After months of rigorous planning, hard work and an ongoing commitment to excellence in STEM, Forest View has achieved the full STEM Nation Award from Education Scotland.
With the certificate being awarded by Education Scotland in January 2026, this makes Forest View Primary the first ASN school across Scotland’s 32 local authorities to be awarded this exemplary certification – something we are incredibly proud of.
Under the direction of STEM Lead, Susan Kinnen, and with the support of fellow education staff and pupils at Forest View, the school was recognised in all STEM award elements including:
- Leadership in STEM
- STEM Family Learning
- Employability and STEM Partnership Working
- STEM Curriculum and Learner Pathways
- Equity and Equality in STEM
To receive the award, young people took part in a wide range of fun, educational experiences aligned to each of the above award elements. For Leadership in STEM, pupils threw on their rain coats and learned how to climb trees, build dens, care for animals and protect the planet.
One pupil at Forest View Primary said: “I can make waves and see how they work, and it was all using sweets!
The pupils also honed their maths skills by organising and running their own fundraiser, featuring a home baking stall, a nail bar, and a temporary tattoo parlour. With the support of parents / carers and teachers as customers, the children managed income and calculated profits, gaining practical experience in their maths learning.
Key Curricular Highlights
Perhaps one of the curricular highlights was our Bee Enterprising project. This is a very special project indeed and was made possible thanks to generous funding by The Royal Society who donated £3000 towards the project. With the support of our local bee keeper, Peter Dorrington and other colleagues, we safely established bee hives within our campus grounds, and began investigating whether the flowers available in the environment impacted the taste and colour of the honey.
The children have been fascinated by the bees, learning all about the production of honey, the hierarchy of the hive, and the pollen they forage in the environment. Using safety suits, they have been actively involved in gathering the honey, investigating the honey comb under a microscope, and we have even created our own honey jars and wax melts for a charity fayre.
Jackie Swan, Director of Education at Kibble said: “This award means a great deal to our staff and children and is a huge accolade for the school. We are committed to offering inspiring and innovative educational opportunities, and the integration of digital technology and STEM has played a vital role in bringing our vision to life.”
Hazel Gardner, Education Officer (STEM), Education Scotland said: “It is our pleasure to award Forest View with the full STEM Nation Award. This is a significant achievement for Forest View that reflects the school’s strong commitment to delivering high quality STEM education that is innovative and impactful.”
A Huge Accolade for Forest View
Achieving all STEM Nation Awards is a huge accolade for Forest View Primary, testament to the hard work and dedication of Susan Kinnen, pupils and all at Forest View. As well as learning all about STEM subjects in a fun, immersive way, pupils also established invaluable connections within the Lochwinnoch community, and gave their time to a number of community-based initiatives.
According to STEM Lead, Susan Kinnen, “This is not the end, but rather just the beginning of our journey”. We very much look forward to hearing about what’s next for our talented pupils and would like to extend our congratulations on this remarkable achievement.