Laura Fowler
Evaluation Manager
Laura evaluates our programmes to demonstrate their impact and gather feedback to ensure we are continuously improving our programmes. She leads the evaluation of Climate Schools Programme, Big Bang at School, and other workshops.
Help shape the future of the Climate Schools Programme and earn money for your school
Each year, we evaluate Climate Schools Programme to understand what is working well, what could be improved, and how we can continue to support schools and students in the best way possible.
Climate Schools Programme are curriculum linked resources which can be adapted to use in schools. The resources aim to inspire students to consider careers in engineering and technology by making the link between these industries and their role in tackling climate change.
But we don’t want to stop there - we want to make sure the programme continues to be as engaging, useful, and impactful as possible. That’s where you come in!
We are inviting schools to take part in our evaluation and share their experiences. Your feedback will help us develop the programme and make sure it continues to meet the needs of teachers and students.
What is evaluation?
An evaluation is a way of learning about programme delivery and understanding the impact of a programme. It involves collecting feedback, experiences, and evidence to identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
Put simply - it helps us answer questions such as what’s working? what can we do better? and how can we make the biggest difference?
For Climate Schools Programme, we evaluate through a range of methods. As a thank you to teachers who support our evaluations, we offer monetary incentives:
- student surveys - £200
- teacher-led discussion activities - £100
- teacher interviews - £100
- teacher surveys - £30
Why is evaluation important?
Evaluation is crucial to programmes for 2 main reasons:
- the feedback we get from teachers and students helps us to continually improve the programme, making sure it is the best it can be
- we need to evidence our impact so that we can continue to attract the funding needed to keep our programmes available to schools
How do we do evaluations?
When we evaluate a programme for the first time, we start by mapping out what we hope the programme will achieve (outcomes). We then work backwards to ensure our content includes activities that will help us achieve these outcomes.
These outcomes are then measured through different data collection methods. For Climate Schools Programme, the outcomes are measured through teacher interviews, teacher surveys, student surveys and teacher-led discussion activities.
To give you an example, one of the outcomes for Climate Schools Programme is for students to know more about the role engineers' careers play in finding solutions to climate change. This is reflected in the resources via the activities and the engineering career case studies throughout. We measure this outcome through the student survey with the question:
“The lesson(s) have shown me the role engineers play in finding solutions to climate change and other environmental problems”. The response options ranged from strongly disagree to strongly agree, with a don’t know option available.
At the end of the academic year, we then analyse the data collected from schools, looking for themes in the qualitative data and reporting percentages and breakdowns of the quantitative data. It’s important to note all of this data is anonymised, unless consented to otherwise, meaning the data isn’t attributed to people in our outputs. These findings are then used to:
- improve the programme based on feedback from teachers and students
- report back to our funders to help us evidence our impact and secure more funding to keep providing Climate Schools Programme for free
- showcase Climate Schools Programme’s impact to more schools to encourage them to use the resources
What improvements have we made to Climate Schools Programme based on feedback?
Over the 3 years Climate Schools Programme has been running, we’ve made lots of changes based on feedback! Here are a few examples of improvements we’ve made:
- created introductory lessons for each subject to highlight the importance of group work for green skills and to recap or introduce the underlying concepts of the lessons
- offered kit boxes to 50 schools for them to deliver the practical lessons, as teachers told us organising equipment for practicals in schools is challenging
- created a resource for teachers on how to tackle climate denial in the classroom
So, fancy helping us out while getting some money for your school?
If you’ have delivered or are planning to deliver Climate Schools Programme before the end of the summer term 2026 and want to take part in the evaluation, please email [email protected]
Thank you for helping us to inspire more young people to choose engineering and technology careers!
A spotlight on Big Bang at School
Big Bang at School offers lots of opportunities to link STEM activities with careers. The programme enables the whole school to step outside the usual and host a day filled with amazing science and engineering activities. It supports teachers with a clear framework, planning support and ready to use resources that make it easier to embed career inspiration into the day. Rather than adding career content as an afterthought, teachers are guided to weave it throughout activities, helping students connect their skills to the real world. It also supports schools to meet key targets such as the Gatsby Benchmarks and Provider Access Legislation by embedding employer engagement into STEM learning.
The following case studies demonstrate how schools have successfully used Big Bang at School to create meaningful, career-led STEM experiences:
Using a themed carousel to make careers visible
William Perkin CofE School’s 2025 event is an excellent example of how theme based STEM activities can naturally start conversations about careers. Their chosen theme, All the small things, explored the science of cells, atoms, viruses and stardust, offering links to careers in biology, chemistry and astrophysics.
The school brought together:
- keynotes from Dr Rebecca Jeffery (Microbiology) and Professor Ray Owens (Molecular Biology), offering direct insight into research careers
- a Royal Institution live show on “super cells,” transforming abstract biology into a dynamic performance
- a wide range of hands-on workshops run by universities, research organisations and industry
These workshops weren’t just about doing science. They were about meeting the scientists and engineers behind the sessions. Students could link concepts like ecology, chemistry or infection control to real job roles.
This approach aligned with Big Bang at School’s aim to connect students with real life engineers and scientists, build their science knowledge and challenge stereotypes.
Using a community focused STEM fair to promote pathways
Leyton Sixth Form College delivered a vibrant STEM fair that connected KS3 students from 14 local schools with employers, universities and older students acting as peer guides. The careers focused day was ideal for helping students explore different futures.
The fair included:
- employers: RAF, City Robotics, NHS Barts Trust and the Department for Education
- universities: UCL, Queen Mary University of London, University of Essex and others
- peer led stands: showcasing subjects like engineering, applied science, IT, 3D design and physics
- a careers trail guiding students through the event, prompting them to connect each activity to a skill or career area
The range of exhibitors demonstrated that STEM careers are possible through multiple pathways, including apprenticeships, degrees, T Levels and vocational courses. This made it easier for teachers to facilitate meaningful discussions with students about their next steps.
Making careers a natural part of STEM learning
Linking STEM activities to careers doesn’t have to be complex or difficult. All our programmes are designed to make this easier for teachers by providing structured resources and useful contacts to bring STEM careers to life.
The above case studies show that when teachers have the right support, they can create unforgettable experiences where young people enjoy STEM and see themselves in it. By integrating hands-on learning with real role models and clear pathways, we can help every student imagine their future in STEM.
Discover Big Bang at School Blueprint and get support to host your own STEM event and inspire your students into STEM and STEM careers.
Of the students who want to become engineers or technicians, 36% prefer a technical or vocational route. By introducing students to role models and multiple career routes, including apprenticeships, T Levels and university degrees, we can inspire more young people and challenge stereotypes.
— Amanda Brick, School Relationship Officer
