STEM Workshops for Primary Schools: What to Expect from Inventors & Makers
- Laura
- Jun 9
- 7 min read
If you're a teacher or school leader looking for a STEM workshop provider, you've probably got a lot of questions. What will the children actually be doing? Is it curriculum-linked? Who delivers it? And is it the kind of thing that gets talked about at home, or quietly forgotten by Friday?
We hear those questions a lot. So we thought we'd answer them properly here.
What are STEM workshops for primary schools?
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and a workshop could feature something from any one of those areas. A STEM workshop is a structured session - usually delivered by an outside specialist - where children get hands-on with practical challenges, investigations or builds that go beyond what a regular lesson during school hours can offer.
At their best, they're the sessions children remember years later. The day they built a structure taller than they could reach. The afternoon they programmed a robot. The moment something clicked about how the world works.
At Inventors & Makers, that's what we're trying to create every single time.
What does an Inventors & Makers STEM workshop actually look like?
Every session is hands-on from start to finish. Children aren't watching a show - they're the ones doing the building, the testing, the redesigning when something doesn't work quite the way they planned.
Depending on the topic, a workshop might involve building the widest bridge that can support weight, finding out how AI works with micro:bits, exploring simple machines, investigating forces, or working through the design process from initial invention idea to finished prototype.
Sessions typically run for around an hour per class, and we can work across a full school day with multiple year groups. Everything we need comes with us - materials, equipment, all of it - so there's minimal prep on your end and nothing to source.
The impact tends to stick, too. As Mrs Clark, the Headteacher at Rougham Primary School, told us:
"The workshops were age appropriate, engaging and very well resourced and organised, with clear learning outcomes. It was lovely for the children to experience something different and they’ve both raised the profile of science and enthused teachers to plan more practical lessons."
Which year groups do the STEM workshops cover?
At Inventors & Makers we work with children from EYFS all the way through to KS2 - so from Nursery right up to Year 6.
Sessions are carefully adapted for each age group by the qualified teachers who plan and run all our workshops. A Year 1 class and a Year 5 class will get very different experiences, even if the broad theme is the same. The vocabulary, the challenge level, the amount of scaffolding - all of it is adjusted so the session is genuinely pitched right for the children in front of us.
If you have a mixed-age class or a specific set of year groups you want us to work with, just get in touch and we'll work something out.
What topics do the STEM workshops cover?
We offer a wide range of workshop topics across engineering, science, coding and design. Some of the most popular include:
Structures & Engineering - Pupils explore how buildings and bridges are designed to be sturdy and bear load, before getting to work building their own.
Simple Machines - Investigations into the six types of simple machines (levers, pulleys, wheels and axles, inclined planes) give plenty of building opportunities along the way.
Coding & Robotics - Children program robots to complete challenges, learning the logic of sequencing and debugging as they go - unplugged versions for EYFS.
Inventing & Design - A session built around the design process, where children move from identifying a problem to prototyping a solution. Great for linking to real-world inventors and the history of innovation.
Understanding AI -Exploring what Artificial Intelligence actually is, how it works and where they may already be using it. Through hands-on activities they start to think critically about AI.
Environment & Energy - Exploring real-world challenges around energy, materials and the natural world and building wind turbines and circuits with solar panels.
Space Engineering - Inspired by real engineers who got us into space, this session is packed with challenges around blast offs, splash downs and Mars rovers too.
Digital Design - Workshops on stop motion animation or video game design to plan and build using online tools (iPads required).
These can all be booked as standalone workshops for a particular year group, as part of a themed enrichment day/week across the school, or as a regular programme to supplement your curriculum throughout the year.
Are the STEM workshops linked to the curriculum?
Yes. Everything we deliver is designed with the primary curriculum in mind - but we come at it from an angle that's difficult to replicate in a regular classroom.
Hands-on, practical STEM work supports learning across design and technology, computing, science and maths. And the workshops can also link to topics in history or geography too, like our Romans structures workshop or our workshop featuring Ancient Greek machines, They also build skills that sit across the curriculum: problem-solving, resilience, collaboration, and the ability to communicate ideas clearly.
Teachers often tell us that a workshop gives them reference points they can draw on for weeks afterwards, because the children remember what they built and can make connections when similar concepts come up in lessons.
Mrs Buttgieg, the D&T Lead at Fosters Primary School, put it well:
"All of the children were engaged and really enjoyed the workshops - which lent themselves really well to our topics and gave the children and staff lots of ideas and understanding to be built upon in later lessons."
Who delivers the school workshops?
This is something we feel strongly about. Every Inventors & Makers workshop is delivered by one of our Inventioneers - qualified, experienced teachers who have left the classroom to run their own local businesses with us.
That matters, because not only do they understand how children learn, but they also know how to manage a class, adapt on the spot, and get every child engaged. They bring subject knowledge and the kind of presence that only comes from years in the classroom.
Miss Kershaw, Humanities Lead at Spinfield School, summed it up better than we could:
"Sometimes when external companies come in, you worry that the kids won't be fully engaged - they aren't necessarily 'natural teachers'. Having Susie, who has worked as a teacher before, she knew exactly how to hook them, and as a result the children had lots of fun."
You're not getting a graduate with a clipboard and a script. You're getting someone who has taught in schools like yours.
What makes Inventors & Makers different from other STEM workshop providers?
We'll let schools speak to that.
Miss Moodley, Science Lead at Capel Manor Primary School in Enfield, told us:
"All staff and children raved about the workshops, and one of our staff said it was the best workshop she had ever been to."
Mrs Treleven, Science Lead at James Dixon Primary in London, has booked us every year for British Science Week - and keeps coming back:
"It is always a pleasure booking with Inventors and Makers - admin is always easy and the delivery is brilliant."
And Mrs Kirby, Science Coordinator at The Study Prep, put things in perspective after a Science Week where she booked four different providers:
"Inventors & Makers were easily the most simple to deal with, and it was so great not to have to chase up information or risk assessments. I have already recommended you to a friend who works at another school."
From our side, the things we hear most often are:
Delivered by teachers, not just enthusiasts. Our Inventioneers are qualified, experienced educators. That comes through in how sessions feel from the moment they walk in.
Genuinely hands-on. Not a science show. Not a worksheet. Children build, make, test and explore in every session.
We handle everything. Resources, equipment, session planning - it all comes with us. There is very little you need to do.
Curriculum-connected without being a lesson. The sessions feel special precisely because they're different from a normal school day, while still being educationally grounded.
Multi-award-winning. We're proud of the recognition we've received, but what we're most proud of is the feedback that comes back from children, teachers and schools.
How do I find out if there's a workshop provider near me?
We have Inventioneers delivering STEM workshops for primary schools across the UK, including around and in:
Sussex (Brighton, Lewes and surrounding areas)
The Reading area (Berkshire and West Oxfordshire)
Newcastle and the North East
Hull and East Yorkshire
Lincolnshire
Greater London and the South
If you're not sure whether we cover your area, the easiest thing to do is drop us a message and we'll come back to you straight away.
And in any case the virtual self-led versions of our workshops are available to you wherever you are in the world!
How do schools pay for STEM workshops?
Budget is often the first obstacle that comes up for teachers, and the good news is there are usually more options than you initially realise. Of course, our workshops can be funded from subject budgets - science, computing, or design and technology are the most obvious fit, but because our sessions have strong cross-curricular links to history, geography and even literacy, some schools can split the cost across subject budgets.
Pupil premium funding can also be used for enrichment activities like these, and many PTAs love the idea of funding a special STEM day as something the whole school benefits from.
Some schools ask for a small voluntary contribution from parents too, which might even cover the cost entirely.
It's also worth knowing that our STEM workshops are often cheaper and less logistically complicated than an off-site trip - no coaches, no packed lunches, no complicated risk assessments, no permission slip chasing - while still giving children a genuinely memorable experience.
And if you're interested in corporate sponsorship, local companies or businesses with a CSR or social value focus are increasingly funding workshop days in schools near them - you can read how that worked for Amber Labs and Lancastarian Primary School here.
If you're not sure what's possible for your school, just ask us. We're used to helping schools think through the options.
How do I book a STEM workshop for my school?
The easiest way is to get in touch via the contact form on our website. Let us know roughly what you're looking for - the year groups you want to work with, any themes or topics you have in mind, and when you're thinking of - and we'll come back to you with options.
We can accommodate one-off workshops, themed enrichment days, and regular programmes across the term or year. Pricing is available on request and varies depending on the number of sessions and the structure you're looking for.
We'd love to hear from you. The children usually make it pretty clear they feel the same way.
Want to find out more? Get in touch here or take a look at what our Inventioneers get up to on Instagram and Facebook.
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