and how to get the most out of the resource.
Key Stage 2 (KS2) Primary Mentoring and Buddy Programme
Primary pupils will work closely with a mentor from industry to develop skills, broaden their horizons and learn about the world of work. Delivered as group mentoring, participants will also experience peer to peer support with children also mentored by trained older KS2/3 children who act as STEM buddies to challenge perceptions of STEM subjects and careers.
Teacher CPD
Teacher subject specific CPD support covering Science, Computing or Maths, to empower teachers and give confidence in those subjects, especially computing and digital which is often poorly represented in KS1. An example of CPD includes linking curriculum learning to STEM Careers and Teaching Primary Science in the area of exploring space.
Key Stage 1 (KS1) Book Box Loan:
Key Stage 2 (KS2) Primary Mentoring and Buddy Programme
Teacher CPD
If you are interested in this programme and want to find out how your school can be involved, please contact Janine Marshall, STEM Contracts Manager
E: Janine.marshall@rtcnorth.co.uk
T: 01915164400
Learn by Design bring education to life through curriculum-linked workshops and programmes, for primary and secondary schools nationwide. We use a range of innovative and creative methods to engage and motivate learners, both at school and beyond. Utilising a range of delivery methods, including face to face, virtual and blended, Learn by Design specialise in STEM, Enterprise, Employability and Resilience and Motivation raising content and have done so for over 20 years, engaging with over one million learners to date.
The ‘STEM Challenge competition’ will link STEM/STEAM subject matter to local industry, identifying possible career and learning pathways for the pupils. The ‘live’ streaming sessions will set the scene for the competition and will also involve ambassadors/employer representatives which the pupils will be able to directly engage with, asking questions and discovering more about the opportunities available to them. Follow up materials which can be completed in groups, individually or with family/parents/guardians at home will also be provided.
The competition entries will then be judged and the top three teams from each local authority area will be invited to attend a celebration event where the pupils display their entries and pitch their ideas to some of the ‘ambassadors’ face to face and to take part in a series of STEM activities delivered by Learn by Design.
The top five winning entries (one from each local authority area) will receive a full ‘hands-on’ stem experience day for their school or selected year groups.
If you are interested in this programme and want to find out how your school can be involved, please forward enquiries to:
Express your interest here: Tees Valley STEM Competition (learnbydesign.co.uk)
Ask any questions here: STEM@bydesign-group.co.uk
The team at CIEC creates and sustains links between primary school science and industry’s people and practices. We promote awareness of STEM careers and industries, and raise children’s science capital.
We support schools across the Tees Valley by providing free downloadable science publications that support the teaching of the UK’s science curricula for 4-12 year olds. We offer training and CPD on the teaching and learning of science, and on increasing children’s science capital.
We work with our industry partners to highlight STEM opportunities for young people by building visible links between science education and its application in industry and related careers. Our expertise helps partners to increase and sustain the number of local children considering a future within industry. CIEC offers science industries a range of tailored approaches to work with schools, supporting CSR and community outreach goals.
This highly regarded, effective and robustly evaluated programme is unique in its combination of continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers and STEM professionals, direct classroom activities for children, and tailored site visits to industry, all with an emphasis on career-related learning intended to bridge the gap between industry and education.
Regular programme evaluations (http://www.ciec.org.uk/research-and-publications.html ) are conducted, collating and analysing data from children, teachers and company partners, demonstrating the positive impact on everyone involved, whilst allowing continuous improvement and refinement of the programme to meet current pedagogical needs and changing industry practices and evolving careers.
We envisage transitioning back to face-to-face site visits in September 2021. All CPD is delivered by our two North East based advisory teachers, Nicky Waller and Mackayla Millar, who coordinate all elements of the programme to broker all arrangements, ensure smooth running and effectiveness.
Delivery will commence from September 2021
If you are interested in this programme and want to find out how your school can be involved, please forward enquiries to Nicky Waller, Regional Lead.
M: 07970 060185
T: 01904 322523 (voicemail checked fortnightly during home working)
This provider is now fully booked until the end of the pilot (July 2022)
