What happens during a transition day STEM workshop?

Students work in small teams to complete hands-on STEM challenges using real robotics kits, drones or other specialist equipment. Every activity is designed to encourage collaboration, so new students naturally start talking, problem-solving and laughing together. No prior experience is needed and all equipment is provided by us.

How many students can take part at once?

Our Beginner and Intermediate STEMbotics workshops accommodate up to 60 students per session when working in teams of three. For smaller groups, students work in pairs for a more in-depth experience. We can run multiple sessions throughout the day on a rotation basis, meaning an entire year group of 200+ students can take part in a single day.

Are your workshops suitable for open day demonstrations?

Absolutely. Drone coding and robotics workshops are particularly popular for open days because they create a genuine spectacle. Parents and prospective families can watch students programming autonomous drones or building robots, which showcases the school’s commitment to STEM education in a way that static displays simply cannot match.

How long does each workshop session last?

Sessions are flexible. A standard workshop session runs for approximately one hour, but we can adapt to 45-minute or 90-minute slots depending on your timetable. For transition days and open days, many schools book a full day with us and rotate year groups through in sessions.

What space and equipment do you need from the school?

We bring all specialist equipment including robots, drones, laptops, tablets and any other kit needed for the workshop. All we require from the school is a suitable indoor space such as a hall, gymnasium or large classroom. For drone workshops, we need a space with a high ceiling. No internet connection is required.

Can we book more than one type of workshop for the same day?

Yes, and many schools do exactly this for transition days and open days. A popular format is to run two or three different workshops simultaneously, with groups rotating between them. This gives students a varied experience and keeps energy levels high throughout the day. We bring additional instructors and equipment to support multi-workshop bookings.

STEM Workshops for Transition Days & School Open Days

Make Transition Days Unforgettable

The move from primary to secondary school is one of the biggest changes in a young person’s life. Year 6 students arriving for their first transition day are often anxious, unsure who to talk to, and quietly worried about fitting in. The last thing they need is to sit through a presentation or fill in a worksheet.

Our STEM workshops solve this by putting students straight into collaborative teams with a shared goal. Within minutes of arriving, they are building robots, debugging code and cheering each other on. The focus shifts from “I don’t know anyone” to “our robot needs to turn left here” and friendships form naturally. By the end of the session, students leave buzzing about their new school rather than dreading September.

Every workshop is designed so that no prior experience is needed. Students from different primary schools with different levels of computing exposure all start on a level playing field. This is deliberate: transition activities need to be equalising, not exposing gaps.

Students taking part in a hands-on STEM activity during a transition day

STEM Workshops for School Open Days

Open days and open evenings are your school’s shop window. Parents and prospective families are forming first impressions quickly, and a live STEM workshop is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate what makes your school stand out.

Imagine parents walking into your hall and seeing 30 students programming autonomous drones to fly through obstacle courses, or teams of children building and coding robots to compete in challenges. This is not something families forget. It showcases your school’s commitment to technology and innovation in a way that a prospectus or a guided tour simply cannot replicate.

Our workshops also give your existing students something genuinely exciting to participate in during open days. Rather than being passive tour guides, they become active demonstrators, confidently explaining what they are building and coding. Parents notice this, and it speaks volumes about your school’s culture.

Induction Day Activities That Build Connections

Induction days often struggle with the same problem: how do you get a room full of students who have never met to actually interact? Traditional ice-breakers can feel forced. STEM challenges work because they give students a practical reason to communicate.

In our workshops, teams of two or three students share a robotics kit and must work together to complete a series of progressively harder challenges. They have to discuss strategy, divide up tasks, test ideas and adapt when things go wrong. These are exactly the social skills that new students need to practise, but wrapped in an activity that feels exciting rather than awkward.

Teachers consistently tell us that students who have attended a STEM workshop together on induction day arrive in September with ready-made friendships and shared memories. That head start makes a real difference to how smoothly the first weeks of term go.

How Our Workshops Fit Your Event

We know that transition days, open days and induction events all run to tight schedules with large numbers of students to manage. Our workshops are built around this reality.

Flexible session lengths: Standard sessions run for one hour, but we can adapt to 45-minute or 90-minute slots to fit your timetable. Changeover between groups takes just 10 minutes.
Large group capacity: Our Beginner STEMbotics and Intermediate STEMbotics workshops accommodate up to 60 students per session. For a full year group, we run back-to-back sessions or parallel workshops on rotation.
No preparation needed: We bring all equipment, set up before your first session, and pack down at the end of the day. All we need from you is a suitable indoor space.
Rotation format: Many schools book two or three different workshops and rotate groups through them. This keeps the day varied and means students experience multiple STEM disciplines in a single event.
Adaptable to any school layout: Workshops run in halls, gymnasiums, large classrooms or dining areas. We work with whatever space you have available.

For particularly large events, we bring additional DBS-checked instructors and extra equipment so that multiple workshops can run simultaneously across different rooms.

Popular Workshops for Transition Days and Open Days

While any of our workshops can work brilliantly for school events, these are the options schools book most often:

Beginner STEMbotics (KS1-KS2)

Ideal for Year 6 transition days. Students build and program robots using intuitive block-based coding. With capacity for up to 60 students per session, this is our most popular choice for large-group events. No prior coding experience needed, and the visual, hands-on format means every student is engaged from the start.

View Beginner STEMbotics details

Intermediate STEMbotics (KS2-KS3)

A step up in complexity, perfect for Year 7 induction days where students may already have some coding background. Teams tackle more sophisticated challenges involving sensors, conditional logic and multi-step programming. Also accommodates up to 60 students per session.

View Intermediate STEMbotics details

Drone Coding (KS2-KS5)

The ultimate crowd-puller for open days and open evenings. Students program autonomous drones to fly through courses and complete missions. Nothing quite matches the reaction when a drone lifts off the ground following a student’s code. Groups of up to 30 per session, requiring a space with high ceilings.

View Drone Coding details

AI & Machine Learning (KS2-KS4)

Students train machine learning models and use them to control robots. This workshop sparks brilliant conversations about AI, technology and the future, which makes it especially effective for open days where you want parents and students to leave with something to talk about.

View AI & Machine Learning details

Early Engineers (EYFS-KS1)

For primary schools running transition events for younger children moving into Reception or Year 1. Age-appropriate construction and simple coding activities that build confidence and excitement about starting school.

View Early Engineers details

Book Your Event Workshop

Transition days and open days book up quickly, especially during the summer term. We recommend getting in touch as early as possible to secure your preferred date and workshop combination.

You can get instant pricing for any combination of workshops, or contact us to discuss your event in detail. We are happy to help you plan the right format for your school, whether that is a single workshop session or a full day of rotating activities for an entire year group.