In 2022, The Macclesfield Science department had been working with our partner primary schools- delivering sessions to primary students. This had been great fun but it had also brought up some themes; the emphasis that was being placed on different aspects of the science curriculum was very different between primary schools compared to between primary and secondary. There was also a lot of inspirational practice happening at primary schools that we, as a secondary school, were not following up on. I had noticed this during the Covid pandemic when I was teaching my own children the primary science curriculum. Why as a school were we not building on this practice? It seemed that we were starting from scratch again in both knowledge and behaviours.
I was discussing this with our Science Learning Partnership Lead and she mentioned a partnership at the STEM Learning Centre in York, who were looking for a mix of primary and secondary schools to work with them on transition in science. This is what led us to apply for a STEM Learning bursary. The idea that we could acquire money, resources, expertise and training- for looking at an area that I was interested in- was amazing. When we were awarded the partnership and met with Sarah Dagnell and Louise Herbert, it felt like the start of a journey.
The partnership that was created has been a very open and honest collaboration; the primary schools have been inspirational to me with the interweaving of so many key skills across so many subjects and the expertise that is needed in so many ways. We launched the project with, for me, the best day of the whole thing. We sat and, under the guidance of Louise and Sarah, mapped what was happening where. We came up with the idea that the work that the primary schools had previously done meant that the biology, chemistry and physics strands were well mapped but the working scientifically strand was the area in which we could make the most gains. If we could align language and skills from EYFS to Year 11 we would be continually building, rather than restarting at every stage. This would then improve the transition of our students and their confidence. If we could use this work to improve staff confidence in these areas and use the secondary staff as subject experts where needed, then it would impact on the confidence of the teachers. At secondary, we were hoping to improve the confidence of our pupils and reduce the Year 7 dip (Year 7’s not making the progress their KS2 results had indicated), because our expectations of the pupils would be realistic and we could activate their prior learning- because we were using the same language.
Over the next 2 years we have met as a team and worked on specific strands each time, with an idea that we would trial these with our pupils- over the next term- and feedback on this activity would be the same in all schools but with a different emphasis. This has also helped to improve the idea of what challenge would be; it doesn’t always need to be greater depth but works better with application of understanding to new contexts. This is a very secondary school approach but has helped the primary schools not to introduce concepts that we are then doing at secondary school. With our pupil tracking we have seen an increase in a continuation of the primary love of science and confidence. Teachers have greater confidence in their delivery and who to reach out to. The training that was then available and the money that we have been able to put into shared resources has led to a more inspired team who share ideas.
As the project comes to an end, our team want to continue to meet- as we have found it so beneficial. The feedback from the primaries was a wish to be able to do it for all of the subjects they teach. From my point of view, I am now turning my eyes to post 16 and what I can do for my pupils as they move on from here. My time working with the partner schools has been inspiring and uplifting- it helped me to remember why I enjoy being a teacher as well as how much I can still learn! The work that we have done has made us a team who want to progress science learning throughout the key stages, and we have the contacts, the resources and the confidence to tackle this. Our students have increased their confidence to learn science, their scientific skills and vocabulary and have a greater understanding of why they have to learn science.
Jo is an inspirational science teacher and her blog really emphasises the best practice of building on science knowledge and skills progressively, including throughout transition, from EYFS to KS2 and beyond.
It shows a real appreciation of primary science, teachers and skills- from a secondary point of view, which is really striking. Having identified strengths and areas for development in an open, collaborative community: smooth transition, a real development of science capital and enhanced teacher confidence has followed. Legacy from the partnership includes an invigorated, connected group of professionals with science at the heart. A real insight and a genuine shining example of cross-phase collaboration in education.
Well done to you all and thank you for a really insightful blog Jo.