Add ice-lolly licking to England primary school curriculum, urge scientists

Licking an ice lolly should be an essential part of the national curriculum for primary schoolchildren in England, according to scientists at the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Whether it’s an old-fashioned Fab, a Twister or a Calippo, not only does it taste nice, it teaches children vital scientific concepts such as heating, cooling and how temperature works, scientists say.

Primary school pupils should also have the opportunity to knead bread dough, dig in the soil, plant vegetables and play with shadows as part of their early science education, according to the new recommendations.

These “essential experiences” are among a number of proposals for changes to the science curriculum for children aged 3-11 put forward by leading professional science organisations.

The Royal Society of Chemistry, Institute of Physics, Royal Society of Biology and Association for Science Education say the reforms would help reduce inequalities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) education, as well as teaching fundamental scientific concepts every child should understand.

Their recommendations follow the launch last month of the government’s curriculum and assessment review , when the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “The launch of this review is an important step in this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, deliver better life chances and enable more young people to get on.”

Aylin Ozkan, a teacher and education policy specialist at the Royal Society of Chemistry, explained the importance of eating lollies. “One of the recommendations for chemistry is that by the age of 11, all children should start to understand how temperature works and how heating and cooling can change things.

“What better prop is there for a teacher to help explain this than an ice lolly? Essential experiences like this promote learning on a personal level, so we believe they should be part of the curriculum.”

England’s schools inspectorate, Ofsted , has previously raised concerns that science is in danger of being squeezed out of the primary school curriculum, with disproportionate amounts of curriculum time spent on English and mathematics.

In some cases, pupils went for entire half-terms without learning any science, while in other schools pupils were being expected to learn content that was too technical, including genetics in year 6.

As well as making chemistry more accessible, physicists want light and music to be included in lesson time, and biologists are keen to see children growing vegetables at school as well as learning about recycling in their classes.

Charles Tracy, a senior adviser in learning and skills at the Institute of Physics, said: “Many children enjoy making noise – but harnessing this in the classroom can help teach the basics of concepts such as pitch and volume.

“We want to help the review team to make the primary science curriculum as inclusive as possible. We are recommending that teachers should be supported to bring global, historical and societal context into their science lessons and that they should build science capital equitably by giving all students access to genuine scientific experiences that are currently the preserve of a lucky few.”

From the Royal Society of Biology, the head of education policy, Lauren McLeod, said: “By celebrating green spaces, growing vegetables in the classroom and visiting the local garden centre, children can experience the life cycles of living things and be involved in making healthy and sustainable choices.

“Not all children have access to a garden or school fields and we want children to experience the world around them while empowering teachers to bring science in to everyday activities.”

The proposals were welcomed by teachers. “Any initiative that promotes hands-on learning is to be encouraged and this is especially important for Stem subjects,” said Matt Jones, a co-headteacher at St Jude’s, St Peter’s and Peter Hills Church of England primary schools in south London.

“Explaining scientific concepts by using everyday experiences, like melting ice lollies, will help pupils understand and remember more because what they have observed is directly relatable to their own lives.”

Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at the National Association of Head Teachers, said, however: “What is needed is not a whole new Stem curriculum, but to build upon what works best and a reduction in the current bloated programme.”