A new report by the Wellcome Trust (external link) examines the current state of science teaching in the nation’s primary schools. Key findings include:
- just half of science leaders (51%) are receiving specific release time to lead science;
- a far smaller proportion of teachers and science leaders thought science was ‘very important’ to their school’s senior leadership than for English and maths;
- on average, primary school pupils receive 1 hour and 24 minutes of science teaching per week but older year groups tend to receive more than others.
Science is part of the national curriculum for primary schools and is an important part of preparing pupils for the next stage of their education. Governing boards have a duty to ensure that the children in their school(s) are receiving a broad and balanced curriculum and it may be useful to consider the time and resource available for science teaching in upcoming meetings.