DfE launches enrichment framework
The Department for Education (DfE) has today published an enrichment framework for schools and colleges in England. The framework, which includes new benchmarks to give schools the tools to offer high-quality enrichment, will help establish these activities as standard for all young people.
Together with others within the STEM community, we have been making the case for including STEM in the enrichment framework. And we’re delighted therefore to see it features in the life and future skills focus area, with engineering clubs specifically mentioned as an example activity. The guidance to schools contains lots of pointers to STEM organisations including STEM Learning, CREST and Raspberry Pi in the resources for schools.
We are particularly pleased that Neon, our site that brings together high-quality STEM outreach activities from across the sector, is cited as key resource for schools. And that Big Bang is also highlighted. Teachers use Neon to search for the perfect activities for their class, knowing everything listed meets our quality criteria.
Outreach providers can list their activities on Neon free of charge. Neon activities vary but they must all enrich or complement the curriculum, and help students understand more about careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.
The DfE states that enrichment may include opportunities across:
- civic engagement, for example volunteering, debating, school and college democracy, community engagement
- arts and culture, for example, taking part in and having live experience of music, art, dance, theatre, other expressive arts, visits to museums and galleries
- nature, outdoors and adventure, for example time outdoors, climate education and sustainability projects, gardening, residentials and camps
- sport and physical activities, for example participating in individual and team sports, physical activities like dance, fitness activities or cycling, representing the school or college, attending live events
- developing wider life and future skills, for example digital literacy, STEM clubs, enterprise, cooking, and managing finances
Evidence shows that STEM enrichment has a positive impact on young people’s understanding and interest in careers in engineering and technology.
With the launch of the framework, the STEM community now has a real opportunity to reach even more schools and inspire more young people from all backgrounds.
We’ll continue to promote Neon as the place for schools to find high quality STEM enrichment activities to support the implementation of the framework. And we’ll be working with our networks to identify how we can use the framework to support reach into schools.
