Science warning
Students from less privileged backgrounds are losing out on opportunities to take part in informal science learning, including school trips and after-school clubs, researchers have warned. A study involving almost 6,000 secondary school children, focused on areas with traditionally low science engagement, discovered a number of barriers. It found that more than half of the students surveyed had never been on a science-related trip, while 70 per cent had never had a visitor talk on science. The authors of the study blamed a number of issues, including a focus on targeting science activities at higher attaining students, the cost of providing school trips and the pressure of high-stakes testing. The research findings have been published in the International Journal of Science Education and the study was carried out by academics from the Department of Education, Practice and Society at the UCL Institute of Education in London. You can read the full article online. Visit: http://bit.ly/2wA1aLr
STEM competition
Young people aged 11 to 19 are being urged to enter a new STEM competition that aims to find the best STEM projects to help tackle the threat posed by infectious diseases such as malaria, ebola, zika and HIV/AIDS. The Youth Grand Challenges is being run by the British Science Association and aims to show students how STEM skills can be used to tackle global health issues. It is open to students from across the UK and challenges them to come up with solutions to help tackle diseases or stop their spread. The deadline to register is September 26. Visit: http://youthgrandchallenges.org/
NEU is launched
The new National Education Union (NEU) officially came into existence this month following the merger of the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. The new union has more than 450,000 members including teachers, school support staff and lecturers, making it the largest education union in Europe. The new-look organisation now enters a transitional period until January 2019 and joint general secretaries Kevin Courtney and Dr Mary Bousted will continue in their roles until 2023 when a leadership election will be held. Visit: https://neu.org.uk/
Pupil Premium Conference
There are still places available to attend the Eighth National Pupil Premium and Ofsted Conference on September 29 at Birmingham’s NEC. The event is organised by SecEd and features 16 mainly school-led workshops and keynote sessions. Themes include supporting pupils at risk of exclusion, target-setting and attainment, Pupil Premium Reviews, closing your PP gap, attendance strategies, intervention ideas and more. Visit: www.pupilpremiumconference.com