An interview with a Primary School science coordinator
Sample interview questions for the Principal Responses from the Principal and/or
and/or science coordinator/teacher re: science
provision in the setting.
Is there a science coordinator and/or how many
1 specified science teachers are there in the school?
 What are the duties/responsibilities of the science
teacher/coordinator?
 Does she teach any, all students or just specific
year groups?
 Obtain a teaching schedule and any schemes of
work, lesson plans, software used etc. from the
science coordinator/teacher.
2 Who is responsible for science policy and
provision within the setting?
(Can we obtain a copy of the policy?)
3 Online/Blended Learning:
 Does the setting have its own website? If so, what
is the URL, who created it and who is responsible
for managing and updating it?
 Is there any online/blended learning taking place
related to science? If so, how is this delivered?
 What ICT resources are used specifically for
teaching science?
science coordinator/teacher re: science
provision in the setting.
There is a science HOD, and a team leader for
grade one and two for Science, English, and
Math subjects. Also, there are 10 science
teachers and 1 lab technician, science teachers
has no specific duties.
Ms.Anaam teach grade 11 girls (biology) ,
she can teach any grade but she prefers to
teach high-grade level. However, she teaches
from grade 3 to 11.
She the lesson plan but, she did not give me.
There is science-policy she aligned with the
school vision and Mission and it is not
allowed to do anything if it does not follow
the school Vision and Mission.
They still work on school Vision and
Mission.
They doesn’t have a special website for the
science but they have a website for the school
and the have account for the school on
Instagram, Facebook and group on the
Whatsapp.
There is a blended learning from grade 1 to
grade 8 they have an online resource it come
with the resource. Also, they have a think
central and from 9 to 11 HRW. They use an
online resource on the class such as kahoot
for the help the students.
CT resources they use the basic one such as a
laptop, projector, speakers and the smart
board.
4 What science equipment/manipulatives/resources
can be found the setting? (Is there a list?
Differentiate between the classroom; the science lab
and other areas in the setting e.g. library)
 Is there a budget for materials?
 Who trains teachers and staff in the use the
equipment?
 Who manages the equipment and materials?
5 Is/Are there dedicated science labs in this setting?
 If yes, how is it used and by whom? How is it
organised? What equipment can be found here?
 If no, why not? e.g. lack of funds? No need?
Enough science equipment and expertise in each
classroom?
 Does the setting feel it has enough specialist
science teachers, technicians and dedicated
science rooms?
6 Which science resources does the setting feel it
needs or would like to have to achieve its vision or
better science teaching and learning?
 e.g. Science Kits, books, wifi,
manipulatives/models, digital
cameras/camcorders, lab equipment OR soft
materials (consumables- colored paper, glue,
popsicle sticks etc.).
7 What are the safety rules?
 Are the safety rules posted in the science setting?
There is a budget for the materials and about
Who trains teachers to use materials.
HOD and the lab technician that train science
teachers so they can use it by themselves.
Equipment is a new and very trendy, when
the biology teacher came he or she should
know how they can use the microscope but
also they make a training for the how to use
equipment. If they will bring a new
equipment the company of the equipment
they train the teachers.
There are three labs each lab is divided for a
subject like a science and a biology.
In each there is materials and different
section.
Each year the say of what the materials they
want and then they send it to the Accounting
department and they see if it approval and if
including the budget.
They don't have any missing of labs and the
teachers.
Ms.Anaam feel that there is something
missing the first thing that the complete kits
for the project, and there is a company they
have a kit for the stem project and the
students disassemble the materials like a box
containing a Lego and the box that contain
everything with a guideline.
And about the soft materials then she said
about this question, to be honest there no limit
to reach the satisfaction feeling, like if you
think that you reach this part that means
finish the science but you discover there are a
lot of things you should learn,
Miss Anaam wants to achieve its vision or
better science teaching and learning by
bringing a lot of online resources, materials,
kits, equipment, digital, and technology.
There is a safety rule, a book about the safety,
a policy form and they have in each science
lab a safety rules posters.
  Who developed these and are they
mandatory/enforced?
8 What safety equipment is available and when is it
used commonly?
 Is safety equipment available for all students in the
classrooms?
 Is equipment cleaned, if so by whom? Who
manages this duty?
9 Planning for learning- how are the science lessons
planned for in the setting?
 Does the MOE/Zone/KHDA provide unit
plans/lesson plans? (can we obtain a copy of
this?)
 Are there weekly planning meetings? What is
usually done in the planning meetings?
 Who attends the planning meetings?
 Does the school have specific goals related to
science (TIMMS scores etc.)?
10 How is learning assessed in the science classroom?
 Is there an assessment plan for the semester?
What does it include?
 Do teachers collect student data? What data, when,
and what is it used for?
 How do students get feedback so that they can
make improvements?
11 What science professional development / training
do teachers currently receive or have recently
had?
 How frequently and from whom did they /are they
receiving this?
There a nurse for the girl and boy section and
something happens the nurse will do their
work, and equipment cleaned because of the
cleaner clean the equipment every day.
The science standers plus they have a form
for the school and them as a science section
and teacher follow the school policy and the
school policy has form and they make a full
matching for the science. They have weekly
meeting every Thursday on the sixth period
around the twelve o'clock,
All the science teacher are a requirement to
attend no one allowed to miss this meeting,
she said for sure we have an action plan.
Ms.Anaam said about the data is a big world,
if she want to have a data I should have or
memorize the previous data year. anything
that related to the data from the previous
semester unit this semester, then she said I
was a teacher the data help me when the
students enter the school they make for the
students an exam to know in which level this
student and ask them a question, but for the
math and English they have a different exam
than the science.
The students get their feedback by the
midterm report from the kg to grade 11 plus
the students have parent evening meeting.
They have plan for the PD and on the begging
of the year, they give the teacher a paper
where you want to develop yourself. They
have a document and on the begging of the
semester, they have a lot of PD for the teacher
 Do they have a document that outlines this PD? or the new teacher that they don't know the
school yet.
 What PD do they think teachers in the setting still
need?