Space is a key area of science that is often taught in year 5 (ages 9-10) in English schools and related to this is gravitational force. Almost without exception children enjoy learning about the solar system and beyond. This article introduces a series of activities for children to explore the formation of impact craters in the solar system. The…

In this article, Rebecca Riley uses drama and role-play to provide a context for science learning and teach about STEM careers. The article discusses how using a meaningful text with a stimulating story and relatable characters allows children to become fully immersed in a narrative. By using the drama-based teaching approaches that teachers…

Ken Robinson (2006) once suggested that schools kill creativity and it is argued that in England, since the introduction of the most recent iteration of the National Curriculum (2013), creative subjects are in danger of being marginalised in favour of spending time preparing for high-stakes testing in maths and English. Meet Little Inventors! It…

Making accurate, manageable assessments of children's scientific understanding, skills and progress is one of the biggest challenges facing primary teachers. In Wales, where Statutory Assessment Tests (SATs) at age 11 were phased out in 2005, teacher assessment has been the only source of pupil attainment data in science for a much longer period…

As plants and seed dispersal are common themes in primary science, the author thought that she would share an enquiry challenge activity that addresses many of the "working scientifically" objectives of the National Curriculum for England. Year 3 and 4 children had a whole afternoon made up firstly of "playing", planning and…

Materials are all around us and the importance of supporting children to understand the vast array of different types of materials is recognised at all key stages in the science National Curriculum for England. Ensuring that children connect concepts taught in key stages 1 and 2 (ages 5-11) is the starting point in helping children to comprehend…

In March 2016, the school that the author teaches at held its annual science day and the theme was "bees." Each class was given a different question relating to bees to investigate. The children in the authors' year 2 class (ages 6-7) were challenged to investigate the life cycle of a bee. The whole day was focused around the life cycle…

The new National Curriculum for England requirements for primary science have created a few challenges and opportunities for primary schools. Implementation was not compulsory for year 6 (ages 10-11) until September 2015, but at the primary school in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets educators decided, as did many other primary schools, to start…

The Cams Hill Science Consortium (CHSC) is a group of teachers based in Hampshire who have been meeting regularly over a number of years to share outcomes from their classroom-based research into engaging children more productively in science. Led by Matthew Newberry, formerly of Cams Hill School in Fareham, the consortium has developed and…

Having embraced the inclusion of evolution in the National Curriculum for primary science in England and briefly bemoaned the omission of any physics in key stage 1 (ages 5-7), it was time to focus on the biggest change, that of working scientifically. While the authors were aware of the non-statutory suggestions to study famous scientists such as…

In the primary science department of an initial teacher training institute, it is the responsibility of educators to ensure that their students enter the education profession with the knowledge and confidence to deliver all areas of the National Curriculum in England programmes of study for science. The authors aim for their students to use…

The "Mary Rose" was King Henry VIII's favourite battleship, which sank in the Battle of the Solent on 19 July 1545. She was raised in 1982 and brought back to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard where she is now housed in a multiaward-winning museum. The purpose-built Stavros Niarchos Foundation Learning Centre includes a teaching laboratory…

Rocks and fossils appear in the National Curriculum of England science programmes of study for children in year 3 (ages 7-8). A frequently asked question is "How do you make the classification of rocks engaging?" In response to this request from a school, a set of interactive activities was designed and organised by tutors and students…

We cannot expect every child to leave primary school with the aspiration of becoming a scientist. It is, however, achievable for children to move through their education seeing the implications of science in everything we do. Questioning, predicting, interpreting data, drawing conclusions, communicating evidence and evaluating procedures are all…

In her current role as an adviser with Herts for Learning, the author finds that most of the support primary schools across the county have been asking for centres around assessment and ideas for making the new curriculum practical and "hands on". In this article, she outlines how she created resources to support assessment in science…