SEEDS

Sustainable Educational Environmental Developmental Sessions is a science club project designed for six Y5 pupils to run sessions (probably at lunch time) for twelve pupils in Y2. This is a really exciting development in promoting science in primary schools and is truly sustainable in that the Y5 pupils will, as Y6 pupils, train up their replacements so that the science club can continue to run indefinitely.

SEEDS provides thirty numbered activities, many relating to environmental issues; each activity is complete in itself and is suitable for a thirty minute session. These sessions are intended to be short, practical, self-contained and fun.

The main aim is to help the Y5 pupils to develop confidence in presentation, communication, planning and organisational skills as well as consolidating their own scientific knowledge. It also encourages all the children involved to think in a scientific way about what they are doing, ask questions and communicate their observations and ideas.

Although the activities relate to scientific content accessible to both age groups, they are not meant to be little lessons. They are not necessarily demonstrations either to provide right answers or to illustrate aspects of the KS1 curriculum. Neither are they necessarily investigations giving opportunities for recording, predictions, fair testing and conclusions based on evidence.

The only running costs to the school are one or two small perishable items (needed for some activities) and a small amount of photocopying.

A Workshop Leader runs one centrally-located INSET day for the adult supporter and the Y5 pupils from each of five local schools. As part of the ongoing support the club will be contacted at regular intervals and will receive a termly newsletter. Support is available via e-mail and via the secure SEEDS page on this website.

For 2008, the cost per cluster of five schools is £3700 plus VAT; this includes the SEEDS activity kits, the INSET and ongoing support. For one school in isolation, the cost is £1,000 plus VAT.

“During OFSTED my club members presented to one of the inspectors and he was most impressed. He said he had never seen anything like it in other schools!”

  Teacher, Islington

To find out more email us at spherescience@yahoo.co.uk.