Making an impact
Hands-on science is a key inspiration for your students, with 55% of years 7 to 9 in England saying it motivates their science studies. However, only a quarter of GCSE students get to do practical work at least once every 2 weeks. That’s a drop from 44% in 2016.
Our activities and resources help motivate and inspire young people to continue with STEM and think about a future career in these fields. And because we know 64% of young people are passionate about tackling climate change, we have a strong focus on environmental topics and the importance of STEM skills in reaching net zero.
Hands-on STEM inspiration
Inspiring careers activities
Attending careers activities and meeting employers and professionals has a real impact on what young people think they could do in the future.
Engaging with STEM careers activities even once a year can significantly boost young people's understanding of engineering and technology, and their confidence in pursuing relevant careers. In fact, those who take part are more than 3 times more likely to grasp what engineers do and nearly as likely to imagine themselves in the industry. It's a powerful way to spark interest and broaden horizons.
We want all young people to have the chance to explore a career in STEM. No matter their gender, ethnicity, background or where they live, we believe in unlocking potential for all. We consider equity, diversity and inclusion in everything we do so we can support as many schools and young people as possible.
I enjoyed the practical tasks and the discussions around engineering. It was useful to think of the different types of engineers that exist.
— Energy Quest teacher
What is the Neon quality mark?
We want you and your students to enjoy the very best STEM enrichment, so we only feature activities that meet our quality criteria.
The Neon quality mark is a trusted sign of quality for STEM enrichment and outreach activities. Only activities that meet the Neon quality standards get the quality mark. So, when you see it you know the activity is designed to deliver great meaningful outcomes for your students.
Our year in numbers
We're proud of what we achieved across our work with schools in academic year 2025/26.
61,286
students participated in our Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2025 activity
20,749
young people came to The Big Bang Fair in 2026
82,596
students took part in a Big Bang at School
375
projects were entered into The Big Bang Competition
94
lessons were delivered in our Climate Schools Programme
22,000
UK teachers, careers leaders and other educators used Neon
6
new careers resources were developed by our Careers Working Group
9,433
downloads of our careers resources
Our activities for schools
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Climate Schools Programme
Empower your students to explore innovative solutions to tackling climate change and discover brand-new skills. Includes science, English and geography lessons.
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Tomorrow's Engineers Week
Help your students see how engineering and technology tackles the real-world issues they care about during our annual Tomorrow’s Engineers Week.
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The Big Bang Challenge
Support your students to build a STEM project step-by-step with The Big Bang Challenge. They get certificates and virtual badges along the way.
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The Big Bang Competition
Bring your students’ ideas to life with the UK’s biggest STEM competition for young people. Enter a STEM project to be in with the chance of winning life-changing prizes.
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Energy Quest
Centred around a real-world scenario for problem-solving and teamwork activities. The lesson plans are filled with fun, practical, hands-on experiments for students to run and learn from.
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Big Bang at School
Everything you need to host an exciting day filled with amazing science and engineering activities, workshops and more. Get resources, insights and connections so you can deliver an unforgettable day.
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The Big Bang Fair
Challenge your students’ perceptions of STEM at The Big Bang Fair. Take part in hands-on activities, inspiring shows and careers panels. It's the UK’s biggest celebration of STEM.
Supporting educators
Teachers and careers leaders are at the heart of everything we do. To make it as easy as possible to find what you need, we’ve pulled together bespoke support, information and resources specifically tailored for your role.