Oxfordshire science equipment case studies

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Charlton Primary School
Shellingford Primary School
St. Francis Primary School
Great Milton Primary School
Stow Primary School
Wheatley Primary School
Hanborough Primary School

Charlton Primary School, Oxfordshire

Charlton Primary School applied in June 2008 for a grant towards classroom resources for science to help develop scientific enquiry. Teachers at the school felt the equipment they did have was poor quality and too few to go round.

Sound Garden "Extra resources have allowed greater pupil participation and enhanced their learning opportunities. The equipment has been used in all related science curriculum areas but most recently across the school for habitat topics…A new introduction to the curriculum is "Whodunit"; pupils are the detective and identify the culprit in a range of crimes. The extra magnifying glasses have enabled this activity to be effective and very successful. The stop watches have been used to link into other curriculum areas such as Maths and PE."
(Science Coordinator, June 2008 )

Charlton Primary School also applied for a grant towards the equipment for a sound and sensory gardren. (Pictured above)

Shellingford Primary School, Oxfordshire

Shellingford Primary School made use of a variety of science equipment during a visit from Think Tank.

St. Francis Primary School, Oxfordshire

"Our children often learn best with a 'hands on' visual approach which this new equipment will support. As a school we aim to develop a more enquiry-led, investigative approach leading to greater scientific understanding. We are also keen to enhance the 'healthy living' aspects of the science curriculum as we build on our 'healthy schools' status."
"The SGS is a fantastic scheme - Schools are always struggling to provide the extras for children"
(Science Coordinator, July 2008)

Great Milton Primary School, Oxfordshire

Great Milton Primary School applied for a bird observation nest box with accompanying software, so that when birds entered the box, a video camera was triggered and filmed the activity within the box. The pupils were kept up to date with the developments via the interactive whiteboard, and kept a bird box diary.

Stow Primary School, Scottish Borders

"P2,3 and 4 have been exploring magnets as part of their forces topic. The forces toy kit motivated the children to explore the concept of friction and gravity. The grant has enabled the children and teaching staff to create quality learning opportunities, which without funding, would not have been possible."
(Acting Principal Teacher, September 2008)

Wheatley Primary School, Oxfordshire

Data Logging equipment to fulfill science and ICT curriculum objectives:
"Using sensors to monitor what happens during a science investigation brings a new dimension to science. Using sensors allows the children to explore and investigate changes instantly e.g. sound, light and temperature. The aim of this technology is that children are able to interpret data or tell the story of a graph, and are able to recognize patterns and trends in data…"
"We are very grateful to the Edina Trust for supplying us with this Data Logging equipment. It will be used to enhance our science lessons across the whole school. Without this grant we would have not been able to afford it."
(Head Teacher, February 2007)

Hanborough C of E Primary School, Oxfordshire

Data Logging equipment - the use of ICT in science is limited in the school due to the lack of equipment:
"The use of the sensor equipment enables children to investigate physical processes: such as light, sound and speed of moving vehicles. Plus, the cross curricular link to PE, testing the speed at which children run (shuttle runs, fitness tests, etc.) Children have been enabled to embed ICT within their scientific investigations and use the data handling software to record results in a variety of forms…"
"The equipment has been a great success! The children have been motivated to take part in science lessons more actively, and the equipment is able to be used through a range of year groups and ability levels for a wide spectrum of activities."
(Science Coordinator, December 2006)