Primary Science Club - Abingdon Science Partnership

Groups of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from five local primary schools attend a weekly after-school science club that is organised and led by Abingdon School students from Year 9 to sixth form. The primary schools involved are: Thomas Reade, Dunmore, Caldecott, St Edmund’s and Harwell. The primary pupils get to explore all sorts of exciting science projects with a mixture of science teaching and hands-on fun. Popular activities include magnetic slime and bottle rockets.

Aims

* To increase primary and secondary pupils’ enthusiasm for and confidence in science

* To build secondary students’ leadership, organisation and teamwork skills

* To develop a partnership between primary and secondary students with secondary students as role models in a science-related context

Background

As lead organisation for the Ogden Trust Primary Science Partnership, the Abingdon Science Partnership, ASP, was asked to increase provision of extra-curricular science activities for the partner primary schools. Initially the club was run by staff, with Abingdon School pupils as assistants. However, the Abingdon School pupils eventually requested that they plan, resource and run the sessions themselves in order to meet requirements for DofE volunteering or simply to provide leadership and community service opportunities.

Resources

Science Partnership Co-ordinator to develop relationships with partner schools and spend time organising logistics. Finances to fund resources for each activity. At least one member of teaching to staff to supervise (approximately 1.5 hours in total). Use of the ASP lab. Science technician to prepare resources for each activity. 

Impact

In the first year of this project, 2017-2018, 28 primary pupils from five local schools attended six club sessions. All primary pupils reported that they enjoyed the course and it made them want to learn more about science. 

Pupil Involvement

So far, in the second year of the project, 22 primary pupils from five local schools are signed up. And 25 secondary Abingdon School students from Years 9 to sixth form are committed to the project. 

Frequency

This is an on-going project that will be repeated annually or biannually.