Please note that the ISE site is not presented to you as the finished article. We know there are holes, bits under development, "forthcoming resources" from other agencies etc. etc. which we hope to address in the fullness of time. We hope you like what is there and find it useful and "does what it says on the cliché".

How to register

Get in touch to register - To prevent the spammers automatically using my e-mail, replace the (at) in the following address with @ to contact me - ian.birrell(at)sserc.org.uk
Say who you are, where you teach and/or your interest in improving science.

What is ISE all about?

Primary school teachers do not traditionally have a strong background in science and therefore ISE and its forebears were set up to provide support to this group and as well as for those teaching in S1 and S2. Here is a quick run-down on how the ISE website makes your life easier :-

It has direct links to the latest news, featured websites and competitions, forthcoming events, a powerful Planning Spreadsheet, Search options for the ISE website and the Web, other relevant websites and organisations, a Science Framework for Planning, important local points of interest on the ISE website and Interactive Guidelines for all three components of Environmental Studies (ES) at all attainment levels plus those for Health Education and ICT.

The three components of ES, and apologies for any egg-sucking, are Science, Social Subjects and Technology. The Science one, i.e. the one in which we are most interested for the ISE site, is made up of three attainment outcomes, each of which is split up into a number of strands. The strands are then split into attainment targets which each have a code. These may be found in the Interactive Guidelines - via the multi-coloured grid on the Home Page. Each attainment target has also been arranged into an exemplar teaching scheme which we call the Framework for Planning (drop down menu on LHS). This is made up of 33 groups which have targets which might be taught at around the same time. On the ISE website each attainment target has a Target Menu which has links to a Teacher's Guide, Development of Target, Resources, Homework, Skills, Equipment List, Assessment, CPD & Safety e.g. ES-C1.2 (Earth & Space, Level C, 1st Strand, 2nd target).

At all times, when you are either surfing through the Interactive Guidelines or the Framework for Planning, you can access the relevant Target Menu and access to these links. You can jump easily back and forward between the Framework for Planning and the Guidelines, appreciating the relevance all the time of one to the other. In a similar fashion you can jump between strands at different attainment levels. This also all comes together in the Planning Spreadsheet. This is a fundamental part of the ISE site and is not accessible to those who have not registered. On the spreadsheet the Planning Framework sits alongside the Science component of the Interactive Guidelines so you can immediately see how the teaching scheme ties in with the Guidelines. If you scan across the spreadsheet the target column remains fixed and you can easily cross-reference with other components, teaching schemes, textbooks, datalogging resources etc.

Find out more on the Site Information Guide.