Debates in primary science education

In this chapter, the author suggests that the key aspects of working scientifically and enquiry-based learning are often lost in implementing the content of the National Curriculum. This, alongside the tendency to sideline subjects other than English and Mathematics and a potential lack of confidence with teaching science and its wider applications, are challenges to be debated with regards to teaching this subject in primary schools. Leigh poses several questions at the start of the chapter, including whether science is viewed as a core subject in the classroom and whether the abolition of statutory testing in this subject at primary level has had any impact on the status of the subject and how it is taught.