STEM success with Isaac Physics, STEM SMART & the British Physics Olympiad

This session will showcase three complementary programmes; Isaac Physics, STEM SMART and the BPhO; that are evidence-based to improve student aspirations, attainment and ability to obtain and fulfil challenging offers to high tariff universities to study STEM degree courses. They provide levelling-up opportunities to students across the spectrum of backgrounds and science capital to develop the problem-solving skills that are prized by professions and industry. The programmes additionally aim to reduce teacher workload by providing students with feedback, support and marked work. Isaac Physics is a free online open learning platform for 11-19 that allows teachers to quickly set high-quality work to students which is auto-marked and recorded, saving, on average, 5.6 hours of planning and marking each week. There is also a free Isaac mentoring programme for Years 11-13 and a comprehensive programme of free teacher CPD with an IOP-accredited Physics Teacher Educator. STEM SMART is a widening participation programme for sixth formers, providing mentoring and tutoring for 16 months in STEM subjects. The BPhO offers 15 challenging competitions to students from 11-19 in physics, astronomy and computation. Teachers will learn how to get involved in the programmes, sample to range of resources and opportunities on offer to teachers and students and be able to ask questions. We will demonstrate the online resources and teachers who have brought a device (phone, tablet or laptop) will be able to have a go. By the end of the session, teachers will be able to find Isaac Physics resources for classwork, homework, revision, consolidation, cover and tests and know how to access free CPD and support from the Isaac Community, as well as free mentoring and masterclasses for their students. Teachers will have knowledge about how to get extra support for widening participation students via STEM SMART and how to extend and enthuse their students by running BPhO competitions.