ASE 2027 Annual Conference

This session will unpack the biggest trends shaping science teaching right now, including how teachers are reacting to the changes to the national curriculum, and what it all means for anyone just starting out in the profession.

Teacher Tapp surveys over 10,000 teachers every day, giving us a unique, real-time picture of what's changing in science classrooms, from practical work and curriculum shifts to workload and AI adoption.

This session shares findings from an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) doctoral study exploring how Heads of Science experience and make sense of GCSE science pathway decisions in secondary schools.

Rather than focusing on outcomes alone, the session explores the lived realities of curriculum decision-making — including tensions between accountability measures, student perceived ability, staffing constraints, and aspirations for equity in science education.

Participants will gain insight into how departmental leaders interpret and negotiate competing pressures when constructing science pathways, and how these decisions shape access to science at Key Stage 4. The session will invite reflection on how curriculum structures are experienced in practice, and what this means for equity and progression in science education.

Oracy is set to have a renewed emphasis in the revised National Curriculum, but what is the opportunity for oracy in the science classroom? In this keynote, Amy Gaunt will explore what it means to learn to and through talk in science, supporting students to develop their disciplinary knowledge and understanding while also learning to speak, listen and communicate like scientists.

Through discussion and practical activities, delegates will experience oracy in action and consider the opportunities for creating authentic and meaningful contexts for talk across their own science classrooms and departments.

Curriculum debate across the four nations keeps returning to one question. What is science education for? The answers point towards young people who can ask a good question, weigh evidence and contribute something new. Yet working scientifically is often reduced to practical technique, and the disciplinary knowledge behind real research goes untaught. Where research does appear it is usually optional, so the students who would gain most are least likely to meet it.

The Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS) has worked with over 10,000 students to carry out research. Getting Started with Research is what teachers told us they need to support research and innovation in schools.

What you get: Getting Started with Research is a free lesson programme for students, fully resourced and ready to teach. Lesson plans, slides, worksheets and a knowledge progression map. It builds a shared model of the research cycle, then teaches how researchers find and judge evidence, how curiosity becomes a testable question, who does research, and how students plan an enquiry of their own.

It is designed the way you already plan. Outcomes first, knowledge specified lesson by lesson, misconceptions named, retrieval and modelling built in, reading age controlled. It strengthens working scientifically rather than competing with it, and it maps to the curriculum in all four nations.

Aims and outcomes - In this session we will:

> show why research and innovation are better taught explicitly than left to chance

> walk through the lesson sequence and the knowledge each lesson builds

> show how it fits existing schemes of work, progression pathways and the enrichment you already run

Delegates will leave able to identify where research knowledge is currently assumed rather than taught in their own curriculum, and with free access to the full programme. Time is protected for questions.

This session explores research by Axion Maths on the transition from primary to secondary school which can make or break a pupil's attitudes towards maths and school, and EEF research on whether setting is better than mixed ability classes, and prompts discussion questions on whether there are parallels for secondary science.

This session is supported by a Department for Education funded initiative, led by Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI), in partnership with ASE as part of the Advanced Maths Support Programme (AMSP).

The Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Careers Guidance highlight the importance of linking curriculum learning to careers, yet many teachers face the challenge of fitting meaningful careers education into an already crowded curriculum.
The Scientists Making a Difference book and supporting teaching resources have been created by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, Imperial College London and What on Earth! Books to help schools address this challenge quickly and easily.

The book features 47 diverse scientists working across a wide range of STEM careers, alongside a comprehensive teacher resource pack. Designed for use with students aged 11–16, the resources provide curriculum-linked activities that enable teachers to embed STEM careers into existing science lessons with minimal planning required.
All UK state-funded secondary schools received free copies of the book and teacher resource pack in September 2026. You can also access a digital copy of the teaching resources at www.scientists-making-a-difference.com.
This practical session will introduce attendees to the Scientists Making a Difference resources and demonstrate how they can be used within existing schemes of work. Covering varied lesson activities, worksheets, presentations and curriculum mapping documents, the session will walk you through how the resources can not only help schools in achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Careers Guidance, but also inspire students through contemporary examples of scientists who’ve undertaken a variety of career pathways.
Attendees will leave with:

• a clear understanding of how to access and use the Scientists Making a Difference resources, to integrate STEM careers education into science lessons.
• Increased confidence in supporting careers education through the curriculum.

There will be opportunities for discussion and questions throughout the session, and attendees will all receive a hard copy of the teacher guide to support implementation within their own schools.

The session is underpinned by the evidence base that informed the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Careers Guidance, particularly Benchmark 4: Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers. Research has highlighted the importance of helping young people understand the relevance of curriculum subjects to future education and employment pathways. Scientists Making a Difference has been created by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, Imperial College London and What on Earth! publishing to provide practical, curriculum-linked resources that support schools in embedding STEM careers within secondary science teaching.

This workshop draws on our experience of co-writing the primary science curriculum, teacher guides, pupil books and designing teacher training in the Kingdom of Tonga, a Pacific island nation with a rich culture that is vulnerable to climate change.  

In this workshop we will also draw on the expertise of the science educators in Tonga, whose voices will be included by video recording. The work was funded by The World Bank as part of  larger collaboration between Tonga’s Ministry for Education and Training and The Curriculum Foundation.

In this engaging workshop combining activity and dialogue we will:
> Explain the internationally used 5E framework for active learning and how it is supported by educational neuroscience
> Explore alternatives to screen-led teaching and how we can support oracy - developing scientific vocabulary and dialogue
> Expand perspectives by sharing what we have learned about curriculum design and pedagogy through co–designing primary science curriculum and pedagogy for the Kingdom of Tonga: a Pacific island nation with a culture of humility, humour and ‘talanoa’ (dialogue).
> Invite the audience to reflect on how these insights might inform their own teaching.

Participants will leave the session with:
> A framework for progressive planning
> Ideas for developing oracy
> An enriched view of science education in a global world
> Questions about the potential for pupil books as an alternative to screens

Kendra is best known for researching primary science education, currently drawing together educational neuroscience with research in science education and dialogic talk. Philippa is a highly regarded writer of science learning and teaching materials, with considerable experience of leading change internationally. Both are experienced at leading teacher professional development.

Our dedicated Chair Trio invite you to drop-in to the “Chair-Chat” sessions on one of the days of Annual Conference 2027. The Chair is a vital role to the ASE, and the elected Chair provides an authoritative voice for the thousands of members that the ASE supports, along with those working within the wider science education community. Those elected remain part of our Chair Trio for 3 years.

Got a question? Ever wondered about what goes on behind the scenes? Ever thought about getting involved in Committee activities? Are you wanting to know more about Professional Registration or writing an article in one of the ASE journals? First time attending our flagship Conference?

If this is your first ASE Conference, then please come along and say Hello.

We look forward to hearing your questions and will endeavour to answer them or point you in a selection of possible right directions!

ASE Teacher Developers' supports those whose roles include:

> The design, coordination and facilitation of professional development , mentoring and coaching, whether in school, schools groups or external
> Subject and departmental leadership

If this is you, come along to the "Meet the ASE Teacher Developers Committee" during Thursday afternoon tea break of Annual Conference 2027. We'll share upcoming activities led by the committee and talk about the ways you can get involved. We are keen to hear your views about how the ASE Teacher Developers group can support you and your colleagues.

We look forward to listening to your questions and will endeavour to answer them!