Rotherham Science Conference: Sharing Big Ideas in STEM

Oct 9, 2025

On Thursday 25 September, the Big Ideas team delivered a STEM engagement presentation at the Rotherham Science Conference, where over 30 teachers from different schools were in attendance.

The talk started with an introduction to Big Ideas’ focus on inclusion, detailing our aims to reach underserved audiences, tell unknown stories, support marginalised communities to join the mainstream, and provide opportunities for all. Although the conference centred on STEM curriculum, we also spoke about our wider enrichment offer for schools, particularly with citizenship, history and commemoration.

Attendees were introduced to Big Ideas’ UK-wide programming, including STEM with Wings, the Black Heroes of Mathematics Youth Festival, and most excitingly, We Can Be Engineers, which is exclusively available to schools in Rotherham for its upcoming edition!
Next Autumn, RAF Youth and STEM have commissioned Big Ideas to hold this very special engineering event. Schools in Rotherham can take part in a day of engaging and interactive digital events with a relatable engineering role model and win a wonderful engineering experience prize trip in a local further education setting.

We also facilitated a discussion around diversity in STEM and Maths, and the frequent absence of “a human face” when we think about Maths.

The discussion brought up interesting thoughts, such as:

    • acknowledging the rarity of “seeing” or applying Maths in everyday life
    • how Maths as a subject could often be dismissed by adults to young people, e.g. “I never did well in Maths at school, but I’m still doing fine without it!”
    • the lack of female representation in STEM, and why girls are statistically less attracted to STEM subjects at school
    • the lack of role models or knowledge of mathematical figures (though one did mention the brilliant Hannah Fry!)
    • how STEM teaching could often feel like an added bonus rather than a vital part of the curriculum – practical demonstrations and real-life applications are difficult to include with time constraints, lack of further subject knowledge, and cost of materials

The conference was a great opportunity to introduce Big Ideas’ work to more schools. It was especially exciting to gather interest in the exclusive Rotherham edition of We Can Be: Engineers, in the town right where it will happen. We hope our thought-provoking presentation has helped us build new connections in the local area and encouraged wider participation in this inspiring engineering event.

Special thanks to April Taylor, Associate leader at Rotherham School Improvement Service and Yr 2 Teacher at Waverley Junior Academy for organising the event.