ASE 2027 Annual Conference

Join us to explore new CLEAPSS practical science activities for 4 and 5 year-olds, and how they can be used to strengthen communication and language through purposeful, hands-on learning in Reception classrooms.

Participants will engage with hands-on, developmentally appropriate activities for Reception, alongside strategies for developing scientific vocabulary and supporting early scientific thinking.

Participants will leave with age-appropriate science activities that are ready to use in their settings tomorrow, alongside the knowledge of how to use them to insure meaningful impact.

Outcomes:
Participants will be able to ask appropriate questions to prompt scientific thinking and talking with young children,
and will be able to set up meaningful practical activities for 4-5 year olds that will strengthen children’s scientific thinking and use of vocabulary.

CLEAPSS has recently expanded its support to include Reception-aged children in response to growing demand from both primary science leaders and Reception practitioners, evidenced through increased enquiries to the CLEAPSS helpline. This session is built around brand new practical science activities developed and trialled in Reception classrooms by CLEAPSS’ Reception consultant, Kathryn Horan. The activities have been written to facilitate scientific language development with very young children, providing guidance on what questions to ask, what possible learning foci might be and what outcomes might look like.

This session aims to help science teachers and leaders to:

> understand how the model of memory can inform decisions about practical science teaching;
> recognise when practical work may overload working memory, limiting learning;
> evaluate the strengths and limitations of different approaches to practical work;
? apply evidence-informed principles to design practical lessons that maximise learning.

Practical work can motivate students and bring science to life—but practical lessons can also place heavy demands on students’ attention, leaving them focused on following instructions or handling equipment rather than learning the intended science.

In this session, we will explore how the model of memory can help teachers make better decisions about practical science teaching. By considering the limitations of working memory and the importance of attention for encoding into long-term memory, we will examine why some practical activities lead to strong learning and others do not.

Participants will compare different approaches to practical work, and discuss when each is most likely to be effective. We will also consider how the purpose of the practical—whether to teach disciplinary knowledge, substantive knowledge, or practical skills—should shape the chosen approach.

Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how to plan and adapt practical lessons so that students think hard, remember more, and learn better.

As a result of attending this session, participants will be able to:

> identify potential sources of cognitive overload in practical science lessons;
> select appropriate practical approaches based on lesson goals and student needs;
> adapt existing practical activities to better support attention, memory, and learning;

Background: Practical work is often seen as central to science education, yet students do not always learn what teachers intend from these experiences. My interest in this area has developed through classroom practice, curriculum design, and engagement with cognitive science research on memory, attention, and cognitive load. Through reflecting on when practical lessons have been most and least effective, and drawing on research-informed approaches such as explicit instruction and the “model of memory,” I have developed a framework for making more deliberate choices about how practical work is organised and delivered. This session brings together classroom experience and evidence-informed thinking to help teachers move beyond “doing” practical work towards securing lasting learning.

We are proposing ‘Rich Retrieval’ as a teaching and learning strategy. Retrieval practice in primary science is often limited to the retrieval of discrete 'facts' using low-stakes quizzes. This may contribute to pupils having knowledge as lots of separate bits of information without understanding how they relate to each other. The retrieval of memories is ‘reconstructive’ - connections in the brain are reformed in the process of bringing a memory to mind - there is the possibility of not just strengthening those connections, but also extending them. We also know that dialogic talk in science lessons can improve conceptual understanding. So, we are exploring the premise that a richer form of retrieval can both consolidate and elaborate conceptual knowledge.  

This session is based on our ongoing research into designing and evaluating retrieval activities for both consolidating and elaborating conceptual (substantive) knowledge in primary science. A team at Bath Spa University has been collaborating with teachers to develop and trial activities that use our Rich Retrieval strategies (known as 5Cs and a Q) to support the learning of key concepts for 7-11 year olds. A bank of 5-10 minute activities has been developed to match the current Key Stage 2 science curriculum for England, and we suggest that the Rich Retrieval strategies have a broader application. Our programme introducing this to primary teachers is currently being independently evaluated by the Education Endowment Foundation.

We see this research as an important example of how to bring together three different kinds of knowledge: science education research, educational neuroscience and teacher professional wisdom.

The workshop aims to:
> Explain the rationale for the Rich Retrieval strategies in terms of cognitive neuroscience and science education research
> Provide examples of Rich Retrieval activities and how to use them
> Share insights from our research to date
> Give participants the opportunity to share their experience of using retrieval in science lessons
> Participants will leave the session with:
> A deeper understanding of the potential of retrieval practice to support learning
> Practical ideas about how to make retrieval practice richer
> Questions about how to make the most of retrieval practice in their own context

Join AQA and Educake for a joint session exploring the challenges students face when transitioning from GCSE to A-level Science.

AQA will share valuable data and insights from examiner reports, highlighting some of the common areas where students can struggle as they move from GCSE to A-level. The session will explore practical ways to prepare students for this transition, with ideas and support to help build the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for success at A-level.

There will also be time for moderated questions from the audience, alongside questions submitted in advance, providing an opportunity to further explore the impact of the GCSE-to-A-level transition and discuss effective ways to support students as they progress.

Educake will provide a brief demonstration of how its tools can help teachers identify gaps in essential and prerequisite knowledge, highlight areas for students to focus on, and support the development of more independent learning habits as students prepare for A-level study.

This session will explore alternatives to mainstream behaviour management policies, by drawing from examples in an alternative provision setting. The session will challenge the traditional rewards and sanctions system and the use of detentions by showing how these systems fail to engage pupils in education in a meaningful way and ultimately leads to harm to all students, but particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with SEND. It will then explore an alternative approach, using genuinely trauma-informed practice and instilling an intrinsic engagement in learning. We will cover our approach and what can and cannot be easily applied in a mainstream setting.

Outcomes:
Participants should gain:
- an understanding of how and why the current paradigm of behaviour management is not appropriate for a range of learners
An ability to challenge standard approaches to behaviour.
- knowledge of alternative approaches from AP settings and how these can be used to transform behaviour management and policy in mainstream settings

Background: This session is based on our experiences working in an alternative provision setting for the past 4 years...

- at the 2026 Conference, many people Matthew spoke to were interested in our setting’s unique approach to behaviour, specifically the lack of any sanctions or rewards system, and how we successfully educate pupils who have been unable to engage in mainstream, including those who have been permanently excluded.

- this session combines Matthew’s insight as a science teacher and Elijah’s MEd research. It will consider classroom approaches but will also address broader issues and themes in education and will hopefully be of interest to a range of audiences.

- those in leadership positions will have more opportunity to implement school-wide structural changes, but I hope that those in standard teaching roles will also gain from the session and be able to adapt their own practice within the confines of a wider school policy.