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…

Wales has seen a shift from a performance-driven education system to one focused on the learner (Evans, 2021). The aims of the Curriculum have 'four purposes'. Every child is seen as: (1) an ambitious capable learner; (2) an enterprising, creative contributor; (3) an ethical, informed citizen; and (4) a healthy confident individual. Traditional…

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…

'Wow' is a teaching tool. It is not just a way to grab attention but, correctly used, a means to enhance children's understanding and improve retention. Wow leads to why. In this why state pupils experience the 'vacuum of ignorance': they know they don't know, they know that the teacher does know (usually) and they want the teacher to fill that…

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…

The learning of science keeps evolving, just like the subject of science itself. With this in mind, teachers know the importance of keeping up to date and researching different ways of providing a rich learning experience for children. Teachers are developing not only children's learning, but how they progress as learners. This is where Tony…

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.

According to Harlen (2010) the ultimate goal of science education is for children to have an understanding of relationships, moving beyond science as a series of facts or small ideas towards seeing the bigger picture. Working with a group of 10- and 11-year-olds from a year 6 class, teacher Simon Williams provided a series of challenges using the…

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…

The authors are all students in the final year of a three-year undergraduate teacher-training programme at St Mary's University, Twickenham, London. For one of their courses they were asked to identify their science-learning journey to date. In this article, trainee teachers talk about science and explore their reasons for becoming science…

As science subject leader, the author wanted to explore pupil questioning in the early years and find a lesson format that could be replicated throughout the school to engage all the children in regular short discussions focusing on science enquiry. The author planned a weekly programme of 30-minute "Science Talk" sessions with one of…

Although science is a core subject, educators at Uphall Primary School have found in recent times pupils do not display the same enthusiasm for science as they do for other subjects. In order to raise the pupils' science capital and generate an eagerness among the pupils to experiment, learn and develop their curiosity about the world around them,…

SATRO (Science And Technology Regional Organisation), a charity based in Surrey that seeks to inspire young people about their future careers, received a call from a local junior school just before Easter last year from a science coordinator who was in tears. Her school had just been made a "failing school" and science was a disaster; no…

The Eden Project, an educational charity based in Cornwall, is home to the largest rainforest in captivity and is a unique and awe-inspiring destination. It is one thing to talk about the idea of adaptation to environment but quite another to actually go into the rainforest and use your senses to explore up close living examples of ingenious plant…

The best science teaching can be identified as that which sets out to support pupils' natural curiosity by equipping them with the investigative skills to make sense of the world around them. This requires a change in the way teachers think and also requires visionary leadership, agency, reflection, and enactment by participating teachers. This…