Teachers can once again excite their students about the wonders of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and spark inspiration for what a career as an engineer or scientist could be like.

Taking place from Wednesday 21 to Friday 23 June 2023 at the NEC in Birmingham, The Fair is the largest celebration of STEM in the UK. Young people will have the opportunity to meet real engineers and scientists and get involved in hands-on activities, exciting live shows and inspiring career panels. Students will also be able to earn stickers as they go, with Big Bang Explore, and will have the chance to enter a prize draw to win exciting rewards.

New for 2023, there will be half-day sessions on offer, with schools able to register for morning (9am to 12pm) or afternoon (1pm to 4pm) sessions. The Fair will be open to groups from state-funded schools for young people in year 6 to year 8 (England and Wales), P7 to S2 (Scotland) and year 7 to year 9 (Northern Ireland).

In a bid to ensure equal opportunities for young people from a diverse range of backgrounds, schools meeting EngineeringUK equality, diversity and inclusion criteria will be invited to apply for a bursary when they book tickets, to support them with attending The Fair.

Phillip McShane, Associate Director – Big Bang Programme at EngineeringUK, commented: “The Big Bang Fair is an excellent opportunity for teachers to ignite a passion for STEM in their students and showcase to them what a career could look like in the sector. The new half-day sessions will give schools the chance to make the most of their time with the STEM inspiration activities. We want all young people to think big and discover their potential, and to inspire young people from groups underrepresented in engineering – so I’d encourage schools to sign up to The Fair and end the school year with a big bang!”

A student, who attended last year’s Fair, said: “The Big Bang Fair is an absolutely amazing experience. There are different business opportunities, education opportunities – I got that in abundance but I got a whole load of other things as well: first-hand experience doing coding, driving a drone, CPR. All these things play a vital part in our life.”

Anne Beglin, teacher at St Crispin’s School who also attended The Big Bang Fair last year, said: “Our students really enjoy events like this and it really does inspire them, particularly when they see young people doing engineering.”

Also taking place at The Fair, will be the awards ceremony for the popular Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition. Winners will be announced, including the crowning of the prestigious UK Young Engineer and UK Young Scientist of the Year.

The Competition, which is free to enter, is open to young people in the UK aged 11 to 18 in state funded education, who are home educated or who enter as part of a community group. There’s still time to get students involved – with The Competition open for entries until 30 March.

With tickets for The Big Bang Fair always booking up quickly – teachers are advised to book early to avoid disappointment. Register for free tickets to The Fair at: www.thebigbang.org.uk/fair

Families, community groups and home educators are also invited to explore The Fair after hours with The Big Bang Fair Unlocked – running from 4:30pm to 7:30pm on Wednesday 21 June.

Find out more about The Big Bang Competition at: www.thebigbang.org.uk/competition

The Fair is the largest celebration of STEM in the UK and is free to attend. Young people will have the opportunity to get involved in hands-on activities and impressive workshops to explore what the world of STEM has to offer.

Over the 3 days, students will get to hear first-hand from real-life scientists and engineers about the endless possibilities and exciting careers in STEM. The Fair will represent the breadth of STEM and STEM careers, with a particular focus on the environment and making the world a better place.

The Big Bang Fair Unlocked session will return for the second year on Wednesday 21 June from 4:30pm to 7:30pm to invite families, home educators and community groups to get involved in the fun.

Schools can register for a space at The Big Bang Fair from January 2023 and in the meantime should sign up to the Big Bang newsletter to be the first to hear about plans as they are announced.

More than

The Grants for Schools is one of several cost-saving measures to be launched by UK environmental education charity the Field Studies Council to help schools tackle mounting economic challenges. 

Philip Turvil, Eco-Business Director for FSC, said: “As a charity we are feeling the pinch just like every other organisation, business, school and family. The cost-of-living crisis and rising energy bills are impacting hard on everyone, and we know that budgets only stretch so far which is why we are doing what we can to continue to support schools at this difficult time. 

“It saddens us greatly that pupils could end up missing out on valuable school trip experiences and outdoor learning opportunities because of factors beyond their control and it seems wholly unfair that a generation of young people who have already missed out on so much because of the Covid pandemic now face losing out on fun and educational trips. 

“As a charity it’s always our aim to lift the attainment and aspirations of young people and teachers through a range of educational courses and our Grants for Schools scheme is designed to alleviate some of the cost pressures which schools are currently so that they can continue to offer a school trip experience to their pupils.” 

The charity, which has been a leading provider of environmental education to schools for 75 years, is also offering schools discounted residential trips during October and February half term as part of its newly introduced measures.   

It has also launched a new Digital Hub – an online treasure trove of free videos and teaching resources to help teachers and pupils make the most of learning outdoors on site at school or in their local community should trips be cancelled. 

“Most schools receiving an FSC grant are able to use the reduced cost of tuition to help fund travel and reduce the cost paid by parents,” added Mr Turvil. 

“In real terms the financial assistance can cover up to half the cost of a typical school residential trip. 

“Our low season pricing will also provide further options for struggling schools and our online Digital Hub facility will ensure those teachers and pupils which are unable to experience a field trip to one of our 20 sites can still get access to student-friendly resources for all the fieldwork topics covered by the main biology and geography exam boards.” 

Grants of up to £7,500 are available to eligible schools over a three-year-period to help towards the cost of FSC residential courses and £900 available for FSC day courses. 

Funding is available to schools where at least 10 per cent of students receive pupil premium and the closing date for applications is October 24. 

For more information on the Grants for Schools visit www.field-studies-council.org/fsc-grants-for-schools/. 

The online lessons will be delivered live over Zoom by immersive learning resource, Lyfta, and will take place on Wednesday 6th July and Friday 8th July with sessions to suit older and younger learners. The session incorporates a human-centred short documentary film and interactive learning environments so students can virtually explore and take in the sights and sounds of an active volcano, the scientists’ control room and the local church.

Students will need to tread carefully as they walk in the shoes of the volcanologist and his team, learning about key geology concepts such as why volcanoes erupt, rock cycles and what causes volcanoes to appear in certain parts of the world.

Despite a career in science offering incredible variety and opportunities to make a positive impact on the world, many young people are unaware about the career options in the industry. Part of the challenge is a lack of accessible work experience opportunities, particularly for young people living in remote and disadvantaged regions in the UK. For example, research by the British Science Association found that 29 per cent of young Londoners would consider a career in science, compared to just 17 per cent of young people in the North East.

Without these opportunities to experience the world of STEM, it is difficult for young people to aspire to a career in the science field.

Serdar Ferit, co-founder and co-CEO at Lyfta, said: “Our aim is to provide experiences that give every student equal opportunities to experience new things and develop their cultural capital, no matter their geographic location or background. Through immersive storytelling, students can virtually travel to the Canary Islands and experience a day in the life of a science professional, ask questions and find out more about volcanology.”

“The free, immersive lessons provide teachers with a fun way to supplement geography content and bring learning to life for students, particularly those who might be curious about what a scientist does and how they started in the field. Being able to apply theory and knowledge to real-world scenarios is essential if we want to inspire the next generation of brilliant science thinkers and innovators.”

The lessons will take place on Wednesday 6th July for primary schools and Friday 8th July for secondary schools. For more information and to register a class for the live, “We live amongst volcanoes” lesson, please visit: https://www.lyfta.com/blog-storage/end-of-term-primary-activities

Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT) based in Portsmouth, is now a member of IOL, which champions safe activities and effective learning in the outdoors. Its mission is to increase participation in outdoor learning in the UK and to recognise and improve the quality of outdoor provision.

Alastair Floyd, Chief Executive Officer at TSYT, said: “We’re delighted to be a new member of the Institute for Outdoor Learning. As a professional provider of outdoor learning, our membership gives us the opportunity to enhance our provision for young people and to increase our reach nationally with young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. “We’re looking forward to learning and sharing new ideas and best practice with other member organisations within the sector.”

A TSYT voyage provides the perfect opportunity for young people aged 12-25 to get outdoors, take notice of the world around them and learn lessons for life at sea.

As the UK’s oldest and largest youth development sail training charity, TSYT has been providing young people with life-changing experiences at sea for 65 years.

During this time, more than 120,000 young people have experienced a life-changing adventure with the youth organisation, sailing over two million nautical miles — equivalent to sailing round the world 92 times.

As a charity, TSYT recognises the importance of outdoor education and the benefits of taking learning beyond the classroom.

Onboard a TSYT voyage, young people develop a range of skills, which can be transferred to their day-to-day lives to help them overcome any barriers and thrive. Working together as a team they grow in confidence and self-esteem and see a significant improvement in their communication and leadership skills.

For more information on the organisation’s youth voyages visit: www.tallships.org and to learn more about the Institute for Outdoor Learning at https://www.outdoor-learning.org/.

The insurance covers the basics such as medical, surgical and hospital costs along with repatriation, transportation and extended stay costs. There are excesses involved of course, but as the insurance is free, that doesn’t feel like too much to ask. Best of all is the peace of mind of knowing that if Covid-19 should strike, everything is in hand financially for treatment, recovery and returning home.

With this in mind, it’s worth considering Andalusia as a destination for those who are active, adventurous and open to education.

In recent years, Andalusia has become an outstanding place for engaging in a huge variety of sport. The region is well-known for its golf courses – over a hundred of them, including several that have played host to international competitions. Equestrian sports are also commonly found in the region – Andalusian horses have a rich heritage and are well-regarded in equestrian circles for their calm temperament, agility and intelligence.

It will come as no surprise that water sports feature heavily along the almost 1000km of coastline with its famous beaches bordering two seas separated by the Straits of Gibraltar. The balmy Mediterranean to East and the tempestuous Atlantic to the West provide endless possibilities at all levels for yachting or water skiing, scuba diving or kite- or wind-surfing and more.

What may not be as well-known is that Andalusia has several mountainous regions which offer many adrenaline sports from skiing to mountaineering and spelunking to zip lines – including the only cross-border zip line, a full 720m long into Portugal.

The mountains contain just one of the many natural parks throughout Andalusia, all of them with hidden tracks and trails winding through glorious landscapes with vastly differing micro climates. Mountain and beach sit alongside warm wetlands, dry desert, rainy woodland and sub-tropical paradise with all of the diverse flora and fauna these areas support.

Often-overlooked, Andalusia has rich cultural significance with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designating seven sites in the region as World Heritage sites.

Most of the cultural sites are located in the three great Muslim centres of power: Granada, Seville and Cordoba; as well as Ubeda and Baeza.

These are Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín (Granada); Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias (Seville); the Historic City Centre of Cordoba (including the Mezquita); the Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza; 68 items of cave art in Almeria, Granada and Jaen provinces, which is included in Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula; and Madinat al-Zahra.

There is a natural World Heritage Site, the Doñana National Park in Huelva province, while the most recently listed site (2016) is the combined cultural and natural site of the Antequera Dolmens in Malaga. Close to Andalucia, on the Rock of Gibraltar, is the Gorham’s Cave Complex, added at the same time.

The creativity that contributes towards this World Heritage status can be experienced through events such as The Baeza International Festival of Young Performers, the Córdoba Guitar Festival, the Granada International Music and Dance Festival, the Seville Flamenco Biennial or the Úbeda City International Music and Dance Festival to name just a few.

As diverse as the sports, landscapes and cultures are in Andalusia, so is the produce and there are dedicated tours focussing on regional specialties such as Almadraba tuna, Iberian ham, rice and olive oil.

But it is the people of Andalusia who make the place so special. Their cultural heritage and regional differences combined with ancient knowledge of the lands they cultivate make the area special. The people work with nature, treating the land with respect and giving back to it in a perfect example of symbiosis. To observe such a place at a time when working with the environment instead of exploiting it is so important, is where the real education lies.

For more information on travel assistance insurance in Andalusia, visit www.andalucia.org/en/travel-assistance-insurance.

Where is the singing? The decorations? The seasonal spirit? This year, the Grown-Up board of the KidZania city has cancelled Christmas, but nothing will stop the citiZens of KidZania from celebrating the festive fun!

This Christmas, explore KidZania’s best kept secret with their hidden winter wonderland experience from the 5th December to 3rd January 2021. Once kids have cracked the code for the secret password and found the hidden door, an exclusive winter wonderland with six new activities awaits!

Upon entering KidZania’s Secret Christmas, kids can start by popping into Elf School. Here they’ll learn the role of Santa’s Elves and the secrets of how to make toys and gifts for children across the world!

Once they’ve built up their elf-confidence, they can get really creative and write their own Christmas cards and letters or create baubles to take home. For those with a sweet tooth, there are Christmas cookie decoration masterclasses over at Bekha’s Bakery.

The magically transformed KidZania stadium will play host to special Christmas dance and music classes. Those taking part will get the chance to showcase their funky festive moves in the City Christmas Parade!

Perhaps most excitingly, the KidZania Theatre will play host to the very first KidZania Pantomime! Pre-recorded in the KidZania city, and with an incredible professional cast and creative director direct from London’s West End, the 40 minute pantomime ‘Cinderella’ is the Fairy Godmother of all pantomimes and offers the perfect dose of family-fun this Winter!

Those who can’t visit KidZania in person this Christmas can still join in the festivities with KidZania’s advent calendar giveaway. Behind each door of the advent calendar, guests will have the chance to win exclusive prizes every day from the 1st – 24th December!

KidZania’s Secret Christmas will run from the 5th December to 3rd January 2021. Spaces are limited to ensure social distancing and KidZania expect the event to sell out fast, so head to www.kidzania.co.uk to purchase a Christmas package for you and your little elves. Early bird packages will be priced from £36 per child and £24.80 per adult if booked before 30th November 2020, with prices then at £45 per child and £31 per adult. To use the Early Bird Offer, simply enter the discount code XMASEARLYBIRD2020 when booking online.

All Christmas Packages include:

• 3 hours to explore the KidZania City
• Entrance to the Secret Christmas area with six additional activities for both children and adults to explore (approx. 1 hour)
• Viewing of the exclusive pre-recorded Pantomime Cinderella in the KidZania Theatre (45 minutes)
• A hot drink and sweet Christmas Treat for each ticket holder

For more information, head to: https://kidzania.co.uk/whats-on/secret-christmas-at-kidzania

Keeping in line with the latest government guidelines, KidZania will continue to implement health and safety measures in order to keep the city the most safe, fun and enjoyable place it can be. Social distancing measures will continue to be in place which will mean a smaller & safer capacity for visitors, face masks for everyone will be mandatory (unless exempt for medical reasons) and hand sanitiser will be available throughout the city. KidZania won’t be able to welcome under 4s at this time. For full details and FAQ’s, please visit https://kidzania.co.uk/contact-us/faqs/christmas-faqs

Paul Rose, television presenter, expedition leader for National Geographic’s Pristine Seas Expeditions and former vice president of the Royal Geographic Society, said his life was turned around by a school trip when he was a teenager: “I failed my Eleven Plus and hated school. I just couldn’t see the point of anything. Then in Secondary school my Geography teacher took my class to the Brecon Beacons. All the horrors of education and learning disappeared. It was truly inspirational. At last things made sense – if I wanted to use a map and compass then I needed Maths. If I wanted to understand the map and the ground, then I needed Geography. That trip was the making of me, it was what I desperately needed. That was my door opening, it was me becoming Paul Rose. We cannot let these opportunities disappear.”

Kate Humble, television presenter, wildlife specialist and author, said: “Lessons in a classroom can only achieve so much.  School trips I took to see the geological features we were learning about in geography, or to the Natural History Museum, or simply to our local park to collect leaves & pinecones, brought those lessons alive.  They made sense of things, gave us all a greater understanding & appreciation of what we were learning, and made our newfound knowledge something exciting.  They were an invaluable part of my education.”

Dr Anne Hunt, Chief Executive for the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC), said: “Covid related school closures and restrictions are resulting in organisations who provide high quality educational visits closing their venues and losing whole teams of staff and volunteers. With no overnight visits since March and for the foreseeable future, the providers of residential learning experiences are facing particularly challenging circumstances. There is a very real possibility that many organisations providing these very valuable learning opportunities simply won’t survive the current crisis, meaning a whole generation of pupils could go through school without experiencing a visit to a museum, a field studies trip or a foreign language tour.”

Even though UK-based educational day visits are permitted by the Department for Education, the impact of the pandemic on providers is becoming very stark and it is hitting organisations big and small – the National Trust is currently consulting on a proposal that would make all its learning staff redundant, PGL has lost a quarter of its workforce, STA Travel ceased trading in August, and Cheddar Caves has closed ‘for the foreseeable future’.

Dr Hunt continues: “Alongside the impact on the  dedicated skilled staff and volunteers who run these inspiring programmes, these closures will push the opportunities for educational visits beyond the reach of the many thousands of children who we know do not get the chance to have these experiences in any other way than with their schools.’’

The evidence is clear that learning outside the classroom, including through well-planned educational visits supports pupils to engage with their learning and delivers a wide range of socio-emotional outcomes that underpin their achievement and attainment. It also has a positive impact on children’s health and wellbeing.  School-based learning outside the classroom opportunities should be an integral part of strategies for supporting all children and young people to recover from the consequences of disrupted learning.

Prof Justin Dillon, Professor of Science and Environmental Education at Exeter University, said: “There is a wealth of evidence that learning outside the classroom can have a transformative impact on education and learning. Given that the National Foundation for Education Research has reported recently that the gap in inequalities between children from different social backgrounds has widened already by 46% in a year, it is clear that educational visits can play a crucial role in enabling pupils to ‘catch up’ and address this widening inequality in education.”

Martin Smith, Chair of the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel said: “The Department for Education has given approval for schools to take day visits off-site. We strongly encourage schools to utilise local venues, grounds and amenities to help bring some normality back to student’s lives and build confidence in undertaking educational visits further a field. Such activities are essential for young people in terms of broadening their horizons and to help accelerate their learning. We also need insurance companies to cover educational visits for Covid-related cancellations. Without this, teachers aren’t able to plan ahead which is further affecting the ability of educational visit providers to recover from the pandemic.’’

To support the educational visits sector and protect these vital opportunities for children and young people, the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, the Outdoor Education Advisers Panel, School Travel Forum and the Expedition Providers Association are working with Government to advocate for:

• Recognising the positive benefits that learning outside the classroom and educational visits can deliver and their role in helping address widening inequalities
• Reiterating the recommendation that schools can take their learning off-site and on day visits, and work with other learning providers to bring their services into schools, as long as these follow school Covid secure guidelines
• Working with insurance companies to ensure future educational visits are covered for cancellations arising due to Covid so schools can start planning for the future.

Dr Hunt continues: “There is a unique opportunity for the learning outside the classroom sector to be mobilised to support more schools to take their learning beyond the classroom, dramatically increasing health, wellbeing and learning outcomes for all children and young people. If we do nothing there is a very real risk that these benefits will only be available to some children and young people and many of these experiences may no longer be available at all when restrictions are finally lifted. If we fail to act now, a whole generation of children may miss out.”

The leading youth charity scooped the accolade at the annual School Travel Awards 2018/19, the UK’s biggest event for school travel and learning outside the classroom.

Chosen by readers of School Travel Organiser magazine, the annual awards recognise the best venues, attractions and companies for educational visits.

Anita Kerwin-Nye, Director of Strategy and Engagement at YHA (England & Wales) said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to receive the award as it recognises the commitment and dedication of all YHA staff – both in hostel and behind the scenes, to delivering the very best experience for schools who choose to stay with us.”

Last year almost 100,000 primary and secondary school children stayed on school trips with YHA (England & Wales). The charity operates more than 150 youth hostels through England and Wales in cities, towns, coastal and National Park locations, with more than 80 of them Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) accredited; the most of any UK provider.

Research has shown that children from lower socio-economic groups, and those with special educational needs and disabilities are less likely to visit the countryside or undertake rural leisure pursuits.

To enable schools to provide the opportunity for outdoor travel and adventure to all their students, YHA’s Educational Breaks support programme supports young people aged between 8 and 18 who are eligible for Pupil Premium and have additional social challenges. Up to 10 young people in a group can apply for a two-night supported break at a Youth Hostel. The current round of applications to YHA’s Educational Breaks programme is open until 31^st January 2019.

Anita added: “Giving young people the opportunity to learn and develop through travel and adventure is our passion and one of the main reasons that YHA exists. We know that travel and adventure are transformative for young people; benefitting their emotional, social and academic development. We hope that our Educational Breaks programme will enable more schools to give the very children who need to most, the opportunity to benefit from a residential experience.”

Highlighting the importance of young people having the opportunity to access travel and adventure in the outdoors, YHA recently launched The Adventure Effect campaign. At the heart of the campaign is a film which features a social experiment highlighting the impact of young people not having the opportunity to access travel and the outdoors. Watch the powerful film at www.groups.yha.org.uk/adventure-effect

To book your next residential school trip with YHA or apply for Educational Breaks support, visit https://groups.yha.org.uk/

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, the ground-breaking trilogy which includes Julius Caesar, Henry IV and The Tempest is now available for secondary schools to watch across the UK via the free national service. With a diverse, all-female cast and set in a women’s prison, the productions asked the question, “Who owns Shakespeare?”. The Trilogy was described by the Observer as ‘One of the most important theatrical events of the last 20 years.’

The Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy began in 2012 with an all-female production of Julius Caesar with Harriet Walter in the title role. Two further productions followed: Henry IV in 2014 and The Tempest in 2016, all featuring a diverse company of women.

The National Theatre’s On Demand In Schools service offers world class curriculum-linked productions – free of charge – to schools across the country. Over 3880 schools are currently signed up to the service, including over 60% of state-funded secondary schools in the country. There are 14 productions available on the service which includes four titles suitable for primary schools.

On Demand In Schools complements trips to see live performances by enabling younger audiences to watch plays in their classroom. The plays are recorded in high definition in front of a live theatre audience. Teachers can show the full production or choose to watch key scenes over a number of lessons.

To accompany the Shakespeare Trilogy recordings, the Donmar Warehouse has created extensive digital learning resources that have been developed in partnership with the Trilogy company, teachers and young people. Designed to support the teaching of Drama, English and PSHE, the accessible resources support in giving further context to the development of the Shakespeare Trilogy, and explorations of its key themes and contemporary relevance to young people.

nationaltheatre.org.uk/schools