• Understand how children’s thinking scientifically can be assessed meaningfully in outdoor primary science • Explore a research informed Thinking Scientifically Assessment Matrix that supports progression across primary phases • Engage with examples of how the matrix has been co designed and trialled with experienced teachers in real classrooms • Consider how assessment can strengthen, rather than constrain, outdoor science learning • Reflect on how a shared assessment framework can support trainee teachers, Early Career Teachers and whole school professional learning
Outdoor science offers rich opportunities for curiosity, talk, investigation, and sense making; yet many teachers report uncertainty about how to assess thinking in these spaces. In this interactive session, participants will be introduced to a Thinking Scientifically Assessment Matrix designed to support assessment for learning in outdoor primary science. They will explore how the matrix makes children’s scientific thinking visible, supports progression over time, and aligns with everyday classroom practice rather than adding to the teacher's workload. Drawing on real examples from classrooms, the session will share how teachers have trialled the matrix outdoors, what has been learned through co-design, and how assessment has been embedded into practical, exploratory learning. Participants will be invited to engage with sample learning scenarios, consider where evidence of thinking might be captured, and reflect on how a shared framework could support consistency across year groups or within professional learning communities. The session will be relevant for classroom teachers, subject leaders, mentors, and those supporting teacher development.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • Identify key features of progression in children’s scientific thinking across the primary age range, in outdoor contexts. • Use an assessment matrix to recognise and interpret evidence of thinking in outdoor science lessons • Adapt assessment approaches to support exploratory, enquiry rich learning • Apply shared assessment language to support planning, reflection, and professional dialogue within and across schools • Support trainee teachers and Early Career Teachers in developing confidence with assessment of primary science, particularly in outdoor and enquiry based contexts • Integrate a research informed assessment framework within ITE programmes to strengthen coherence between university based theory and school based practice • Consider next steps for embedding the assessment of thinking scientifically within their own settings
This session draws on EdD research, which focused on the creation and application of a Thinking Scientifically Assessment Matrix designed to articulate progression in children’s scientific thinking. The research explored how early career teachers used the matrix to support planning, teaching, and assessment in primary science, particularly in outdoor learning contexts, where assessment is often perceived as challenging or impractical. Building on this work, I am currently collaborating with experienced primary teachers through a structured programme of professional learning and classroom trialling. Together, we are refining the matrix through lesson observations, peer discussion, and shared analysis of children’s learning. This knowledge exchange approach values teacher expertise alongside research informed pedagogy, with the long term aim of making outdoor science learning assessable, sustainable, and impactful beyond the Early Years.
Aims: This session aims to share research findings and new professional development resources for purposeful practical work to support inclusion in primary science. We will consider examples of adaptive teaching and how practical work can be used to enable children to sense that science is ‘for them’ and is accessible to their needs.
The purposeful use of practical work in primary science provides a range of opportunities for inclusive practice. Drawing on research from the Nuffield and Comino Foundation funded practical work project (2023-26), this session will consider how purposeful practical work can be used most effectively to support all learners. With examples from across the four nations of the UK, we will discuss adaptive teaching and the importance of essential experiences to support disadvantaged learners. We will use the outcomes of the research projects and the examples from a range of schools to stimulate discussion and reflection on the nature of inclusive practical work in primary science. Links will be made across research projects such as SEERIH’s ‘Shining a light on inclusive science’ and the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) projects, to show how key messages align across the primary science community.
Outcomes: Attendees will develop an awareness of the research base for practical work in primary science and become familiar with the proposed pedagogy model. By discussing examples selected from the professional development materials, they will reflect on practice in their own context.
Background: The Nuffield Foundation funded research project (2023-25) considered practical work from a primary perspective, proposing a pedagogy model to support practice. With support from the Comino Foundation, the project follow-on (2025-26) involved visits to 30 teachers in 20 schools across the four nations of the UK. The new bank of professional development videos model adaptive teaching and purposeful use of practical work in primary science.
Professor / Director, SEERIH, University of Manchester
Vice Dean for Social Responsibility, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility Director of Science & Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub Comino Foundation Associate Great Science Share for Schools Campaign Director Principal Fellow of the HEA RSA Fellow
Professor of Science Education, Bath Spa University
Sarah Earle is Professor of Primary Science Education at Bath Spa University. Previously a primary school teacher, she now leads the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS), the Focus4TAPS professional learning programme and Nuffield research into practical work projects. She... Read More →
At the Nottingham Institute of Education, we have remained committed to ensuring that professional curiosity, agency and joy underpin our science provision across our primary initial teacher education (ITE) programmes. Maintaining this ambition against a national context of financial pressures in the university sector while meeting government reforms as articulated through the Initial Teacher Training Early Career Framework (ITTECF), the introduction of ITAP (Intensive Training and Practice) and the new OFTSED ITT Inspection Framework has not been easy. Our concern is that some of these challenges are contributing to a constrained provision of primary science in ITE.
We know that we are not alone and we would like to use this session as an opportunity to collectively celebrate and identify next steps in nurturing professional curiosity, agency and joy for our next generation of primary science teachers. We invite you to join us in this interactive presentation where you will be able to share and reflect on how science is positioned in your own teacher educator settings. (Outcomes) By the end of the session, you will: • Gain a developed awareness of practice-based approaches (e.g. outdoor learning, informal contexts, micro-teaching, practitioner research projects) for embedding professional curiosity and developing critical research engagement in primary science ITE. • Critically reflect on how ITE programmes currently develop research engagement and how this can establish professional agency. • Consider wider possibilities, through the ASE and beyond, that will empower student teachers and ECTs in their professional development of their subject, curriculum and pedagogical knowledge in primary science.
Aims: • Understand how science can be given a strong, coherent and joyful profile across a primary ITE curriculum • Explore how purposeful and critical engagement with research can be scaffolded for student teachers and ECTs. • Collaborate as a community of teacher educators to support the identification of practical strategies that can embed professional curiosity and joy in primary science ITE.
Background: At the Nottingham Institute of Education, we have remained committed to ensuring that professional curiosity, agency and joy underpin our science provision across our primary initial teacher education (ITE) programmes. Working as a team of primary science initial teacher educators in England, we have reflected on how to maintain this ambition against a national context of financial pressures in the university sector while meeting government reforms as articulated through the Initial Teacher Training Early Career Framework (ITTECF) and the introduction of ITAP (Intensive Training and Practice. Our concern is that some of these challenges are contributing to a diminished and constrained provision of primary science in ITE.
Our approach has evolved through our ITE undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum design, collaboration with expert practitioners, specialist science expertise within our university and local partnership schools. External examiner feedback and student outcomes have supported the development of this approach, highlighting its impact on confidence, agency and subject knowledge.
We will reflect on how we have deliberately designed, within our primary ITE curriculum, opportunities that encourage a critical engagement with research in primary science. This includes utilising external evidence-informed professional support such as the Primary Science Enhancement Award (PSEA), embedding science within ITAP so that foundational teaching foci, such as high-quality talk and questioning, can be developed through the lens of primary science and promoting practitioner enquiry in primary science within our final dissertation action research projects.
Associate Professor of Science Education, Nottingham Trent University
I started my professional career as a classroom teacher and science lead in a London primary school. I was and remain passionate about classroom learning that promotes a scientific mindset alongside the development of an understanding of key scientific concepts. This professional... Read More →
Climate change is one of the most significant challenges that humankind has ever faced and providing high quality climate change and sustainability education is imperative. The session will explore the interdisciplinary nature of climate change within the primary curriculum. It will consider how learning might be best sequenced and connected to instil in pupils an understanding of the science, geographical impacts, possible mitigations and adaptations of climate change.
The government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review clearly positions climate change and sustainability education within the remit of science and geography. Through a range of practical activities the session will demonstrate how to plan and implement a coherent approach to the teaching and learning of climate change. Delegates will be prompted to discuss the specific elements that are to be taught within and across the two subjects as well as the possible connections with other foundation subjects such as citizenship and DT. Ofsted outline the importance that learning does not occur in silos and this is particularly pertinent for global issues such as climate change where pupils need to gain an in-depth understanding of the processes that underpin anthropogenic climate change as well as the wide range of impacts. The session will explore how to ensure that climate change education is relevant, hopeful and accessible in part be focusing in on small scale local impacts as well as the large scale global affects of climate change.
There will be the chance to discuss how geographical thinking can be used to interpret scientific data and imagine a range of possible futures, empowering pupils to be part of the solution as informed and active global citizens.
Outcomes: > Understanding of how to effectively embed climate change content across the primary curriculum > Make connections between the causes and effects of climate change
This session will explore: • Teachers and students’ perceptions on the effectiveness of student-led questioning and feedback in engaging students in science. • Share a more effective model of classroom discourse and how it has enhanced teaching and learning in the science classroom. • Provide participants opportunities to share ideas and knowledge on pedagogical approaches to authentic assessments and opportunities for collaboration.
To address the underlying concerns regarding students’ learning in science, a more responsive teaching approach and assessments are relevant. This must be student-led to promote self-regulation, feedback, identify areas of weaknesses and support peers in the process (Chen & Chang, 2022). This can be facilitated through a constructivist learning environment where students can collaboratively share knowledge and ideas whilst making meaning from different concepts (EEF, 2024), with added benefits of reducing cognitive load.
This presentation will: • Share how we trained students to use taxonomy of learning to create questions for their peers through modelling and locating these question types within their epistemological framework for learning (Elby & Hammer, 2010). • Discuss how the OSLA (2012) model was used to assess and grade students’ presentations and implications on learning. • Highlight teachers’ roles as facilitators of learning and reviewers of epistemological resources and framing (Elby & Hammer, 2010). • Discuss how problem-based learning (PBL) was used to develop problems and scenarios used in the study, and how this promoted pedagogy and students’ learning.
By attending the session, participants can learn from the approach to this study as discussed above and would be able to contribute other areas not mentioned, share knowledge and network with others for future research collaboration.
Background information: Working with various secondary schools and teachers has enabled me to provide different types of support ranging from research to pedagogy and linking theory to practice. This presentation is inspired by research conducted in a secondary school with science teachers and their students. At the time, the school was concerned about students’ lack of interests in science and poor outcomes from GCSEs. This became an opportunity for me to conduct research and find possible means to improve teaching and learning at the school. I was familiar with the school due to insider knowledge in the science department and from working with the science teachers. The school was in one of London’s deprived Boroughs where achievements is below the national average and fewer students move on to post-16 let alone studying science subjects at A’ levels and BTEC.
In this engaging, hands-on session, participants will explore how a simple machine can transform drawings in surprising ways. They will begin by discovering what a pantograph is and how it has been used throughout history — from copying drawings before photocopiers to its role in modern machines. Participants will then build their own working pantograph using simple classroom materials. Once assembled, they'll experiment with enlarging and shrinking drawings, seeing their designs change size. Along the way, they'll explore how pantographs are connected to levers and linkages, and how these ideas are used in real engineering. This session combines creativity with practical problem-solving and is designed to be accessible, fun, and easy to replicate in your own classroom.
Outcomes - by the end of the session, participants will be able to: > Deliver a structured pantograph lesson within a primary classroom setting > Explain and model the link between pantographs and levers using simple language > Construct and troubleshoot a basic pantograph design > Anticipate and address common pupil misconceptions and challenges > Adapt the activity for different abilities and classroom contexts > Facilitate pupil reflection and evaluation within a STEM-focused lesson > Curriculum Links (UK KS2) > Science (Year 5): Forces – understanding mechanisms including levers, pulleys, and gears > Design & Technology: Design, make, and evaluate functional products; develop technical knowledge of mechanical systems > Art & Design: Develop drawing techniques and scale images > History (optional link): Study of inventions and technological development over time
This session will walk participants through what we learned from Adapt-Ed about teaching climate adaptation effectively at primary level. We will share key findings on what worked, what surprised us and what the children and teachers told us about the experience. Participants will have hands-on time with the curriculum resources and materials developed through the project, all of which are freely available to download and use. There will be space to discuss how the approaches might translate to your own school context and ask questions about the research and delivery model.
Outcomes: By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • Explain the difference between climate mitigation and adaptation and why both matter in primary education • Access and use Adapt-Ed curriculum resources and teacher CPD materials in their own setting • Identify at least two place-based or experiential approaches to teaching climate adaptation that are realistic for a primary classroom • Reflect on how climate adaptation themes can connect to existing curriculum areas in science and beyond
Background: Climate change education in schools has tended to focus on mitigation - reducing emissions - while adaptation, preparing children and communities for the impacts already underway, has received far less attention. Yet UK schools are already experiencing those impacts directly, from overheating classrooms to local flooding, and children in disadvantaged areas are disproportionately affected. Adapt-Ed was a collaborative research project led by Sheffield Hallam University with The Green Estate, Sheffield City Council and Let's Go Zero, working with primary schools in disadvantaged Sheffield neighbourhoods. The project developed and delivered teacher CPD, curriculum resources and immersive outdoor learning experiences focused on flood risk, drought, overheating, food security and nature-based solutions. Robust evaluation tracked changes in children's ecological literacy, connectedness to nature and pro-environmental attitudes using the 2-MEV (Two Major Environmental Values) scale.
More than a dozen schools in deprived areas of the North West are currently delivering their Year 3 science curriculum via an extended story involving a Black female engineer rocketing around time and space in a cardboard time machine. Why? What has this unique project taught us about the power of story and simple stage magic to engage learners? Is there a particular power to performers in role? What do teachers get out of it? How can SLT members support their teachers to find the elusive “why” in the existing science curriculum – and how do we encourage children to talk more in our science classrooms?
Participants will leave with some answers to those questions - plus ideas for how to make use of some of the key elements of this successful oracy-rich programme in their own classrooms.
Aims: to share learning from an innovative arts-based learning project in Manchester, and explore what elements of the programme can be taken forward by educators more widely - including feeding into a brand-new arts-based learning programme currently being developed in Morecambe Bay by the same company.
Background: "Terri and the Time Machine" is currently being delivered in over a dozen North West primary schools. It is an arts-based creative programme delivering the whole of the Year 3 science curriculum, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Professor Lynne Bianchi (SEERIH) provided expert advice during development. In-depth evaluation was conducted throughout the initial three years by Dr Zoe Crompton (Manchester Metropolitan University). The fully-funded period came to an end in July 2025; but 14 schools are continuing to participate, thanks to extended support from the PHF and financial contributions from the schools involved. Why? What is the benefit of teachers working with a theatre company, and what have we discovered by undertaking this unique project?
Many children do not think that science is relevant or important to their lives, now or in the future. Research shows that children are already being influenced by gender-based beliefs at 7 years old or even earlier and have made up their minds before the age of 11 that science is not for them. Teachers can play a key role in challenging these views before they become too entrenched. The Science 4 Everyone materials are a range of freely accessible resources that teachers and school leadership teams can use to raise awareness of unconscious bias and its potential to influence pupils’ science capital and attitudes towards science. They are used in this session to reflect on challenges faced when making science accessible to all.
The presenters will use their extensive experience from the classroom and from working with teachers and students in both the informal and formal science education sector to reflect on what makes the most difference to ensuring that children believe science is for everyone.
This session is aimed at classroom teachers, science leaders and teacher developers who work with them, and aims to: • Share evidence from research, including issues around unconscious bias and stereotype threat and their relation to pupils’ science career ambitions. • Outline resources and effective practical strategies that teachers have found to be effective. Examples will be used from schools and informal settings that have promoted inclusion and equity by using these materials and approaches • Give participants opportunity to try out and discuss some of Science4Everyone practical toolkit materials that can be readily integrated into curriculum design to address the unconscious biases that we all hold • Encourage participants to reflect on which strategies might be most useful to address the needs of the children in their schools and reflect on how to audit, implement and review actions to inspire all children to see science as meaningful and relevant in their own lives.
Participants will: • know more about unconscious bias and its impact on inclusive science teaching, the support freely accessible from the Science 4 Everyone materials and the links to research evidence about the importance of pupils developing a science identity. • reflect on what is working well in their own setting and where improvements could be made. • have opportunity to reflect on which strategies might be most useful and begin to plan how they could audit needs, implement priorities and review actions as part of a development cycle.
PSQM Development Lead, Primary Science Quality Mark
PSQM Professional Learning Partner. Primary Science Teaching Trust Fellow. Member of the PSQM Expert Advisory Group. Member of the ASE Teacher Developers’ Committee. Accredited trainer of the Primary Science Capital Teaching Approach. Co-author of the PSTT resources See Through Sci... Read More →
Teacher confidence is frequently discussed in primary science, yet it is rarely treated as a strategic priority within school improvement planning or within the support structures offered by organisations working alongside schools. This session explores the argument that meaningful and sustained improvements in primary science cannot happen without intentional investment in teacher confidence.
Drawing on examples from classroom, school and trust-level practice, participants will reflect on how confidence influences curriculum enactment, practical science, pupil engagement and teaching quality. The session will explore why confidence is often overlooked because it is perceived as difficult to measure, despite its clear impact on outcomes for both teachers and pupils.
Participants will also be challenged to consider the extent to which current professional development and science support models genuinely create space for teachers to develop confidence over time. Rather than viewing confidence as a by-product of training, the session will argue that it should be deliberately planned for, revisited and evaluated as part of sustainable improvement work.
The session will further explore the link between teacher inclusion and pupil inclusion, recognising that teachers who feel disconnected from science or perceive the subject as “not for them” may find it more challenging to deliver engaging and ambitious science experiences for children.
Through discussion, reflection and analysis of case studies, participants will leave with practical ideas for how teacher confidence can become a visible and valued part of school improvement conversations and wider science support programmes.
Participants will: > Reflect on the impact of teacher confidence on science teaching, learning and inclusion > Consider examples of how schools, trusts and science organisations can intentionally developed teacher confidence over time > Consider how teacher confidence could be incorporated into improvement planning, professional development and external science support programmes > Identify practical ways to revisit, monitor and evaluate teacher confidence within their own contexts > Recognise teacher confidence as a strategic factor in achieving sustainable improvement in primary science
This session draws on my experience as a primary teacher, Science subject leader and nationally recognised Science consultant, working with schools, trusts and organisations to improve science provision across a range of contexts. Through this work, a recurring theme has emerged: where teachers lack confidence in science, this significantly influences the quality of teaching, curriculum enactment and pupil engagement.
My interest in this area has developed through supporting teachers and leaders over time and recognising that confidence is often treated as incidental rather than intentional within school improvement. Schools readily plan and budget for curriculum resources, schemes and assessment systems, yet teacher confidence is rarely identified as something that can be deliberately developed, revisited and evaluated. Equally, organisations supporting schools in science education often focus on provision, resources or subject knowledge without explicitly addressing how teachers experience science themselves.
This is particularly important within primary science, where some teachers may feel that science “isn’t for them”, limiting participation, risk-taking and engagement within the subject. The session also reflects current national priorities outlined in Every Child Achieving and Thriving (2026), particularly the emphasis on sustainable school improvement, workforce development and inclusive practice. While inclusion is often discussed in relation to pupils, this session considers the importance of inclusion for teachers too: if teachers themselves do not feel included, capable or confident within science, this inevitably impacts the experiences and opportunities available to children.
Science lessons often ask pupils to process abstract ideas, unfamiliar vocabulary, diagrams, models and practical observations all at once. This session explores how teachers can use selected ideas from cognitive science and neuroscience-informed research to make that complexity more manageable without oversimplifying the science.
The session will focus on three classroom applications: using dual coding to improve explanations and support understanding; applying cognitive load theory to design clearer instruction; and using retrieval practice to strengthen long-term memory.
Along the way, participants will consider where these approaches are most useful in science, where they can be misapplied, and how to adapt them for different contexts and age groups. This is a practical, evidence-informed session designed for classroom teachers and subject leaders who want to refine their teaching.
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the research base, concrete examples from science teaching, and strategies they can use to improve pupils’ learning, recall and confidence.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to: •identify key principles about memory and learning that are relevant to science teaching; •select and adapt dual coding strategies to support pupils’ explanations of scientific concepts; •apply cognitive load principles when planning explanations, modelling and tasks; •use retrieval practice in ways that support durable learning in science; •evaluate their own classroom practice for opportunities to improve clarity, retention and progression.
Background: When I started teaching, my training did not mention the brain - it was as if we'd forgotten that this is where learning happens! I have a degree in cognitive neuropsychology, so this seemed surprising. Happily, as my career progressed, the sector has moved on to a great understanding of the principles of cognitive science and I have been heartened to see the impact of this on students. Through classroom practice, collaboration with colleagues and engagement with research on memory and learning, I will share an approach that focuses on a small number of evidence-informed principles with clear relevance to science teaching. Rather than offering “quick fixes”, this session draws together practical strategies that have helped make explanations clearer, reduce unnecessary cognitive overload and strengthen long-term retention
Photosynthesis and respiration are the chemical reactions that enable solar energy to fuel life on this planet. Photosynthesis is also where almost all living substances start their life.
• The energy pathway from solar to respiration underpins life on earth • It helps students understand the origin of fossil fuels and our climate concerns • It is made far too complex and complicated when part of the biology curriculum • I argue that they need a place in the chemistry and physics curriculum not only in biology.
I have written and produced many resources to help students understand the associated physics (energy) and chemistry, which address misconceptions and simplify what are very complex biochemical pathways:
• FuseSchool short video which has had half a million views https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XIyweZg6Sw • SSR articles https://www.ase.org.uk/resources/school-science-review/issue-382/model-respiration-and-photosynthesis-in-which-oxygen-plays https://www.ase.org.uk/resources/school-science-review/issue-349/fuel-and-food-are-not-made-energy-constructive-view
• Science issues resource. Www.scienceissues.org.uk The talk will start with some questions teachers can use on their students to identify misconceptions. Participants will discuss their ideas in pairs (“Tell Each Other”)
I will show the FuseSchool Video and my simple “stretched oxides” photosynthesis model together with this very simple global diagram to show cross-curricular importance. [Can't attach pictue - it shows the degradation ove energy from sunlight to waste heat driving the cycling of matter: fuel+oxygen = carbon dioxide + water
We then debate how we can give these reactions more importance in future science curricula, linking it all with the need to help students understand the science behind climate change (specifically the origin of the extra carbon dioxide we are putting into the atmosphere).
Evolution is the most important concept in biology, yet it is often taught as an abstract topic with limited opportunities for practical investigation. Misconceptions surrounding evolution and natural selection remain common amongst students and the wider public, while teachers can face challenges relating to subject confidence, curriculum time, resourcing and practical accessibility. This workshop draws on ongoing PhD research at the University of Bath investigating how experimental evolution may support the teaching of evolution in a more engaging, accessible and evidence-informed way.
The session aims to: • explore common misconceptions surrounding evolution and natural selection; • examine current challenges and gaps in evolution education; • share emerging findings from an ongoing research project into experimental evolution in educational settings; • provide participants with hands-on experience of an experimental evolution activity using Pseudomonas fluorescens; • reflection on how inquiry-based practical approaches may support evolution education across diverse settings.
Participants will begin by exploring some of the most persistent misconceptions surrounding evolution, including teleological thinking, misunderstandings around “survival of the fittest”, and the idea that evolution only occurs over millions of years. Through discussion and short interactive activities, the workshop will examine why these misconceptions remain prevalent and how they may be reinforced unintentionally within teaching and popular culture. The session will then introduce an experimental evolution teaching package developed as part of an ongoing PhD project. Using genetically modified Pseudomonas fluorescens, the practical demonstrates the re-emergence of bacterial motility under selection pressure, enabling students to observe evolutionary change over a short timescale. Participants will engage with elements of the practical activity themselves and explore how the approach has been adapted to improve accessibility across a range of educational contexts, including schools with limited laboratory facilities.
Emerging findings from the study will be shared alongside discussion of inquiry-based learning, practical science, accessibility and student engagement. The session will conclude with opportunities for reflection and discussion around broader questions for biology education, including how evolutionary thinking might be more coherently embedded across the curriculum as a conceptual “golden thread”.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • identify common misconceptions associated with evolution education; • discuss barriers affecting the teaching of evolution in schools; • explain how experimental evolution can be used to support understanding of natural selection and adaptation; • evaluate the benefits and limitations of inquiry-based practical approaches within evolution education; • reflect on how evolutionary concepts could be revisited more coherently within biology teaching.
I am a science educator, evolution enthusiast and PhD researcher at the Centre for Evolution, University of Bath. I’m researching how we can teach evolution better, making it practical, accessible and a golden thread running throughout biology rather than something we wheel out... Read More →
Join the team working with the Department for Education to develop the reformed Science Programmes of Study in England and GCSEs subject content as we outline the priorities and evidence underpinning the drafting process. This session focuses on Chemistry KS3 and KS4 plus transition from KS2 and KS1.
Please note the other sessions in the conference programme, on KS1 and KS2, and on biology and physics at KS3 and KS4.
The Science Education Policy Alliance (SEPA) brings together the Association for Science Education, Institute of Physics, Royal Society, Royal Society of Biology and Royal Society of Chemistry to coordinate and collaborate on science education policy, with Professor Dame Athene Donald... Read More →
Generative AI produced images are quickly becoming part of how primary teachers prepare and run lessons, but how do we know if these images are scientifically sound? In this session we share findings from our research showing how generative AI can both reinforce known misconceptions and introduce new ones, particularly when teachers ‘personalise’ content for their pupils, which is a specified use case by the DfE for Generative AI use in education.
During the session you'll see worked examples from common primary science topics. You'll then have the chance to generate, examine and discuss images with other delegates, with prepared images available if you don't have a device.
The session is pitched for a range of confidence levels with AI, including those just starting out, while respecting that many primary colleagues already have significant generative AI expertise. You'll leave with a framework and checklist to evaluate generative AI produced images for misconceptions, plus prompt strategies to improve the science quality of what you (and your pupils) create.
Delegates will be able to: • Recognise common misconceptions reinforced or introduced by generative AI produced primary science images. • Use a clear framework and checklist to appraise generative AI visuals before using them in lessons. • Apply prompting strategies that reduce the risk of misconception-rich outputs. • Confidently discuss generative AI image quality with colleagues and pupils as part of wider digital literacy.
Background: Helen Harden, former chemistry lead on the University of York's BEST project and chemistry curriculum consultant, brings extensive expertise in primary and secondary science misconceptions. Victoria Hedlund, founder of GenEd Labs and contributor to the DfE and Chartered College's Safe and Effective Use of Generative AI in Education guidance, brings critical oversight of generative AI in classroom use. Our shared interest in this area is set out in our article “Looking deeper into AI-generated visual explanations” to be published in the July 2026 edition of SSR with a primary-focused article planned for ASE’s Primary Science journal. This forms the precursor to a larger ongoing research project.
This session will showcase a range of fun and engaging practical and demonstration ideas from across the secondary physics curriculum. Participants will have the opportunity to try the ideas for themselves and discuss the pedagogy behind them. Resources to support the implementation and links for further ideas will be shared with all participants. Any common difficulties and issues will be discussed and solutions shared.
Outcomes: As a results of attending the session participants will have tried a range of practical activities which they can implement in their own schools. Non-specialist physics teachers and technicians will have developed their pedagogical content knowledge linked to the ideas. They will know where to find the completed sets of ideas organised by topic on www.teachphysics.org and how they can be used to support improving a physics scheme of work or lesson plan.
Physics teacher and Lead Practitioner Teaching and Learning, The Priory School Hitchin
Over the last few years whilst working as a physics teacher Simon has created sets of ideas for teaching physics organised by topic area which are shared freely on a Creative Commons non-commercial licence via the www.teachphysics.org website. The aim has been to bring together practical... Read More →
