Bright Sparks CIC
2024 grant recipient
Project funded by the Powerhouse Grant - Grant medium and project completed in June 2024
Bright Sparks CIC provided 9 fully funded days of science workshops to year 6 pupils in primary schools, stimulating their interest in a range of STEM careers and highlighting local science at Harwell, Milton Park and Culham. Being fully funded meant there was no cost to the school, and the workshops can be available to all pupils regardless of background. Additional resources were also provided to year 6 teachers for follow-on.
Impact achieved:
232 children attended workshops.
100% of workshops generated an increase in the number of children agreeing with the statement “I feel connected to science in my community”
Of other questionnaire responses the highest number agreed “I learnt about how science impacts my everyday life”.
All the schools involved confirmed they could not themselves have funded the workshops, or not without either parental support or missing taking the pupils on a trip.
A few quotes from Year 6 teachers that reflect on our achievement:
“It was inspirational”
“It was good for them to see that they didn’t have to be mad on science, or feel that they are the best scientists, to work in science later on.”
“It is important for children to see science and scientists as real people within their locality with whom they can identify, as they usually learn about the ‘famous’ names with little connection to their lives.”