Primary Physics conference

Building strong foundations in primary science: Focus on Physics and KS2 to KS3 transition

On Thursday 27th June 26 teachers from a range of primary and secondary schools within the Teaching School network attended a ‘primary physics conference’ at Balcarras school. The first two workshops were led by Jacki Flaherty, from the Ogden trust, and provided some fantastic hands-on practical physics activities. These highly interactive workshops covered the key areas of ‘Light & Sound’ and ‘Earth & Space’ from the KS2 curriculum.

It was a great opportunity for primary school teachers to explore some practical physics alongside secondary physics colleagues. This prompted future collaborations and a huge amount of mutual sharing of good practice. The final session was led by Carol Sampey, a Primary Science Teaching Trust Fellow and explored the challenges facing teachers in science as students’ transition from primary to secondary school.

The outcome of this hugely productive day was that more ‘primary & secondary’ shared professional development would be an excellent way of bridging this gap. Teachers left with enthusiasm for future projects, such as 6th Form STEM ambassadors and ‘the great science share’ to forge stronger links and encourage more collaboration between secondary and primary science teachers.

Simon Jones

Head of Science, Balcarras School