Education
We are a key provider and coordinator of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education activities and support in Essex. These are for students at school and home, and are designed to both stimulate an interest in STEM and to open possible career paths.
» See upcoming CSES events for schools, children and families
Including our flagship annual TEXPO, projects and online competitions throughout the year.
Out-of-school clubs, masterclasses and projects to enhance learning with fun, practical activities.
Financial and in-kind support for your STEM Club, project or activity at school.
Interactive conferences attended by students, industry partners and the public sector.
A FREE annual CSES/ARU lecture from a high-profile speaker, open to all schools.
Careers guidance, STE(A)M activities, ideas and other material for all ages both in school and at home.
Take inspiration from what others have been getting up to.
Talk to us about dedicated support, resources, projects and competitions for your school.
Taking a camera or your phone and shooting a picture is an easy. But how about, when composing your image, you think about how your picture might be used to discover some aspect of science and engineering?
From a flower to a rainbow, from a bubble to a radio mast, from smoke to light, from microscopy to astronomy, everywhere in our modern world we face science and engineering wonders that make our lives easier, more fun and more interesting. This is the fourth year of our competition and we have had some outstanding winners in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Art meets Science – Our annual photographic competition this year aims at creating an opportunity for you to creatively express, in pictures, what you observe within science. We hope that this will get you exploring the visual aspects of STEAM through the art and science of photography, and capturing images that demonstrate and communicate STEAM concepts and phenomena.
This year, with our Giving Voice schools' project, the focus is on the many facets of:
Electronic Communication
(Including everything old and new, from radio to TV to computers and mobile phones, records, CDs, microwaves, IR sensors, Wi-Fi and more!)
We want you to take photographs (up to 3 entries) that express what electronic communication means to you, or how it impacts health and environment (for better or worse). Each photograph should be accompanied with a short plain-language explanation (not more than 50 words) of the science and thoughts behind it.
Read more: Centenary Photographic Competition 2023: Electronic Communication
Get involved in two major CSES projects for 2023!
Giving Voice: Stories of STE(A)M through the technology of radio
Spaces are still available for this flagship science, technology and computing project for primary and secondary schools.
This year, the project celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the BBC and Essex as the birthplace of radio!
We are looking for participating schools across Essex to become new CSES Affiliate Schools and to take part in the project, where student teams will be building their own radios and recording, broadcasting and listening to podcasts highlighting the contribution to STEAM of women and others from under-represented groups.
As an Affiliate School, you will have a dedicated CSES STE(A)M champion to help you run the project in your school.
National Saturday Club: Imagine! Science and Engineering
In a major new undertaking, CSES and ARU have teamed up with the National Saturday Club to deliver a 15-week Science & Engineering Club where young people can explore science and technology creatively.
Using ARU's state-of-the-art facilities, our Imagine! Saturday Club will give students hands-on experience of exciting and varied topics within science, technology and engineering.
The programme will also give an insight into the diverse education and career opportunities within the STEM sector, with plenty of opportunity to ask questions of practising scientists and engineers.
Starting from 21 January 2023 and running until June, the Club will meet every Saturday morning (10:00-12:30) during term time, and is completely FREE.
(For Year 10 Students)
START DATE: 21 January 2023
TIME: 10:00-12:30 (every Saturday during term time)
COST: Free
VENUE: ARU Chelmsford Campus
The world is changing rapidly. This generation will face national and global challenges. They will need innovative thinking and versatile science and technology skills to tackle them.
Almost all careers will require an understanding of science and technology, as well as creative capacities such as imagination, curiosity and collaboration.
CSES and ARU have teamed up with the National Saturday Club to deliver a 15-week Science & Engineering Club where young people can explore these subjects creatively.
In a university setting, using ARU's state-of-the-art facilities, our Imagine! Saturday Club will give students hands-on experience of exciting and varied topics within science, technology and engineering.
The programme will also give an insight into the diverse education and career opportunities within the STEM sector, with plenty of opportunity to ask questions of practising scientists and engineers.
Read more: National Saturday Club: Imagine! Science and Engineering
From passion to project
Get your students thinking about issues they're passionate about or developing solutions to challenges they've come across in their own lives by doing a project for The Big Bang Competition.
Taking part in the UK's top STEM competition for young people is a brilliant way to inspire your students to think big and show their passion.
Enter your science or engineering project online by 30 March 2023 at 5pm.
A report from the event at Clacton Coastal Academy, 9 November 2022
Students from Clacton Coastal Academy took part in a "Step Into STEM" My Smarter Essex event as part of National Green Careers Week. The event was launched by Cllr Tony Ball, Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, and focused on local career opportunities linked with renewable energy, sustainable materials and the skills students will need to develop to be successful in this sector.
The event, planned in conjunction with CSES, Essex County Council, NHS Integrated Care Board and the STEM Ambassador Hub, invited students to explore a variety of careers through practical, hands-on activities, including constructing their own solar and wind power sources, preparing fibre-optic wiring and exploring a working wind turbine through a VR headset.
- Photographic Competition 2022 winners announced
- Giving Voice: Stories of STE(A)M through the technology of radio
- TEXPO 2022
- 2022 TEXPO results
- TEXPO 2022 and Photo Competition – ONE WEEK left to enter!
- Big Bang 2022 deadline extended
- My Smarter Essex: The Internet – What's really going on?
- Call for entries: TEXPO 2022 and Big Bang
- STEM Networking: Science and Technology for All
- Save the date: Schools' TEXPO 2022