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Sparking STEM is proud to be an approved AQA accredited Unit Award Scheme centre
AQA Centre number: 84721 - SPARKING STEM
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As an approved, AQA accredited UAS centre, we are delighted to be able to offer our learners the opportunity to gain accredited recognition of the skills and learning they develop in our Outdoor STEM and Practical Science sessions.
(Available from September 2025) Enrolled learners receive formal AQA certificates for every unit they complete, helping to boost confidence and improve engagement and motivation as they build a portfolio of accredited evidence of their learning journey. Units are designed to enable users to gain recognition of a wide range of skills, knowledge and achievements without having to sit exams, or undergo formal assessment. Tell me all about it! |
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The Unit Award Scheme with Sparking STEM
Why join the Unit Award Scheme?
How does it work?
How do I enrol?
What is AQA?
What is the AQA Unit Award Scheme?
Who is it suitable for?
What does my child have to do?
How many units can they do?
What if my child does not complete the unit or misses unit session?
Can we get a refund if we change our mind or can only book on to one half term?
How does it work?
How do I enrol?
What is AQA?
What is the AQA Unit Award Scheme?
Who is it suitable for?
What does my child have to do?
How many units can they do?
What if my child does not complete the unit or misses unit session?
Can we get a refund if we change our mind or can only book on to one half term?
Why join the Unit Award Scheme with Sparking STEM?
Students can demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a range of different ways to suit them, such as completing hands-on activities, joining discussions, building something, labelling their creation, gesturing, role play, and so much more.
Sparking STEM facilitators are trusted by AQA to find evidence methods that suit individual learners so that we can award students for showing us what they can do, however they can do it best.
✅ Gain AQA accredited certification of skills, experiences and knowledge
✅ Learners evidence their abilities however suits them best
✅ No exams, tests or formal assessments
✅ No submission of written work
✅ Your child can gain confidence, motivation and boost to their self esteem
✅ Collect certificates and build a portfolio of awards.
✅ No additional sessions or external work: Students demonstrate their skills as they take part in existing Outdoor STEM or Practical Science sessions
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Students can demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a range of different ways to suit them, such as completing hands-on activities, joining discussions, building something, labelling their creation, gesturing, role play, and so much more.
Sparking STEM facilitators are trusted by AQA to find evidence methods that suit individual learners so that we can award students for showing us what they can do, however they can do it best.
✅ Gain AQA accredited certification of skills, experiences and knowledge
✅ Learners evidence their abilities however suits them best
✅ No exams, tests or formal assessments
✅ No submission of written work
✅ Your child can gain confidence, motivation and boost to their self esteem
✅ Collect certificates and build a portfolio of awards.
✅ No additional sessions or external work: Students demonstrate their skills as they take part in existing Outdoor STEM or Practical Science sessions
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How does it work?
- Students must be enrolled to take part (see “How do I enrol?”), for which there is a one-off fee per academic year (Sep to Sep) to cover the cost of AQA learner enrolment, assessment, certificates, submission and all the admin involved. (The fee will be visible here from summer 2025).
- Enrolment allows students to access as many units as are offered in their Practical Science and Outdoor STEM sessions that academic year (September to September).
- You can enrol your child in the Sparking STEM AQA Unit Award Scheme at any time of the year, but your child will have the most opportunities to gain awards if you enrol them at the beginning of the academic year. For example, if you enrol in the “Sep 25 -Sep 26 UAS” in March 2026, your child will only have a few months in which they may have unit opportunities, whereas if you were to enrol in Sep 2025, they will have a whole academic year of opportunities to gain unit awards.
- Once enrolled, you will be sent a personalised Sparking STEM log in and a unique learner number. You can log in (see main menu at the top of our website) to your Sparking STEM UAS account at any time on the Sparking STEM website to see your learner number, dates of enrolment and status of any units your child is entered for.
- Sparking STEM will offer at least two opportunities per half term of Outdoor STEM to complete units during sessions. Some may be completed within individual sessions on one day and some may be awarded over the course of the half term, for demonstrating various skills across multiple sessions. Learners simply take part in the session as they normally would, and Sparking STEM facilitators will encourage them to demonstrate the criteria required for completion of the unit as necessary within that session.
- Sparking STEM aims to offer one unit for each Practical Science session. So a child attending all ten 11-16s Practical Science sessions will have ten opportunities to complete units and could gain ten certificates. A child attending all five 8-12s Practical Science sessions will have five opportunities to complete units and could gain five certificates.
- We realise that our sessions book up fast and it can be hard to book places in our sessions sometimes! We therefore recommend that you enrol after you have booked a place for a half term of Outdoor STEM, (or some Practical Science sessions). You can therefore be sure of being offered at least two opportunities to complete units. If you enrol for a full academic year and join all the Outdoor STEM and Practical Science sessions you could be offered over twenty opportunities to complete units and gain over twenty certificates in that academic year.
- To complete a unit and gain certification a learner must complete all the criteria specified in the AQA Unit.
- You will be able to see which units will be offered on the bookings pages for each half term of Outdoor STEM or each Practical Science session. You can click on them to see full details of the unit and its criteria for completion on the AQA website. You’ll see that there may be up to three 'levels' offered for one topic. There is no need for you or your child to select a level. Levels are not shown on certificates and do not relate to any standard levels of the curriculum or other awards, they are for guiding teachers only. The learners do not need to know which level they are completing and are for centre guidance only. As a default, we will use "Entry level" for the 6-10s group, "Level 1" for the 8-12s groups and "Level 2" for 11-16s groups, but may adapt this for different learners to submit evidence for the highest level your child has been able to demonstrate.
- During Outdoor STEM / Practical Science sessions, the facilitator will evidence the learner’s completion of the unit criteria, and do everything possible to ensure that your child has evidenced everything they need to, to complete the unit. Please be aware that we will not pressure or push a child to do something they do not want to do however, so enrolling them does not guarantee that they will complete the unit and gain certification.
- We will submit our evidence of learner's completion of a unit to AQA at the end of each half term. You’ll be able to track the progress by logging in to your Sparking STEM account.
- AQA will send us a high quality, AQA accredited, formal paper certificate for your child, which we will deliver to you either at sessions or by post. This may take up to approximately two weeks from submission.
How do I enrol?
To enrol, simply click on any "enrol" button on this page and select the academic year for which you wish to enrol from the drop down menu. Add it to your cart and check out! You will be sent an email confirming your enrolment, and shortly afterwards you will receive another email with your Sparking STEM log in details and unique AQA learner number.
(This option will become available in the spring / summer of 2025, when you will also be able to see the cost of enrolment.)
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To enrol, simply click on any "enrol" button on this page and select the academic year for which you wish to enrol from the drop down menu. Add it to your cart and check out! You will be sent an email confirming your enrolment, and shortly afterwards you will receive another email with your Sparking STEM log in details and unique AQA learner number.
(This option will become available in the spring / summer of 2025, when you will also be able to see the cost of enrolment.)
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What is AQA?
AQA stands for The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance. It is an awarding body in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK. You can learn more about them here.
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AQA stands for The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance. It is an awarding body in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK. You can learn more about them here.
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What is the AQA Unit Award Scheme
The AQA Unit Award Scheme (UAS) is designed to offer a flexible way for students to gain accredited certification of their learning and achievements without the need for written exams. AQA’s adaptive approach enables approved AQA UAS centres, like Sparking STEM, to design and award specific unit awards to fit their learning opportunities, and their learners. Sparking STEM can therefore offer a range of skills-based units like “working scientifically” for example, or “designing an experiment” as well as awards for specific learning topics, like “identifying invertebrates” or “carrying out a neutralisation reaction”, and so much more.
Any student can gain confidence and recognition by completing units. For those who may struggle to access formal examinations, the UAS can offer a unique way to engage in accredited, certificated learning by allowing them to demonstrate their knowledge and skills however suits them best, without the need for written exams.
When enrolled students complete a unit successfully, they will receive a formal certificate from AQA. They can complete as many units as they like and build a portfolio of their achievements to evidence their skills and learning. Sparking STEM offers a wide range of units and opportunities for enrolled students to complete them. You can read more about how UAS works at Sparking STEM here.
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The AQA Unit Award Scheme (UAS) is designed to offer a flexible way for students to gain accredited certification of their learning and achievements without the need for written exams. AQA’s adaptive approach enables approved AQA UAS centres, like Sparking STEM, to design and award specific unit awards to fit their learning opportunities, and their learners. Sparking STEM can therefore offer a range of skills-based units like “working scientifically” for example, or “designing an experiment” as well as awards for specific learning topics, like “identifying invertebrates” or “carrying out a neutralisation reaction”, and so much more.
Any student can gain confidence and recognition by completing units. For those who may struggle to access formal examinations, the UAS can offer a unique way to engage in accredited, certificated learning by allowing them to demonstrate their knowledge and skills however suits them best, without the need for written exams.
When enrolled students complete a unit successfully, they will receive a formal certificate from AQA. They can complete as many units as they like and build a portfolio of their achievements to evidence their skills and learning. Sparking STEM offers a wide range of units and opportunities for enrolled students to complete them. You can read more about how UAS works at Sparking STEM here.
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Who is it suitable for?
The Unit Award Scheme is suitable for any student working at any level.
It helps if your child is keen to take part as they will need to join in the offered activities in sessions for us to be able to evidence their accomplishments. Sparking STEM staff will find a way for a child to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in a way that suits them, but we will not pressure, push or coerce a child to do something they do not want to do. It is therefore important that they are aware of their enrolment and keen to take part.
For practical reasons, Sparking STEM can currently offer enrolment in the UAS for children attending the 6-10s, 8-12s and 11-16s Outdoor STEM groups, and 8-12s and 11-16s Practical Science sessions.
As the 4-8s Outdoor STEM sessions are shorter it is not currently possible to offer UAS to students in the 4-8s groups, though we hope to find a way to do this in the future.
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The Unit Award Scheme is suitable for any student working at any level.
It helps if your child is keen to take part as they will need to join in the offered activities in sessions for us to be able to evidence their accomplishments. Sparking STEM staff will find a way for a child to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in a way that suits them, but we will not pressure, push or coerce a child to do something they do not want to do. It is therefore important that they are aware of their enrolment and keen to take part.
For practical reasons, Sparking STEM can currently offer enrolment in the UAS for children attending the 6-10s, 8-12s and 11-16s Outdoor STEM groups, and 8-12s and 11-16s Practical Science sessions.
As the 4-8s Outdoor STEM sessions are shorter it is not currently possible to offer UAS to students in the 4-8s groups, though we hope to find a way to do this in the future.
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What does my child have to do?
Enrolled learners simply attend Outdoor STEM and Practical Science sessions as they normally would, and enjoy hands-on, practical engaging STEM learning, demonstrations and activities. They do not need to do any prior preparation. They simply need to take part in the learning opportunities offered in sessions. They may be encouraged by the facilitator to clearly evidence specific criteria for the unit in a way that works for them without pressure or any negative experience, but the units are designed by Sparking STEM to evidence the things they would be doing in that session anyway, and the things all children will be offered in that session. There should be no difference in their experience and they would not be treated differently to other students. They simply have the opportunity to gain accredited, certification of everything they would be doing in our sessions normally!
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Enrolled learners simply attend Outdoor STEM and Practical Science sessions as they normally would, and enjoy hands-on, practical engaging STEM learning, demonstrations and activities. They do not need to do any prior preparation. They simply need to take part in the learning opportunities offered in sessions. They may be encouraged by the facilitator to clearly evidence specific criteria for the unit in a way that works for them without pressure or any negative experience, but the units are designed by Sparking STEM to evidence the things they would be doing in that session anyway, and the things all children will be offered in that session. There should be no difference in their experience and they would not be treated differently to other students. They simply have the opportunity to gain accredited, certification of everything they would be doing in our sessions normally!
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How many units can they do?
A learner who is enrolled for the full academic year (Sep to Sep) and attends all Outdoor STEM and Practical Science sessions may have over twenty opportunities in that academic year to complete units and gain certificates. If you only attend one half term you will have at least two opportunities to complete units and gain certificates.
You can enrol again for the next academic year to complete a new set of Outdoor STEM units.
Practical Science units will be repeated each year as the sessions each year are the same.
Outdoor STEM units are likely to be repeated every two years, though we hope to extend this in time!
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A learner who is enrolled for the full academic year (Sep to Sep) and attends all Outdoor STEM and Practical Science sessions may have over twenty opportunities in that academic year to complete units and gain certificates. If you only attend one half term you will have at least two opportunities to complete units and gain certificates.
You can enrol again for the next academic year to complete a new set of Outdoor STEM units.
Practical Science units will be repeated each year as the sessions each year are the same.
Outdoor STEM units are likely to be repeated every two years, though we hope to extend this in time!
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What if my child does not complete the unit or misses a unit session?
The aim of the scheme is to provide a positive experience and confidence boost for our learners. We will therefore never pressure our learners to do something they do not want to do, though we will do everything we possibly can to engage them and encourage them to complete the unit criteria, often in such a way that they will not even be aware that they’ve done it! If a child does not want to take part, or is unable to complete a unit due to illness or absence, we will do everything we reasonably can to enable them to complete it at another time, however we cannot guarantee that it will always be possible.
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The aim of the scheme is to provide a positive experience and confidence boost for our learners. We will therefore never pressure our learners to do something they do not want to do, though we will do everything we possibly can to engage them and encourage them to complete the unit criteria, often in such a way that they will not even be aware that they’ve done it! If a child does not want to take part, or is unable to complete a unit due to illness or absence, we will do everything we reasonably can to enable them to complete it at another time, however we cannot guarantee that it will always be possible.
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Can we get a refund if we change our mind or can only book on to one half term?
We are unable to offer refunds for enrollments where you no longer wish to attend or take part. Depending on the circumstances however, we may be able to offer a discount on other activities or on future enrolments as a gesture of goodwill.
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We are unable to offer refunds for enrollments where you no longer wish to attend or take part. Depending on the circumstances however, we may be able to offer a discount on other activities or on future enrolments as a gesture of goodwill.
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