Making an impact
Hands-on science is a key inspiration for your students, with 55% of years 7 to 9 in England saying it motivates their science studies. However, only a quarter of GCSE students get to do practical work at least once every 2 weeks. That’s a drop from 44% in 2016.
Our programmes and resources help motivate and inspire young people to continue with STEM and think about a future career in these fields. And because we know 64% of young people are passionate about tackling climate change, we have a strong focus on environmental topics and the importance of STEM skills in reaching net zero.
Hands-on STEM inspiration
Inspiring careers activities
Attending careers activities and meeting employers and professionals has a real impact on what young people think they could do in the future.
Engaging with STEM careers activities even once a year can significantly boost young people's understanding of engineering and technology, and their confidence in pursuing relevant careers. In fact, those who take part are more than 3 times more likely to grasp what engineers do and nearly as likely to imagine themselves in the industry. It's a powerful way to spark interest and broaden horizons.
We want all young people to have the chance to explore a career in STEM. No matter their gender, ethnicity, background or where they live, we believe in unlocking potential for all. We consider equity, diversity and inclusion in everything we do so we can support as many schools and young people as possible.
I enjoyed the practical tasks and the discussions around engineering. It was useful to think of the different types of engineers that exist.
— Energy Quest teacher
Our year in numbers
We're proud of what we achieved across our work with schools in academic year 2023/24.
51,000 students
participated in Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2023
21,000 students
visited The Big Bang Fair 2024
44,000 students
participated in a Big Bang at School
319 projects
were entered into The Big Bang Competition
100 lessons
were delivered in our Climate Schools Programme
11
new careers resources were developed by our Careers Working Group
7,000
downloads of our careers resources
25,000
UK teachers, careers leaders and others used Neon
Our programmes
-
Climate Schools Programme
Empower your students to explore innovative solutions to tackling climate change and discover brand-new skills. Includes science, English and geography lessons.
-
Tomorrow's Engineers Week
Help your students discover how their passion can lead to a career in engineering and technology during Tomorrow’s Engineers Week.
-
The Big Bang Competition
Bring your students’ ideas to life with the UK’s biggest STEM competition for young people. Enter a STEM project to be in with the chance of winning life-changing prizes.
-
Energy Quest
Energy Quest centres around a real-world scenario providing context for problem-solving and teamwork activities. The free lesson plans are filled with fun practical, hands-on experiments for the students to run and learn from.
-
Big Bang at School
Get everything you need to host an exciting day filled with amazing science and engineering activities, workshops and more. Get resources, insights and connections so you can deliver an unforgettable day.
-
Neon
Discover the Neon website to find quality assured, trusted STEM activities for your students. Find for the perfect inspiration for your primary or secondary school class. Whether you have an hour or a whole day, there’s something for every school on Neon.
-
The Big Bang Fair
Challenge your students’ perceptions of STEM with The Big Bang Fair. Book tickets to the UK’s biggest celebration of STEM and take part in hands-on activities, inspiring shows and careers panels.
Support for educators
Teachers and careers leaders are at the heart of everything we do. To make it as easy as possible to find what you need, we’ve pulled together bespoke support, information and resources specifically tailored for your role.