iDiscover
Introducing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths careers at primary school
The vast majority of Hackney’s current school population will not choose a career in STEM. White,
middle class males dominate in the statistics; when choosing to study STEM post-16, “workingclass and some minority ethnic groups remain under-represented”.
Many pupils decide from an early age that science is ‘not for me’.
It has been shown that even quite subtle differences within classroom
cultures can profoundly shape the extent to which girls or minority ethnic
pupils feel that they are able to ‘identify’ with science.
It is a myth that girls and women are not choosing STEM qualifications,
but they don’t continue their study post-16. The percentage of girls choosing
physics hasn’t changed over 30 years!
Mothers, in particular, need to know their daughters could be
happy in a career in STEM, and that the working environment
would be supportive.
STEM careers need to be described in terms of the personal
characteristics and skills required, not just what people ‘do’.
Above all pupils need to be able to believe that
‘STEM is for people like me’.
In response to this, Inspire! has created iDiscover, a unique, week-long programme which puts
children’s science and technology learning into a real world context and brings STEM role models
into the classroom.
The project aims to:
 Increase primary school pupils’ awareness of related careers
 Challenge stereotypes by providing access to a diverse range of STEM employees
 Generate understanding of scientific processes.
Centred on the concept of 'working scientifically' emphasised in the new Primary Science Curriculum
and addressing the new Computer Science Curriculum, Inspire! will provide schools with:
 Five detailed lesson plans which bring to life up to five exciting STEM careers
 Opportunities to meet a diverse range of STEM volunteers, for example:

Forensic crime scene exploration in school

Workshops delivered by STEM professionals e.g. toy tinkering or game designing

Careers Carousels: similar to speed networking but with interactive activities

School visits to unique science workplaces such as laboratories
 A range of materials and resources to support learning, for example:

Laptops and smartphones

Floor robots

Microscopes; finger prints; metal detectors

Resource boxes including food and drink for testing, equipment and info. sheets
Parents are integral to iDiscover and will be involved throughout the week. Parents will be invited
to meet and engage with the STEM volunteers, view their children’s work and interact with the
Year 6 exhibition. Inspire! will also provide parents with relevant further information.
iDiscover: introducing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths careers at primary school
Each year of a primary school follows a different theme which progressively educates and inspires
pupils about different STEM careers. Rich and engaging lesson plans are provided to teachers,
alongside a wide variety of technology, resources and equipment. Inspire! actively sources a range
of STEM volunteers who represent the background of the pupils and bring their jobs to life
through interactive activities, workshops and talks. The iDiscover themes are currently:
Who did it? (EYFS)
Presented with a crime scene on Monday, pupils
become Detectives, hunting for clues, exploring tyre
tracks and working out which teacher did it!
On Tuesday a new mystery is presented: Who ate
the Headteacher’s cake? Pupils experiment
with metal detectors, finger prints & X-rays.
Robots & Machines (KS1)
Children spend the week tinkering and solving
engineering problems. Jobs focused on are:
Robotics Engineer - programme a floor robot
Mechanical Engineer - repair a toy
Civil Engineer - build a marble run
Biomedical Engineer - create a bending arm
Forensics crime
scene workshop
PhD Forensics
students visit
Police visit to
reveal the culprit!
Careers Carousel
of four STEM
engineering
volunteers
Toy tinkering
session delivered
by Engineer
Feed Me (LKS2)
The food industry is brought to life through
career-related investigations. Jobs covered include:
Dietitian - make a model of the digestive system
Food Scientist - create a space menu
Careers Carousel
of four STEM
food-related
volunteers
Drinks Technologist - test sugar in drinks
Humanitarian Engineer - filter water
iGame (Year 5)
Children create their own computer game using
Scratch software, while learning about jobs such as:
Trip to Fab Lab to
programme a robot
to navigate a maze
Computer Programmer
Audio Engineer
Video Game Designer
Games Artist
Meet/Skype a
volunteer from the
Games industry
I get it! (Year 6)
Children work towards creating a science exhibition:
 How do we taste? as Flavour Scientists
 Why do we get ill? as Microbiologists
Pupils learn about science communication and
the range of jobs involved, including reporting on
the school’s activities as iDiscover Journalists!
Trip to Lab to
learn about science
communication
Exhibition hosted
at school by pupils