Sparking STEM - Training and Tuition Site

You can join the hub any time, but to benefit from the live tuition and guidance through the journey you'd need to join at the beginning in April 2026.

To join the whole course live and benefit from week by week guidance in the community linked to the live learning and interactions during tuition you need to join in April 2026. The full course content (Core and Biology Only Edexcel IGCSE Biology, will be covered by November 2027. 

Or you can join at any time and catch up with the recordings and videos added so far.

Each week there is a live tuition session on Zoom on Tuesdays 11.30-1pm, approximately term time only (see full programme and dates here), recordings are available in the hub afterwards, so you can catch up and follow the story through the Topic Pods at any time. Just bear in mind that by November 2027 there will be over around 100 hours of tuition in the hub, from just the live sessions!

Each week another video is added to each of the Exam Skills, Practical Skills, Biology Is Everywhere and Maths Skills video libraries, and associated exam questions and resources. These four video libraries grow week by week (52 weeks per year) to form searchable libraries, which by November 2027 will collectively offer over 300 videos to cover, guide and enrich the IGCSE Biology course content.

Whenever you join, and whichever pricing option you choose, you gain access to everything in the hub.

The hub focuses on the Pearson Edexcel International Biology GCSE (IGCSE) specification (Linear).

Students studying other exam boards are likely to benefit from the hub for revision, supplementation or enrichment, but will not find the whole specification is covered in the hub.

Collectively by November 2027, all the components of the hub provide the full specification content for students studying

• IGCSE Biology 4BI1 - Biology Papers 1 and 2, and those studying

• Double Award IGCSE in Science 4SD0 - Biology Paper 1 (Note that Chemistry and Physics are not included in the hub)

Where content is relevant only to those students studying 4BI1 and not 4SD0 (given in bold in the specification), there may be additional live or recorded sessions offered occasionally specific for that content (you can see the details in the full programme below). 

Exam fees and registration

Please note that Sparking STEM is not an exam centre and cannot enter your child for exams, so you will need to make your own arrangements with a suitable exam centre. Exam fees are not included in hub membership.

The hub focuses on the Pearson Edexcel International Biology GCSE (IGCSE) specification (Linear).

Students studying other exam boards are likely to benefit from the hub for revision, supplementation or enrichment, but will not find everything they need for their specific exam board learning in the hub.

Yes! Whenever you join the hub you will gain access to all the previous recordings and videos in the libraries so that you can catch up or complete the course according to your own timescale. You can join on a flexible monthly basis so that you can join and leave whenever you want, or you can purchase a 6 month or annual membership at a discounted rate.

Once you've join the hub, you'll be able to log in to your account where you'll see each of the six areas (Tuition, Practical Skills, Biology Is Everywhere, Exam Skills, Maths Skills and Community). 

What you see in each of those areas depends on when you join, as new videos are added to each area on a week by week basis, to form searchable video libraries as your student is guided through the Topic Pods to complete the course (Oct 2027 completes all course content, see the full programme here). 

If you first join at the beginning of the course in April 2026, to take part in the live sessions and be guided through the content week by week, you'll find a welcome video in each component, telling you how it all works. Each week a new video, or two, will appear in each area to form four searchable video libraries with over 300 videos altogether, as well as all the live tuition recordings.

Live tuition takes place via Zoom on Tuesdays from 11.30am to 1pm with a short break approximately midway through.

Live sessions are approximately term time only, you can see the full schedule of provisional dates in the course programme here.

Recordings of the live sessions are available in the hub within approximately 24 hours for you to watch in your own time and at your own pace (student’s images are not shown in the videos)

All you need is a reliable internet connection and device to join. You may find that the best experience is on a larger screen (desktop) and through the Zoom Workplace App rather than the browser. You can download the app for free here.

I am a SEND parent and so I understand how anxiety and pressure can affect children who learn differently. I have designed everything with kindness and flexibility at its core. Students can engage in whatever way works best for them. There is no pressure to speak, perform, or answer questions on the spot. There are no countdown timers or sudden demands for responses. Children are invited into the learning rather than pushed. 

All videos continuously show key learning points clearly written at the side of the screen, as well as the relevant section of the Edexcel specification. 

These key words, concepts, phrases and learning points, that are most likely to get exam marks, can be used to make notes afterwards or to complete any accompanying resources provided, so that students can simply enjoy the video and focus on the content without worrying about writing things down as they watch.

Students can watch the videos to suit their learning style: All videos include captions and can be sped up or slowed down, paused and watched however many times they want. You have access to all available videos for as long as your hub subscription is active. 

The video libraries can be searched by key word and exam specification index numbers so that you can find any available videos at any time to support and enrich, wherever you are in your IGCSE Biology journey.

To change membership plans, for example from monthly to annual membership, simply cancel your monthly subscription and purchase the new membership plan. 

By logging into your account to purchase using the same email address and password, you will regain access to your same account and retain your progress markers.