Investing in science education, 2000–2009
Throughout the 2000s, the Trust invested in projects to strengthen science teaching and developed primary science resources and CPD for teachers.
By 2001, more than £1.8 million had been invested in primary science, with a further £1.5 million invested in primary and transition projects between 2002 and 2007. Resources including Thinking Science and Floorbooks became particularly popular with teachers.
In 2007, the Trust expanded its project funding to include Key Stage 3, investing around £500,000 a year in science education projects.
A renewed focus on primary science, 2010–2015
In 2010, the Trust changed direction, ending its annual grant rounds and refocusing its funding exclusively on primary science. Two years later, this new focus was reflected in a change of name to the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT).
The decade saw significant growth in PSTT’s programmes and resources. I Can Explain! was launched in 2014 and shared with more than 100 schools, while the Cluster Programme launched in 2015 with 10 local clusters of schools across the UK. By the end of that year, the Primary Science Teacher College had 150 Fellows and more than £10 million had been invested in science education.
PSTT also established a trading arm in 2014 to develop and distribute teacher-created resources. By 2019, this had produced 10 commercial resources alongside a wide range of freely available materials.
