CREST Awards help school students to undertake projects in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) related areas. Students' achievements can be recognised with awards at bronze, silver and gold levels. The resources in this section contain a series of project ideas that can be used to gain CREST Awards....

The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC) has produced a large number of educational resources that help to illustrate the practical application of curriculum science and technology in real life contexts. With a strong emphasis on student investigations, the resources in this collection allow students...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Composites are made by physically combining two or more materials. Many composite materials are used to provide strength and rigidity while using thinner, lighter components. However, they...

The ‘Experimenting with Industry’ series was published in the mid-1980s when it presented industry-related science practicals for schools. It was developed as part of a 'teachers into industry' project organised by The Association for Science Education (ASE) on behalf...

The Fabric Fires activity for Key Stage Three students looks at how different fabrics catch fire and burn. Students are asked to first consider the commonest reasons for fires in the home. They then test and compare a fabric and a cotton wool ball, firstly when untreated and then having first soaked them in a fire...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). New applications for traditional fabrics are being found, but increasingly, fibres and fabrics are engineered for specific purposes. Much...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), focuses on understanding that changing the composition of a material will affect its properties and characteristics.

It is intended that...

This Topic Brief was published as part of the ASE’s LAMP Project. This unit was developed from work carried out with non-academic boys and girls in the age range 14 to 16 years. It was tried with some success on groups of between 12 and 15 in an urban comprehensive school of 1750 pupils. The average reading age of...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP).

Metals have been used for many thousands of years, but it was only in the 20th century that an understanding developed of how their properties could be explained in terms of their...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). ‘Sustainability’ is about using resources in a way that does not deplete them. An increased emphasis on renewable energy is part of the move to greater sustainability, but so is the idea...