Hear about the benefits of the Engage Teacher Network - from an experienced member

The chance to get advice and connect with other teachers tackling similar challenges was really appealing.

This is Mark Gray, a science teacher at Ruskin Community High School in Crewe, speaking to us about his experience of being a member of the Engage Teacher Network.

We know that while teaching is a rewarding and fulfilling job, it’s can also be a stressful one, particularly for those working in schools in challenging circumstances. We launched Engage in September 2023 to, as Mark so succinctly put it, give teachers in such schools* a space to connect with others tacking similar challenges.

The Engage Teacher Network is a community that’s free to join, and offers teachers opportunities to apply for funding to run CREST, share advice and expertise, receive exclusive partner offers, support to engage their pupils and students with STEM, and much more.

Mark first accessed the support we offer in December 2022, applying for funding back when the Engage Teacher Network was known as the Underrepresented audiences (URA) Network, so he really has been here since the beginning.

Mark has been involved with the community in lots of different ways in the past two and a half years; he’s shared his experiences on applying for and receiving grants, attending and speaking at webinars, giving support as an Engage Buddy, receiving a kit box and more.

Community is all about coming together, looking after each other, contributing ideas and becoming more than the sum of our parts, and the Engage Teacher Network is no different.

A key part of the community is the conference, webinars and support surgeries we host to facilitate connection and support. Mark said:

The community discussions and networking have been especially valuable, letting me share ideas and troubleshoot problems with other science teachers. It’s given me the confidence to run more ambitious practical projects and helped me feel part of a wider network of educators passionate about making science fun, inclusive, and meaningful.

One of the main events in the online calendar is the annual Engage Teacher Conference, with sessions on an array of topics over two weeks. The sessions take different forms, some are run by British Science Association staff, some by external resource providers and some by expert teacher panels.

At this year’s conference, Mark sat on panels to discuss best practice for teaching students with SEND. He told us:

It was a brilliant opportunity to share what had worked in my own classroom, learn from others with different experiences, and reflect more deeply on inclusive teaching. The discussion was practical and focused on real-world solutions, which I found helpful.

Another way Mark shared his experiences was through the former Engage Buddies programme. Mark became a Buddy in 2025, having had proven experience of delivering CREST with the help of funding. Being part of the programme meant answering email questions from fellow educators and serving on Buddy panels at online support surgeries and webinars. Mark found that through helping others, he also helped himself:

I wanted to be able to encourage other teachers to try CREST and other enrichment activities. It also helped me reflect on and improve my own practice.

As well as access to discussion and networking, being part of the Engage community also means having access to the Engage funding to run practical science projects, and allow students to earn CREST Awards.

Members of the Engage Teacher Network can apply for two types of funding. Eligible schools could receive an Engage Grant - £350 for equipment, teacher cover etc plus £350 worth of CREST Awards, or Simply CREST - £350 worth of CREST Awards, depending on their needs.

Mark received an Engage Grant in 2022 and 2023. We asked him about his experience:

I found the grant application process really clear and well-supported. The guidance was easy to follow, and there were helpful prompts to make sure I covered everything needed. We used the funding to deliver CREST projects with our students, purchasing consumables and some resources.

He continued that the funding covering the cost of CREST fees meant students could earn an Award who wouldn’t otherwise have been able to. Reaching young people who don’t always engage with science was something that attracted him to the Engage community, Mark told us.

There has been a long impact; since joining Engage CREST has become a highly anticipated part of the school year:

Having access to funding, resources, and practical advice meant we could actually run projects confidently. We now run CREST each year with students and will be embedding it more next year as the support has been great and allowed us to build a good foundation. Running it has become part of our regular enrichment offer, and students look forward to it each year.

Apply for Engage funding by 14 October 2025. A new round will open in January 2026.

When funding is available, we provide exclusive projects and partnership offers for members of the Engage Teacher Network. For example, free CREST kit boxes funded by our partners, which contain all the instructions, equipment and resources needed to run a project, plus CREST Award certificates to present to students at the end.

In spring of 2023, we sent kit boxes, funded by DeepMind (Google’s AI research lab), to 100 schools across the UK allowing them to run the Discovery project ‘Machines of the future’. All the students who participated earned a Discovery Award. Mark told us:

The DeepMind Kit Box was a fantastic addition to lessons and was very well-received by students. The activities were well designed and easy to run. It sparked some excellent discussions about AI, ethics, and the role of technology in society, which really broadened students’ thinking. Even students who usually struggle with science concepts found it engaging.

CREST Discovery Kit Boxes funded by DeepMind

Would you recommend other eligible teachers join the Engage Teacher Network? We asked Mark.

Definitely, I would strongly recommend other teachers join Engage. It’s an incredibly supportive network that offers practical help, professional development. Whether you’re experienced or just starting out with enrichment activities like CREST, Engage helps you build the confidence, skills, and connections you need to make a lasting impact on your students.

*To be eligible to join the Engage Teacher Network, teachers must work in state-funded schools that are not academically selective which meet at least one of the following criteria:

• a minimum of 30% of students are eligible for Pupil Premium, Free School Meals, or equivalent
• a minimum of 30% of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Ethnic minority backgrounds include all pupils who don’t self-describe as White British. It includes Irish, except in Northern Ireland.

• The school is based in a remote and rural location.

Remote and rural schools are in postcodes listed as ‘rural’ under the Government’s Rural Urban classification system. Look up your school’s classification here.