The 2016 winners were unveiled at a special ceremony at the House of Lords last week and included a STEM Club from south London, a dedicated STEM coordinator and an inspirational headteacher.
The awards are run by STEM Learning, which runs the National STEM Learning Centre and manages the popular STEM Ambassadors programme linking around 30,000 STEM professionals with schools to help boost STEM teaching and careers guidance.
Awards were presented in six categories across both education and STEM employers.
The Most Dedicated STEM Club Award went to students from Ashcroft Technology Academy in south London. The judges said: “Through a variety of interactive investigations, project work and by building new connections with STEM contacts, their students now have a passionate interest in all areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”
STEM Club: Students from Ashcroft Technology Academy with education secretary Justine Greening after winning their award
The Joan Sjøvoll STEM Leadership Award, recognising the vision and dedication of a school leader in driving STEM learning, went to Susan Quirk from Ysgol Glan y Mor in Cardiff.
The judges said: “Ms Quirk regularly takes learning beyond the classroom. She has established a number of extra-curricular activities to engage young people with STEM subjects. For many pupils at the heart of the programme, the support from her and her extra-curricular activities have been life-changing.”
The Most Dedicated STEM Teacher, meanwhile, went to Dan Stephens, the STEM coordinator at Stour Valley Community School in Slough.
The judges said: “For three years (Dan) has organised an annual STEM Careers Fair. Working in collaboration with over 20 different companies and a number of STEM Ambassadors, more than 500 students attend this interactive careers fair and have been able to get thinking about their own career directions in a positive and engaging way.”
Other winners included:
- The STEM Ambassador of the Year: Joanne Haskins, Turner and Townsend.
- The STEM Apprentice of the Year: Eilidh Peat, Lifescan Scotland Ltd.
- The Most Dedicated STEM Employer: McLaren Technology Group.
For more details and the full list of winners and nominees, visit www.stem.org.uk/stem- inspiration-winners-2016