5–14 March 2027 · 10 days

British Science Week 2027 for Primary Schools

Everything you need to plan a brilliant British Science Week. Dates, free assembly script, activity ideas by year group, and how to book a hands-on workshop that brings BSW to life. The 2027 theme will be announced by the British Science Association later this year.

Dates
5–14 March 2027
2027 Theme
Announced soon
Suitable for
EYFS to Year 6

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Of BSW workshops

What is British Science Week?

A 10-day national celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths — organised by the British Science Association and now in its 30th year.

British Science Week is one of the most important fixed points in the primary curriculum calendar. Run by the British Science Association, it gives schools a structured 10-day window in March to celebrate science and elevate it above the usual Friday-afternoon practical. For primary leaders, BSW is an excuse to dedicate sustained classroom time to investigation, observation and the kind of cross-curricular work that connects science to everything else.

British Science Week 2027 runs from 5–14 March. The British Science Association also runs a small-but-significant funding stream called the Kick Start Grants — typically £100 to £700 — which schools serving disadvantaged communities can apply for. Applications usually open in autumn the year before, so it’s worth checking the BSA website from September 2026.

You don’t need to register your school to take part. Many schools run a mix of classroom investigations, a whole-school assembly, an enrichment day, or invite a workshop provider to deliver hands-on sessions for every year group.

The 2027 theme — announced soon

The British Science Association announces each year’s theme in the months leading up to the event. The 2027 theme will be confirmed later this year — we’ll update this page as soon as it is.

Every BSW has a theme designed to be broad enough to flex into any year group’s science teaching. Recent themes include ‘Time’ (2024), ‘Change and adapt’ (2025) and ‘Curiosity — what’s your question?’ (2026). Each theme is built to flex into any year group’s curriculum.

Whatever the theme turns out to be, it almost always maps cleanly onto the national curriculum’s emphasis on working scientifically: asking simple questions and recognising they can be answered in different ways (KS1), setting up simple practical enquiries (LKS2), and planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions (UKS2).

Spark2’s British Science Week 2027 workshop is built around hands-on investigations and demonstrations that students recreate, predict and explain — designed to fit whichever theme the BSA announces.

Hands-on BSW workshops at your school

Three workshop options for British Science Week 2027 — all delivered in your school hall by an experienced primary science presenter.

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BSW 2027 Workshop

The flagship British Science Week 2027 workshop. Question-led, hands-on investigations including kinetic energy, Bernoulli’s windbags, the inertia tablecloth trick, a human electrical circuit and a giant bubble ring finale. View full workshop →

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Bubbles Blowout

The most popular BSW format we run. Giant bubbles, bubble walls, vortex rings and the science behind surface tension — combined with student-led investigations. Brilliant for EYFS to Year 4.

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Science VR Day

Pair a science workshop with our VR experience. Children explore forces, space or the human body in immersive VR — a strong fit for upper Key Stage 2 BSW programmes.

Check availability & book →

From £599 (half day) · £799 (full day) · all resources included

Activity ideas by year group

Use these as a starting point for your own British Science Week planning — or as conversation starters when briefing teachers.

KS1 · EYFS–Y2

Observational science & sensory exploration

Focus on what children can see, touch, hear and predict. Tactile materials science works brilliantly:

  • Float, sink, stretch, bend — testing 6 different materials
  • “What happens when…?” question wall
  • Ice/water/steam states of matter with hot drinks
  • Simple shadow-tracking through the day
  • Bubble investigation (round, square, triangle wands)
LKS2 · Y3–Y4

Fair testing and reasoning

Children are now developing reasoning skills. Layer in fair testing and explanation:

  • Rocks and soils investigation (permeability, hardness)
  • States of matter with cooking demonstrations
  • Light and shadows — predict, test, explain
  • Sound investigations (pitch, volume, materials)
  • Magnetic attraction across 10 household objects
UKS2 · Y5–Y6

Planning enquiries and explaining findings

Push children to design their own investigations:

  • Forces investigation (parachutes, air resistance)
  • Properties of materials — including reversible changes
  • Electricity circuits and components
  • Earth and space — modelling day, night, seasons
  • Living things classification (or evolution / inheritance)

Want a full lesson plan and assembly script? Our complete British Science Week guide goes into all of these in detail.

Whole-school assembly script

A 15-minute assembly framework you can deliver on Monday of BSW. Tested in 100+ schools.

Most schools open British Science Week with an assembly. The strongest BSW assemblies have three parts:

  1. A hook demonstration — something dramatic enough to make children gasp. Vortex cannons, a tablecloth pull, or a balloon shrunk by liquid nitrogen all work. The hook plants the question “how did that happen?”
  2. The theme link — once the BSA announces this year’s theme, link the demonstration to it. What question did the demo raise? How could we investigate it further?
  3. The week ahead — what’s happening in each year group across the week. Children should leave the assembly looking forward to their own lessons.

Our free BSW assembly guide includes the full script, prop list and pacing notes — ready to deliver on Monday morning.

Your British Science Week planning timeline

What to do when, working back from 5 March 2027.

6 months before

Apply for Kick Start Grants & book external workshops

BSA Kick Start Grant applications usually open in September. Workshop providers (including Spark2) book up by November for BSW.

3 months before

Map activities to year groups

Decide which year groups do what. Brief your science lead. Order any resources or consumables you don’t already have.

1 month before

Brief teachers and prep assembly

Run a 30-minute teacher briefing. Print activity packs. Confirm your workshop provider and timetable.

Week of

Run the week and capture the work

Open Monday with assembly. Capture photos and quotes throughout. Run a reflection assembly on Friday and share with parents.

After

Submit Smashed Stereotypes & CREST entries

The BSA Smashed Stereotypes Awards and CREST Awards both have entry windows after BSW. Submitting boosts science profile and is great evidence for Ofsted.

Past British Science Week themes

A quick reference of recent BSW themes — useful for connecting curriculum content year-on-year.

2023
Connections
2024
Time
2025
Change and Adapt
2026
Curiosity
2027
Announced soon

British Science Week FAQs

When is British Science Week 2027?

5–14 March 2027 — a 10-day window organised by the British Science Association.

What is the British Science Week 2027 theme?

The British Science Association will announce the 2027 theme in the months leading up to the event. The 2026 theme was “Curiosity — what’s your question?” — we’ll update this page as soon as 2027 is confirmed.

Do you need to register your school?

No formal registration required. However, registering free at britishscienceweek.org unlocks downloadable resources and access to the Kick Start Grants funding.

How much does a Spark2 BSW workshop cost?

Half-day workshops start at £599 and full days at £799. All VR headsets and resources included. Most schools cover this through Pupil Premium, science budgets or BSW Kick Start Grants.

Can a workshop reach every year group in one day?

Yes. A full day fits 6 sessions of 40–50 minutes, so most schools rotate every year group through the workshop. We’ll build a bespoke timetable around your existing playtime and lunch slots.

What happens after British Science Week?

The British Science Association runs the Smashed Stereotypes Awards and partners with the CREST Awards — both have entry windows after BSW. Submitting is great Ofsted evidence and lifts science profile across the school.

Ready to book?

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