Engineers are vital to the way we live, our everyday experiences and activities, but despite this engineering receives little focus in the primary classroom. Interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) wanes as children reach the end of primary school. However, providing positive experiences can keep the doors open for…

Learning outdoors can be a powerful pedagogical tool in a teachers science arsenal and one that can be exploited throughout the year to teach a variety of science topics. In his first article on outdoor learning in science, the author considered which areas of science could be taught outdoors and the resources that can be used; in this follow-up…

Earth wires and fuses work together in UK mains circuits to keep users safe from electric shocks and are taught in many school contexts. The subject can be quite abstract and difficult for pupils to grasp, and a simple but visually clear and direct demonstration is described which would be easy for most physics departments to build and which can…

In this article, Jane Winter describes a pilot project that uses a simple and engaging science activity to raise children's science capital, as well as increasing understanding of the potential of science to combat world problems. "Potatoes to plastics" is a Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC) project, aimed at key stage 2…

Assessment is not something that stands alone and teachers need support to develop their understanding of both assessment practices and the subject being assessed. Teachers at Shaw Primary School were fortunate to take part in the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project and, in this article, the outlines how science and assessment can…

This article discusses the development by the Royal Society of Chemistry of a framework to provide a relevant and coherent chemistry curriculum for all students. This work has been carried out by our Curriculum and Assessment Working Groups. The framework identifies three components that combine to give a rounded view of the discipline. Within the…

The author describes how she has developed learning and teaching through engaging with social media. By following a wealth of individuals and organisations (both local and national) she has tapped into a rich source of information.

Holt Primary School is a village school in which teachers work as a team within a climate of respect and trust. The teachers were fortunate to take part in the Bath Spa TAPS (Teacher Assessment in Primary Science) research project, which also overlapped with undertaking Gold PSQM (Primary Science Quality Mark). As a result, teacher confidence in…

Employers are increasingly requiring a range of "soft" skills from chemistry graduates, including the ability to search for and critically evaluate information. This paper discusses the issues around encouraging chemistry students to engage with information skills and suggests curricular changes which may help to "drip-feed"…

The Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS) was set up to give science students the opportunity to work on cutting-edge research projects. Teachers and students can access data and equipment that enable them to tackle real-life issues. As a result, not only do students gain in confidence and experience in their scientific work, they are also able…

The authors have been running UK-Japan Young Scientist Workshops at universities in Britain and Japan since 2001: for the past three years in England with Cambridge University and, last year, also with Kyoto University and Kyoto University of Education. For many years they have worked jointly with colleagues in a group of Super Science High…

This article summarises the practical requirements for new science A-levels in biology, chemistry and physics for first teaching from September 2015. It discusses the background to how the new approach was reached and how OCR has seen this taking shape in our assessment models. The opportunities presented by this new approach to practical…

From September 2015, schools in England will be teaching new A-level science specifications that have been developed by examination boards to encompass new higher levels of demand developed by the Department for Education. Integral to these new specifications is a radical change to the contribution of practical science to the A-level grade of the…

Keira Sewell has just finished her second year as a Challenge Leader for the Faraday Challenge, a STEM-based scheme run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Aimed at 12-13 year-old students, its purpose is to engage students in future careers in engineering. Each year, a new challenge is held in over sixty schools and universities…

During a recent theme on "Ourselves," Laura Mooney's class focused on height and looking at similarities and differences between a range of objects. This involved not only looking at each other, but also linked to their self-portrait development, where they had been learning about their facial features and comparing them to other…