The science calendar
Every fixed science date, September to July
The dates a primary school can actually plan around, month by month, with the workshop we would suggest for each one. Anything that moves from year to year has been left off, so this page keeps working next year.
Month by month
The school year, date by date
Four of these dates carry a full event page with workshops, outcomes and booking notes. The rest are hooks worth knowing about when you are planning the term.
September
Autumn termNo fixed national science date. A good month for a launch day that sets the tone for the year, while the calendar is still quiet and our diary is open.
October
Autumn termWorld Animal Day
Marked worldwide on the same date every year. Suits classification, animal groups and habitats work in KS1 and lower KS2.
Suggested: Wild Animals in VR →- 4 - 10 October
November
Autumn termWorld Science Day for Peace and Development
The UNESCO day for science in society. Schools use it for a single whole-school science session rather than a full week.
Suggested: Science Faction →
December
Autumn termNothing fixed in the science calendar. The last fortnight of term is usually too full for a science day, but the first two weeks of December are among the easiest dates we have.
January
Spring termNo fixed dates. January is the quietest month in our diary and the right point to confirm a March visit, because Science Week is usually full by then.
February
Spring termInternational Day of Women and Girls in Science
A United Nations day on the same date each year. Works well alongside a session where pupils do the work of a scientist rather than read about one.
Suggested: Forensic Science →Darwin Day
Charles Darwin's birthday, marked on 12 February. A natural pairing with evolution, inheritance and fossil evidence in Year 6.
Suggested: Dinosaur & Fossil Dig →
March
Spring termWorld Wildlife Day
A fixed United Nations date. Often used as the opening assembly for a Science Week built around living things.
Suggested: Wild Animals in VR →- 5 - 14 March
British Science Week
Ten days of science, technology, engineering and maths - and the busiest fortnight in our calendar.
Plan this date → International Day of Forests
Falls the week after Science Week. Useful for schools that want a second, smaller science moment once the main week is over.
Suggested: Eco in VR →World Water Day
A fixed United Nations date. Links to states of matter, the water cycle and the human impact strand of the geography curriculum.
Suggested: Eco in VR →
April
Summer termEaster moves, so check your own term dates before committing to an April visit.
World Health Day
The World Health Organization day, always 7 April. Pairs with the animals including humans units on the heart, lungs and digestion.
Suggested: Human Body in VR →International Day of Human Space Flight
Marks Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human in space on 12 April 1961. A second space date for schools that missed October.
Suggested: Space in VR →
May
Summer termWorld Bee Day
A fixed United Nations date. Strong for EYFS and KS1 work on pollination, life cycles and what lives in the school grounds.
Suggested: Minibeasts in VR →International Day for Biological Diversity
Always 22 May. Gives upper KS2 a reason to define biodiversity using examples rather than a dictionary.
Suggested: Eco in VR →
June
Summer termWorld Environment Day
The United Nations environment day, fixed on 5 June. Schools working towards an eco award often use it as their evidence day.
Suggested: Eco in VR →
July
Summer term- All month
Plastic Free July
A month-long global campaign. Works as an end-of-year science day when the timetable loosens off after assessments.
Suggested: Ocean Life in VR → Anniversary of the first Moon landing
Apollo 11 landed on 20 July 1969. A dependable last-week-of-term hook for Earth and space.
Suggested: Space in VR →
- All month
Booking lead times
How early you need to ask
One facilitator covers one school a day, so the calendar is genuinely finite. These are the honest lead times, term by term.
Autumn term
Book by the summer holidays
World Space Week is five working days long and fixed, so October fills early. September and early December are the most open dates in the term.
Spring term
Science Week goes a term ahead
March is the busiest period in our calendar and is usually booked out by the end of the autumn term, with the middle of the week taken first. January and February are wide open.
Summer term
Short notice is usually fine
Earth Day, World Ocean Day and the end of the summer term are the easiest dates we have. Four to six weeks is often enough, and sometimes less.