General information Welcome to SETPOINT Hertfordshire! Our aim is to tell you a little bit about the day-to-day running of our educational charity and bring you interesting information about Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM), as well as some of the hints and opportunities that we hear about as one of the country’s leading regional STEM advisory services. But we don’t just operate in Hertfordshire; we hold other contracts which mean that we have had the pleasure of getting to know and work with other schools and organisations in the East of England. For the Big Bang Fair Eastern, we cover schools in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. And as regional co-ordinators for the Nuffield Foundation’s Research Placement Scheme, we cover Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire. So we really get around! Which is quite an achievement when you consider that we only employ two full-time members of staff and two part-timers! Having said that, we also have lots of consultants, people who work for us as workshop leaders and advisors, so that we get the best and most up-to-date advice on curriculum etc. Here’s a little bit of the history of SETPOINT Hertfordshire that you might not know: • SETPOINT Hertfordshire was set up around 30 years ago and was initially known as a ‘SATRO’ – a Science and Technology Regional Office. There were around 53 SATROs around the country and we all offered similar help with STEM subjects to schools and tried to inspire young people to consider a career in STEM. • Around 2002, the SATROs became SETPOINTs – Science, Engineering & Technology Points, where teachers could access resources and information to engage their pupils in STEM. • More recently, the SETPOINTs mostly changed their names as they became linked to other organisations, such as Education Business Partnerships, but SETPOINT Hertfordshire decided to keep our name. • We continue to be driven by a passion for the STEM subjects, not just at school, but in everyday life, and we believe that all pupils can be excited by and excel in STEM, in order to work towards a better future for all. So – welcome to SETPOINT Hertfordshire! We’re here for you, whether you are a Newly Qualified Teacher or a seasoned teacher or Head at primary or secondary level, a student with a keen interest or curiosity about STEM, or someone who works in a STEM-related career and who wants to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, technologists and mathematicians. As a charity, we rely on the support of companies, institutions and organisations that fund our work in lots of different ways. If you’ve got any queries, or you’d like more information about a particular topic, then please get in touch at: admin@setpointherts.org.uk You can also follow us on Twitter at: @setpointherts