Primary Science: are there any reasons to be cheerful?
FORUM - ISSN 0963-8253
Volume 52 Number 3 (2010)
Primary Science: are there any reasons to be cheerful?
JANE TURNER pages 381-394
DOI: 10.2304/forum.2010.52.3.381
Abstract
During the last decade, science in the Primary curriculum has been squeezed from different directions. The literacy and numeracy strategies restricted time for science enquiry, and the perceived importance of the science SAT restricted teachers' imaginations and confidence. The end of this SAT was announced shortly after the publication of the Rose review, which had been widely reported as recommending dropping science as a core subject. These events combined to damage the perceived profile of science in primary schools. The coalition government is now promising further curriculum review and an overhaul of primary assessment regimes, alongside stringent financial cuts in local government and higher education. This article reflects on the challenges facing primary science at such a critical juncture and asks: should we be worried about primary science? Are there any reasons to be cheerful?
To cite this article
JANE TURNER (2010) Primary Science: are there any reasons to be cheerful?, FORUM, 52(3), 381-394. https://doi.org/10.2304/forum.2010.52.3.381