Eating ice lollies, making noise and planting vegetables are amongst many essential primary science lessons identified in recommendations stemming from a report from the Primary Curriculum Advisory Group (PCAG). These experiences are examples of how primary education can improve STEM accessibility and engagement, as the new Government begins a reform of curricula and assessment. 

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the Royal Society of Biology (RSB), the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Association for Science Education (ASE) have worked together to produce recommendations on the primary science curriculum ahead of the curriculum review. There is also a video panel discussion 'What a new primary science curriculum could look like: a view from teachers and experts' (see links below). 

There are many examples included within the document, though eating ice lollies may resonate more during the summer holidays! Other essential experiences include playing with shadows, digging in soil and kneading bread dough. 

The recommendations for a new primary science curriculum aim to help reduce inequalities in STEM education and support the teaching of scientific concepts every child should understand. 

ASE, along with all the learned societies, want the findings to inform the new Government’s recently-announced review of curricula and assessments. In England this review will be led by Professor Becky Francis, chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). In Scotland, Professor Ken Muir has recommended a renewed vision of the curriculum with the aim of putting learners at the centre of Scottish education.

Marianne Cutler, director for policy and curriculum development at the Association for Science Education said:

“We recommend the report’s knowledge maps for biology, chemistry and physics with their conceptual boundaries – focusing on what is age and development stage appropriate; and essential experiences – in the classroom, school grounds and/or beyond into their own locality for all children, regardless of their circumstances, by the age of 11 years.

It’s crucial that we support primary science leaders, curriculum leaders and senior school leaders in providing an equitable and meaningful experience of science and this report will inform ASE’s policy, curriculum and professional development work. We anticipate that the Government curriculum and assessment review team will find it useful too.”

About PCAG’s work on the primary science curriculum

In 2018, the Primary Curriculum Advisory Group (PCAG) was established by the professional bodies: the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the Royal Society of Biology (RSB), the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Association for Science Education (ASE). We asked PCAG to produce advice on the future of the primary science curriculum, to support our own work on considering the science curriculum from ages 5 to 19.

As the professional bodies, we brought together highly regarded educators with experience and expertise in primary science to form PCAG and are enormously grateful to them for their commitment to this project and the imagination and intelligence that they have brought to it. They have drawn on evidence from a wide variety of sources and had meetings with many additional experts in the field – and continued at pace through the pandemic.

We consulted on the initial proposals for a framework for a Future Primary Science Curriculum with groups and committees belonging to each of the professional bodies, and a number of practising teachers. The final report describing the PCAG Primary Science Curriculum Framework1 was published in October 2023. 

We welcome the advice received in the report and have used it to produce the recommendations that appear in the first section of the document shared today. We will use both our recommendations and the PCAG report to inform policy positions and advice in the context of education and qualification reform across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The PCAG framework is both innovative and familiar and will make an extremely helpful and useable framework for developing new primary science curriculums that are fit for purpose.