Secondary newsletter - November 2026
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Welcome back! We hope you had a fantastic, well-deserved half-term break and are ready for an exciting run-up to the festive season. To kick off this new term, we have a brilliant lineup of STEM competitions, grants, and events designed to spark curiosity in your secondary classrooms. Notably, applications are now open for the British Science Week Curiosity Grant, a fantastic new funding initiative for eligible schools that provides financial support to run engaging, hands-on events and activities where young people can interact with the concepts, skills, and researchers behind innovation. Registration for the Curiosity Grant closes strictly at 5:00 pm on 4th November 2026, so be sure to check your eligibility and apply as soon as possible!
Looking ahead, booking is also open for the prestigious ASE (Association for Science Education) Annual Conference this January, which offers incredible professional development workshops and networking tailored specifically for secondary science leads. Remember, you can bring all of these opportunities to life by requesting a passionate volunteer from industry or academia; these visits are completely free and you can submit your requests directly via the official STEM Learning Teacher Platform. Please contact
See Science
if you need any help or advice with your STEM activities!
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Best wishes
The See Science Team
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Science Festivals in Wales - Swansea Science Festival
Celebrating its milestone 10th anniversary, the
Swansea Science Festival
took over the
National Waterfront Museum
on Saturday 31st October 2026 for its flagship day of family fun and mind- boggling discoveries. Hosted by
Swansea University
, Wales' largest science festival promises a jam-packed Saturday lineup. Visitors participated in free drop-in interactive exhibits alongside highly anticipated. shows, featuring CBeebies and YouTube favourite Maddie Moate, explosive live physics demonstrations from the Royal Institution, and wildlife filmmaker Lizzie Daly. Because Saturday coincides with the eve of Halloween, special themed events like
The Science of Harry Potter
and a unique
Confessions of a Traitor
session—exploring the psychology of deception with stars from BBC's
The Traitors
—it was an unmissable weekend designed to inspire curious minds of all ages.
Beyond the grand Saturday finale,
the festival bought the half-term week to an exciting end
with interactive Exploding Water Science shows and the immersive CSI Swansea forensic mystery night on Wednesday. The excitement builds directly into Friday, 30th October, with high-energy Wonderstruck Halloween live shows, hands-on medical science workshops, and an evening session exploring the psychology of deception. Local cultural hubs such as the Dylan Thomas Centre and Swansea Libraries supported the week-long festivities with parallel autumn craft workshops, making it a fully packed week of discovery leading up to the main weekend event.
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Super Science Saturday
Super Science Saturday recently returned to
Brecon High School
, drawing local families and regional educators for an action-packed, free community festival of science. Organized by the
Institute of Physics (IOP) Wales
and the Royal Society of Chemistry, the collaborative event brought STEM learning to life through incredible interactive workshops and spectacles. Alongside the popular Giant Bubble Show, which explored surface tension and fluid dynamics, the event featured the sub-zero physics of Frozen! and an eye-opening feature on viewing space from a different direction. Visitors marvelled at the theatrical experiments before diving into hands-on exhibits—ranging from cosmic exploration to the science of ice cream. The festival proved to be a vibrant, memorable day out that perfectly demonstrated just how much fun science can be.
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SheCan (Cymru): She Can. So I Can.
What happens when a girl can see herself in STEM?
SheCan (Cymru) is expanding across Wales to deliver interactive, virtual STEM sessions for girls aged 13–18. Founded by STEM Ambassador Isabelle Utley, the initiative is built on a simple idea:
"She Can... So I Can."
Rather than telling every girl she must become a scientist, the programme aims to open doors and show young women that these career paths are fully open to them, inspiring them to think,
"Maybe I could do that too."
Isabelle works directly with schools to design fully customised, interactive sessions tailored to your students' specific needs and interests. Depending on what would benefit your students most, schools can choose from a range of flexible virtual options
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Interactive STEM Workshops: Focused sessions exploring specific scientific topics, career pathways, and university options.Q&A & Open Discussions: Casual, supportive spaces giving students the opportunity to ask questions they might not otherwise get to raise.A-Level Support: Small group sessions dedicated to exploring higher education opportunities and developing university personal statements.
Whether you want to reach girls who are completely new to STEM or support those who already love science but can't yet picture themselves pursuing it as a career, SheCan (Cymru) is here to help. To collaborate and bring a tailored session to your school, please visit Isabelle’s LinkedIn profile to learn more about her career in science and STEM journey.
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Teaching Digital with Confidence
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Providing resources and learning for practitioners to help focus on emerging technological priorities
Increasing your awareness and understanding of the impact of generative AI
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Through a range of professional learning courses, teaching resources and wider support, we are supporting Wales-based primary schools to help increase practitioner confidence and understanding of computing and digital skills development in line with the Curriculum for Wales and the Digital Competence Framework (DCF).
Funded by Welsh Government, it equips practitioners to better plan and realise learning effectively by making strong digital learning connections across the Curriculum for Wales, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), coding and computational thinking
Enhancing your professional understanding through hands-on sessions
Developing your skills, knowledge and pedagogy in relation to computing and digital
Providing guidance around progression and how to teach key curriculum aspects in the classroom
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I'm a Scientist Get Me Out of Here!
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Through live, text-based Chats, students engage in authentic conversations with scientists.
Students connect with real scientists in fast-paced, online Chats. They ask their own questions, building interest and creating a real buzz around STEM as the new term gets underway.
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CyberFirst Wales: Tech Pathways 2026
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The flagship careers event is back.
Learners will hear directly from employers, take part in hands-on activities, and discover where their skills and interests could lead in the future.
Open to Yrs 11 - 13 and college learners across Wales.
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- University South Wales, Treforest Campus
2nd December 2026
- Coleg Cambria, deeside Campus
10th December 2026
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Wednesday 11th November
11am
As the STEM Ambassador Delivery Partner for Wales we are inviting educators and pupils (Yr 5 - Yr 8) in Anglesey to an online event we are hosting to highlight the amazing STEM Ambassadors local to you.
Unable to attend the live event? Don't worry, if you register then you'll have access to the recording.
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Wednesday 18th November
4pm
We are inviting primary school teachers to join us online as one of our STEM Ambassadors gives you an insight into their role and provide you with a Christmas themed STEM activity.
Unable to attend the live event? Don't worry, if you register then you'll have access to the recording.
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Wednesday 9th December
11am
As the STEM Ambassador Delivery Partner for Wales we are inviting educators and pupils (Yr 5 - Yr 8) in Ceredigion to an online event we are hosting to highlight the amazing STEM Ambassadors local to you.
Unable to attend the live event? Don't worry, if you register then you'll have access to the recording.
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A lively exhibition featuring publishers, exam boards, organisations, resource providers and moreDedicated networking opportunities and social events
Whether you’re looking to develop professionally, discover new resources, or connect with colleagues, this is THE EVENT for the science education community.Type text here
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ASE Conference - Shaping the Future of Education Together
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The ASE Annual Conference is the UK’s largest gathering for everyone involved in science education. Across three inspiring days, you’ll have access to:
A huge range of sessions packed with keynotes, expert speakers, and hands-on workshops
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Find out about grants and competitions
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British Science Week Curiosity Grant
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The Curiosity Grant aims to support secondary schools and colleges in challenging circumstances to create opportunities for young people to engage with the skills, concepts, stories and people behind research and innovation, and to build the school capacity to embed these experiences in everyday learning.
Ultimately, the Curiosity Grant aims to fund activities that influence young people’s perception of ‘research and innovation’ so they see it as something they can be an active part of – not just learn about.
Applications close: 4 November 2026 at 5 pm
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Ignite your students’ curiosity with a CREST Engage Grant! Funded by the British Science Association, these grants provide up to £350 in cash funding alongside a £350 voucher to completely cover CREST Award registration fees. Designed to help schools in challenging circumstances overcome financial barriers, the funding allows students aged 3 to 19 to lead their own hands-on (STEM) projects. Whether you want to buy new project materials, fund an exciting STEM field trip, or run an after-school science club, applications are open now for the upcoming term. Check your eligibility and apply today via the
CREST Engage Funding Page
to bring world-class STEM learning to your classroom.
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The DVLA Code Challenge is an annual, free-to-enter digital competition l by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to inspire the next generation of technological talent across Wales. The challenge invites teams to design and build innovative computer games using the beginner-friendly programming language Scratch. Participants develop their projects around real-world themes supplied by associate organizations, which cover vital contemporary topics such as cyber security, biodiversity, sustainability, and public safety.
The competition culminates in a major celebration event in July where final entries are judged, and top-performing schools or community groups are awarded thousands of pounds worth of state-of-the-art IT equipment to support further digital learning
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The Institute of Physics' Atomic and Molecular Interactions Group (AMIG)
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AMIC is hosting a digital A4 poster competition for students aged 15 to 18 in the UK and Ireland. Participants can choose their own title within broad topics like physical forces, particle collisions, light-matter interactions, or quantum states of matter.
The exact title and topic chosen is entirely up to the student, feel free to use something they know already or something they learn about specifically for the competition.
The competition closes on 30th November 2026, with book vouchers worth up to £50 awarded for the top three entries.
Submissions for students under 18 must be made by a teacher or guardian, and any use of AI tools must be declared on the application form.
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How to access STEM Volunteers to enhance teaching and learning
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Location : Online 3/11:15.30; 10/11: 16.00; 18/11:12.30; 01/12:15.30;
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Find out how the STEM Ambassador Programme can support your school, college or university to enrich learning and provide inspiration.
In this 30-minute session, you will find out about the STEM Ambassador Programme and learn how to access 28,000 industry and HE volunteers from across the UK. Whether in person or virtually, we’ll showcase the many ways a volunteer can contextualise learning by demonstrating the day to day practical application of your subject area, or provide careers and progression inspiration. You’ll also hear from an Ambassador about how they work with educators and have the opportunity to ask questions.
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Sustainable Futures: Your Green Careers Quest
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Location: Online Thursday 10.00 and 13.00
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Join STEM Learning and
London Transport Museum for a free interactive webinar exploring green careers in transport, engineering and sustainability.
Students will meet STEM Ambassadors working in sustainability-focused roles and take part in a virtual career quest, discovering how science, technology, engineering and creative thinking are helping to transform the future of transport.
It's a useful opportunity to introduce real-world careers while connecting classroom learning to the challenges facing the transport sector.
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Share with your friends and colleagues
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Do you have someone in mind who would make a fantastic STEM Ambassador? Share the link below!
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Share with your employer or STEM organisation
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Think your employer would benefit from making an impact as a STEM Ambassadors Partner? Share this link with them!
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