Curriculum & Assessment Review - a New Chapter for Primary Science

This month, the Department for Education in England published the findings of the Curriculum & Assessment Review – Final Report (led by Becky Francis) for the national curriculum from age 5–19. 

For primary (Key Stages 1 and 2) science this marks an important moment: the review signals changes in emphasis, content and how science is taught at the earliest levels of school.

What the Review Says about Primary Science

While the report covers the whole curriculum, here are the key points that affect primary science teaching and provision:

• The review reinforces that the current curriculum is broadly knowledge-rich and high in ambition, but that it doesn’t always deliver equity for all pupils, especially those disadvantaged or with special educational needs.

• It emphasises that science – as part of a broad and balanced curriculum – should help pupils not only develop disciplinary knowledge (biology, chemistry, physics) but also scientific enquiry, practical skills, curiosity and the ability to engage with modern challenges (for example climate, digital, media literacy).

• For primary schools the review highlights that breadth (i.e., covering a wide range of knowledge and skills) remains important, but the delivery in practice can be challenging given pressures on time, resources and teacher expertise.

• It proposes that primary education should have stronger links to life-skills, citizenship, media/digital literacy alongside the core academic subjects. While not exclusively for science, this impacts how science might be framed (e.g., sustainability, real-world context). The Guardian

• The review suggests that the amount of content in secondary science (and likely downstream from primary) may need slimming to allow more focus and depth; implicitly this signals primary science may also need clarity of progression, avoiding overload. The Guardian+1

Implications for Teaching Primary Science

Here are some practical take-aways for primary school teachers, science leads, and curriculum planners:

• Curriculum clarity and progression: Ensure your primary science curriculum clearly defines what pupils should know, understand and be able to do at each year or phase, with appropriate scaffolding up to secondary. The review’s emphasis on “knowledge-rich but manageable” means avoiding too many disconnected topics.

• Embed enquiry and real-world science: Given the review’s push for relevance (digital, media, sustainability) you might want to increase opportunities for investigations, problem-solving, linking science to real life and current issues.

• Ensure breadth, but prioritise depth: It’s tempting to cover lots of topics superficially – but the review signals that depth (secure understanding) matters. Focus on fewer, well‐taught units rather than many shallow ones.

• Address equity and access: The review highlights gaps for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. In science this perhaps means more scaffolded practical work, differentiated enquiries, and ensuring all pupils get hands-on science experiences.

• Professional development & resources: With pressure on teacher time and expertise, investing in CPD in primary science (pedagogy, subject knowledge, practical work) will be increasingly important as the curriculum evolves.

• Link across the curriculum: Because science is seen in the review as part of the broader curriculum (life-skills, digital, sustainability), build cross-curricular links (e.g., science & geography: climate; science & computing: data/algorithms; science & citizenship: responsible science).

You can read the full report, an easy to read report and the Government's response here:

Curriculum_and_Assessment_Review_final_report_-_Building_a_world-class_curriculum_for_all .

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Curriculum_and_Assessment_Review_final_report_in_Easy_Read_-_Making_education_better_for_e.

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Government_response_to_the_Curriculum_and_Assessment_Review.pdf

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