STEM Together South Lanarkshire Launched

Two Cambuslang Primary Schools have been putting their construction skills to the test as part of a new programme launched in South Lanarkshire by Nil by Mouth helping to build bridges between different faiths and traditions.

Primary 7 pupils from Cairns and St Cadoc’s Primaries recently took part in the charity’s ‘STEM Together’ programme which provides schools free use of state of the art kits which help develop children’s construction and engineering abilities.

The promotion of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) has become a hugely important part of the school curriculum in Scotland and recognises the importance of those sectors to the economy and job market.

Nil by Mouth believe that STEM can also be used to promote equality in the classroom by bring children from denominational and non-denominational schools together to work collaboratively. Pupils are broken into groups and assigned specific roles to maximise participation and underline the importance of working together to solve problems. There is a particular focus on visual learning and problem solving across a range of 24 STEM tasks involving construction, hydraulics, conceptual thinking, accurate measurement, drawing conclusions from results and revising plans based on data and testing.

The project has attracted the support of BAE Systems with the shipbuilding giant donating the specialist equipment to the charity, ensuring that there is no cost to schools or families taking part and the sessions are accompanied by workshops led by Nil by Mouth staff exploring identity and sectarianism in Scotland.

Teams are challenged to solve proverbs and create solutions.

Cairns & St Cadoc’s have been working on a joint anti-sectarianism protect with Nil by Mouth during 2025 which has seen Primary 7 pupils meet for shared workshops, explore how the issue manifests itself at football matches as well as meeting referees and ex-players to find out more about the friendships built through the sport.

Nil by Mouth Director Dave Scott said:

‘For more than a decade we’ve enjoyed working with Cairns and St Cadoc’s and I’m delighted we can bring the STEM Together day to Cambuslang to launch the project across Lanarkshire.Alongside our work in the classroom programmes like this help children from different backgrounds and traditions develop teamwork skills and appreciate the different perspectives others bring to solving a problem.  Building bridges between people has always been a central part of our mission and it’s always heartening to come to Cairns and St Cadoc’s to see this in action. The children and staff work so well together, respecting the things which make their schools different but always looking to find and explore their common ground. We hope many of the friendships made continue as the young people move on into high school and into later life.’