Primary science and inquiry lead
I want pupils to have room to notice, ask further questions and work with evidence before settling on an explanation.
Explore the collectionI teach Year 5 and lead the primary inquiry programme. For me, an inquiry question needs to be genuinely open. If the teacher already knows the conclusion pupils are expected to reach, the activity is closer to a demonstration than an investigation, even if it has extra steps.
I want pupils to have room to notice, ask further questions and work with evidence before settling on an explanation. That does not mean every idea is equally supported; it means we begin without pretending the answer is already known. The teacher can help pupils sharpen a question, identify what would count as evidence and review what their observations allow them to say.
I look for resources that support investigation without hiding the decisions involved. A structure can help organise observations or discussion, but it should leave space for pupils to make choices and consider what they have found. I value a sequence that ends with a reasoned explanation and another question worth exploring.
Start with a question whose conclusion is not predetermined.
Help pupils decide what evidence could address it.
Distinguish observation, explanation and the limits of a result.
Explore these templates and decide what fits your own setting.
Maths
Pupils should convert all six tallies to frequencies, draw bars at two birds per square and answer comparison questions using the chart. They should also specify where, when and for how long a proposed survey would run.
Science
Record predictions and observations for eight familiar objects, compare plasticine in two shapes and use the results to write a conclusion.
Science
Follow approved practical instructions, use materials only as directed and explain how to report a problem.
Science
Complete a short investigation report with a question, prediction, variables, teacher-approved method, repeated results, graph, conclusion and evaluation.
Science
Arrange the stages of a water or frog life cycle, explain the arrows and discuss what the diagram leaves out.
