What is the Connecting STEM Teachers programme?
Connecting STEM Teachers (CST) was a national programme designed to support teachers and STEM subject leads in science, design/technology, engineering, maths, and computing. The programme aimed to help teachers engage a greater number and wider spectrum of school pupils with STEM education and engineering career awareness.
Through regional school networks led by teacher coordinators, the programme built project-based pedagogy and teacher advocacy for engineering education, providing students with thought-provoking real-world engineering projects to help them make informed decisions about pursuing careers in engineering.
By offering practical, hands-on resources and training opportunities, CST enabled teachers to develop valuable, real-world subject knowledge and creative problem-solving skills in their students, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to progress to post-16 STEM subject qualifications.
Since its inception in 2011, CST created 765,000 STEM experiences in more than 6,000 schools, trained 8,500 teachers, and provided them with engineering-focused resource boxes and packs.
What impact did CST programme have?
Teachers who engaged with the programme over the longest period of time had higher levels of STEM knowledge, an increased range of pedagogic approaches, increased STEM and engineering efficacy, and understanding of STEM enhancement.
After two years of being part of the programme, 72% of teachers surveyed reported a high level of confidence to deliver engineering content. Teachers interacted with other teachers in their networks and developed work streams with STEM colleagues back in their schools.
94% of all teachers surveyed said they valued the support of other teachers in their network. The STEM teaching and learning resource packs, developed by the Academy, were viewed by teachers to promote high levels of student engagement with high pedagogic value.
Download the short report to review the programme impact and the operation of CST Teacher networks.
Key learnings from the CST programme: Engaging with schools webinar
The webinar, hosted by the education team in September 2024, shared best practice insights from CST, the Academy’s national schools programme, which ran from 2011 to 2023. During this time, the programme established 50 regional school networks, supported 7,000 schools, and provided over one million engineering related interactions and experiences to students across the UK.
This event marked the launch of the best practice guide, Using STEM Teacher Networks in Teacher Professional Development, produced in collaboration with Dr. Clare Gartland and Dr. Tuba Gokpinar from the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at the University of Suffolk.
The webinar demonstrated how to develop STEM teacher networks for teacher professional development and highlighted the crucial role of long-term partnerships between schools, industry, education partners, and further and higher education institutions. These collaborations create inclusive opportunities for students, particularly in underrepresented areas.
Discover how these partnerships enhance teacher development, foster innovative teaching practices, and equip students with the skills needed for future careers in engineering by watching the recording below.