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Question
Within the uk primary school science it can be said that there is little parental support of the science teachers. How can this be improved?
Answer
1
- Improving parental support for science in UK primary schools is a vital step, as strong parental engagement is proven to boost a child's educational outcomes.
- The lack of support often stems from parents' own negative experiences with science, lack of confidence, or simply not knowing how to help.
- The strategies for improvement focus on making science accessible, fun, and relevant while building a welcoming, non-intimidating home-school partnership.
2 🔬 Practical Strategies for Teachers and Schools
Teachers and schools can implement several targeted strategies to encourage greater parental involvement in primary science.
1. Make Science Home-Friendly
The key is to give parents simple, low-cost activities they can do at home without needing specialist knowledge or equipment.
Science 'Homework' Activities:
Move beyond traditional worksheets. Provide weekly or termly challenges that use everyday household items.
Example: "Explore irreversible changes by baking a cake," or "Investigate materials by trying to build a waterproof shelter for a toy using things you find in the recycling bin."
Science Capital Focus: Encourage parents to talk about their jobs or hobbies and how STEM is involved, helping children see that science is "for them" and is relevant to real life.
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Simple 'Top Tips' for Parents: Teacher send home concise lists of how to talk about science. This might include:
a
Asking open-ended questions (e.g., "What do you predict will happen?" or "Why do you think that changed?")
b
Finding science in the environment (e.g., discussing shadows, plant growth, or weather patterns on a walk).
2. Tailored Communication and Resources
Communication should be proactive, positive, and focused on learning.
a
Celebrate Success: Use personalised communications (texts, notes, or messages via an app) to share a positive achievement in science, which can be highly effective in promoting further engagement.
b
Non-Intimidating Workshops: Host informal 'Learning Science Together' sessions or Family Science Clubs.
The focus should be on fun, collaborative activities where parents learn alongside their children, rather than being taught by a teacher. This helps build parental confidence.
Share Online Resources: Curate and share links to child-friendly, free science resources and activities (e.g., BBC Bitesize, STEM Learning, or YouTube channels).
3. Whole-School Science Events
Raising the profile of science across the entire school community makes it feel important and engaging.
Science Weeks and Fairs: Invite parents to attend or volunteer at whole-school science events, such as a Science Fair or STEM Week. This is a great way to showcase children's work and engage parents in a less formal setting.
Parent Volunteers: Create low-barrier opportunities for parents to volunteer, such as helping to organise equipment, run a simple investigation station during a science fair, or even just talk about their job in an assembly.
By creating a welcoming environment and providing clear, practical ways for parents to support learning, teachers can transform parental involvement in primary science.
Would you like some specific ideas for a low-cost, at-home science challenge to send to parents?
yes
That's a great idea! Providing clear, low-barrier, and engaging activities is the cornerstone of boosting parental confidence and involvement.
Here are three distinct, low-cost at-home science challenges suitable for UK primary school children (Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2), focusing on common curriculum topics:
💡 Low-Cost At-Home Science Challenges
1. The Great Penny Cleaner (Key Stage 1 / Year 3-4
Focus: Materials & Chemical Reactions)
This challenge uses items found in nearly every kitchen and focuses on testing different materials (liquids) and observing a chemical change (oxidation/tarnishing removal).
Item What to do The Science
Goal Find the best household liquid to make a dirty copper penny shiny again. Observation & Prediction
Materials
* 3-4 very dirty copper pennies
* Small cups or bowls
* Cotton wool buds
* Everyday liquids: vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, or fizzy soda
Investigation & Fair Testing
Instructions
1. Predict: Which liquid do you think will work best, and why?
2. Place one penny in each cup and cover it with a different liquid.
3. Leave the pennies for 15-20 minutes (or longer for very stubborn dirt).
4. Take them out and gently rub them with a cotton bud.
5. Compare: Which liquid worked the best?
Copper tarnishes (goes brown/green) when it reacts with oxygen in the air.
The acids in the household liquids (like acetic acid in vinegar or citric acid in lemon juice) react with the copper oxide and dissolve it, revealing the shiny copper underneath!
2. The Tallest Paper Tower (Key Stage 2 Focus: Forces & Structures)
This is an engineering and forces challenge that encourages problem-solving, planning, and teamwork.
What to do. The Science
Goal Build the tallest free-standing tower you can using only one sheet of newspaper and a small piece of tape. Forces & Stability
Materials
* One sheet of newspaper (one large double-page)
* Maximum of 10cm of sticky tape (or 5 paper clips)
* Measuring tape or ruler Design & Testing
Instructions
1. Design: Talk to your child about the best shapes for strength (e.g., triangles, tubes, or spirals). Flat paper is weak, but folded or rolled paper is strong!
2. Build: Cut, fold, roll, and tape the paper to make a tall, stable structure.
3. Test & Measure:
- Measure the height from the table to the highest point.
- Does it stand up on its own for 10 seconds?
- Structures need a wide base to resist falling over (gravity).
- Rolling the paper into a tube or folding it into prisms dramatically increases its rigidity and strength (resistance to bending).
- The weight of the tower is transferred down to the base.
3. Kitchen Sink Submarine (Key Stage 1 Focus: Floating & Sinking / Properties of Materials)
A classic test that gets children predicting and experimenting with density and buoyancy.
Item What to do The Science
Goal Predict whether different everyday items will float or sink in the kitchen sink or bath. Prediction & Observation
Materials
* Water-filled sink or tub
* A collection of small household objects: a plastic toy, a metal spoon, an apple, a pencil, a piece of foil, a pebble, a sponge, a paper clip.
Buoyancy & Density
Instructions
1. Predict: For each object, write down (or say) whether you think it will float or sink.
2. Test: Gently place the objects in the water, one at a time. Record the results.
3. Change it Up: Try crumpling the piece of foil into a tight ball, then float it again.
Does the shape of the material make a difference?
Objects float when they are less dense than the water they displace.
Materials that are more dense (like metal or rock) sink.
Air pockets inside an object (like a ship's hull or the apple) or changing the shape (like making the foil into a boat) allows the object to push away more water than its own weight, helping it to float.
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