Wellcome celebrates one year of Explorify with tour of UK primary schools

Five schools across the country are taking part in a series of visits with Explorify and Maddie Moate, a renowned science vlogger and television star, to celebrate one year since the launch of Explorify. This free digital resource from Wellcome provides teachers with easy-to-use activities to enhance their lessons and develop pupils’ thinking skills. Children from primary schools in Ipswich, Dudley, Blackpool, Cumbria and Glasgow have loved asking questions about the world around them as part of Explorify activities, with teachers saying it has changed their approach to science.
Explorify launched last autumn to support primary school teachers to do more and better science. Research found that children in primary schools were taught one hour and 24 minutes of science each week, suggesting that science isn’t seen as a priority. Explorify is designed to help tackle this issue, boosting teacher confidence and inspiring curiosity and the spirit of enquiry in their students.
A year on, the resource is being used by over 16,500 teachers in over 7,500 primary schools across the UK.  Wellcome has selected these schools to help celebrate this key milestone as a thank you, for being some of the first schools to use Explorify and change the way they think about science. Maddie Moate will run one of her exclusive new activities for Explorify which will be released on the Explorify website from 15 October.
Hilary Leevers, Head of Education and Learning at Wellcome, said:
“Since Explorify launched, teachers around the country have been using its free and easy activities to spark curiosity in their pupils. We are delighted to be celebrating Explorify’s first birthday with teachers who have used it to inspire more scientific thinking in their schools and hope that many more will enjoy helping their pupils learn with Explorify in the coming years.”
Explorify ambassador and renowned science vlogger Maddie Moate said:
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to visit children who have been using Explorify. The activities encourage an inquisitive and curious approach to science and I can’t wait to find out first hand how teachers and pupils alike have been enjoying it, not to mention taking them through some exciting new activities I’ve planned for them with Wellcome.”
From Monday 1 until Friday 5 October, Maddie Moate will spend time with students, debuting the new activities she has created for Explorify. The UK schools are: Sidegate Primary School, Ipswich; Kates Hill Community Primary School, Dudley; Marton Primary Academy and Nursery, Blackpool; St Patrick’s RC Primary School in Cumbria and Sandwood Primary School in Glasgow.
Explorify is developed by Wellcome with partners such as the BBC and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Explorify has been recognised as a Webby Awards Honoree (Education), and has been shortlisted for two awards: Digital Impact Awards 2018 –  Best use of digital from the education sector, and the Children & Young People Now Awards 2018 – Learning Award.
Teachers can sign up to Explorify at explorify.wellcome.ac.uk. It will always be free and is aligned to UK curricula.

The author

Damien Challenger

Damien is the co-founder of Nexus Education - a collaboration of over 11,000 schools, 500 solution providers and other key figures across the education sector. Nexus encourages, and aids, group collaboration across a number of areas including procurement and training to ensure the best possible outcomes for children in schools all over the UK. Nexus has invested over £100,000 directly into UK schools via #NeXworking.

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