Last year, Wellcome launched its free digital programme, Explorify, providing simple science activities to help develop pupils’ scientific enquiry skills and provoke their natural curiosity.
A recent report commissioned by Wellcome found that science is not being given enough priority or time, with UK primary schools teaching the subject for just one hour and 24 minutes a week. In addition, it found that three in 10 primary school teachers had not received any support for science teaching in the past year, with just three per cent having the access or time to network with other schools to discuss teaching the subject.
Recognising the need to better equip teachers and provoke pupils’ curiosity and interest in science is a central component of the Great Science Share for Schools, taking place on Tuesday, June 19. In collaboration with the Primary Science Teaching Trust and the Comino Foundation, the project is a UK-wide programme of events designed to inspire young people in STEM. Now in its fifth year, the campaign has grown to feature a variety of events, with 2018’s programme including The Great Science Groove – designed to enable young people to share science through music, song and dance.
To mark the Great Science Share for Schools, the Wellcome Trust is working with the host of CBeebies Do you know? and Earth Unplugged, Maddie Moate, to share some Explorify resources. Through curriculum-linked, low-prep activities, Explorify provides bitesize resources for discussion and investigation. Maddie Moate will be introducing a specially curated set of Explorify activities, based around boats, for whole classes or schools to take part in.
- The Great Science Share takes place on Tuesday, June 19. Visit www.greatscienceshare.org
- For more information on Explorify, visit https://explorify.wellcome.ac.uk and for more about Wellcome’s work with primary science, see http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/what-we-do/our-work/improving-science-education