The State of Primary Science in the UK (2025) is a sector report conducted by ImpactEd Group and commissioned by PSTT with The Ogden Trust and SEERIH (The University of Manchester), with support from the Comino Foundation. It builds on the Wellcome Trust’s 2017 baseline to provide an updated picture of teaching and leadership in primary science across the four UK nations.
Who the report is for
- Leaders in schools, education authorities, multi-academy trusts and other key decision-makers
- Policy makers across the UK and devolved governments
- UK primary school educators
- Anyone interested in primary science education in the UK
What’s inside
The report draws on a UK-wide teacher survey and focus groups to examine:
- Who teaches science and how time is allocated
- Leadership arrangements for science in primary schools
- Teacher confidence, mentoring and support
- Access to resources, CPD and enrichment opportunities
- How science is valued within school culture
- Differences across nations and contexts
Key findings
Progress since 2017
- More schools have a designated science leader
- Weekly science provision is more common
- Science leaders are accessing CPD more frequently
Areas needing attention
- Confidence to teach science has declined for both science leaders and other teachers
- Fewer non-science leaders report access to mentoring or regular science meetings
- A higher proportion of non-science leaders report receiving no science CPD
- Variation persists across nations and contexts, including access to trips and outdoor learning
Why leadership matters
- Schools with a designated science leader report stronger provision across multiple measures, including weekly teaching, perceived support for teachers and enrichment access
