There is broad agreement in the literature (e.g. Furtak et al., 2012; Harlen and Qualter, 2018) that the purpose of primary science is for children to develop: (1) scientific skills; (2) knowledge and understanding of some scientific concepts; (3) positive attitudes to science; an understanding of the nature of science; and (4) an appreciation of…

Some teachers are confident in teaching science and some feel that they are less so. The author sees her role as Science Leader as being to support, engage and inspire staff to deliver an exciting curriculum that gets children to ask questions, build confidence to have a go…and have a go again. In this article, the author talks about using…

Carol Bostrom describes how she used frogs as a starting point for learning to leap forward as curiosity spread beyond the classroom. She believed that this would take the children's engagement with learning a step further, arouse their curiosity and enable them to appreciate the need to be respectful and considerate of other living things. She…

Sarah Bearchell is a science presenter and writer working with children and families. She aims to engage her audiences through careful tailoring of activities. She works in mainstream primaries and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools, with visits to science festivals becoming more frequent. Many of the schools she visits and…

Learning outside the classroom is an objective in primary education in the UK and an ideal way to introduce science. School grounds, allotments, community farms and sports areas, parks, nature reserves and community woodlands can be accessed in both urban and rural areas. These provide accessible spaces that can be used inexpensively throughout…

Consider the extent to which primary science teaching has evolved since it became a core subject in England with the introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988, and the pace at which theory-driven classroom practice has advanced. It is no wonder that, given the recent economic restructuring and boom in technological development in China,…

The author believes that "learning is doing," especially in science. The best way she can describe what she did, and the piece of advice she wants to pass on, is "make it active and mix it up". By describing how she went about teaching this lesson, she hopes she has conveyed how doing one's research (online for a start) and…