About Science Oxford
We aim to inspire science learning and enjoyment through family, community and school programmes at our Science Oxford Centre and around our region.
Science Oxford’s education and engagement programmes have been developed to inspire young people about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). We show that science can be for everyone, can lead to an amazing career and can change lives.
What we do
We run the Science Oxford Centre in Headington – the UK’s first indoor-outdoor hands-on science education centre for early years and primary-aged children. It is open to schools during the week and every Saturday for families to enjoy. We also run a rich programme of activities in schools and with and in our local communities.
- Our Primary School Programmes include visits to our Centre, as well as STEM workshops and shows in schools across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, CPD training for teachers, a science kit loan service and the annual Big Science Event.
- For secondary school students, our STEM Careers Programme is designed to create opportunities for them to gain the knowledge and skills that could springboard them into a STEM career. A wide variety of activities for all ages include STEM Insight Weeks and Days, STEM Summer Experiences, Work Experience Placements and Skills Workshops.
- Science Oxford’s Public Programme includes regular STEM Clubs and Family Days every Saturday at the Centre, with special events during the school holidays. We also run outreach workshops around Oxfordshire including Saturday STEM clubs in Abingdon, free Oxfordshire library tours and activities in partnership with regional cultural and community organisations.
Our impact
In the 2022/2023 academic year, we reached a total of 53,777 people across our education and engagement activities, including 39,152 children in primary and secondary schools as well as 12,848 people through our Family Days, STEM clubs, holiday clubs and community days, and supported over 981 teachers and STEM influencers through training.
The Oxford Trust
Science Oxford is the public-facing brand of The Oxford Trust, a charity founded by local entrepreneurs the late Sir Martin and Lady Audrey Wood to encourage the pursuit of science. The Trust is proud that the income from its innovation centres is reinvested into Science Oxford’s education and public engagement programmes, which aim to cultivate a positive attitude to science and lay the foundations of science learning.
Read more in The Oxford Trust’s latest annual review.
Science Oxford Centre
The Science Oxford Centre is the UK’s first indoor–outdoor primary science education centre with a hands-on Exploration Zone and 15 acres woodland and ponds.
Primary School Programme
We deliver a wide range of STEM-focussed interactive workshops and shows for pupils both in school and at our Science Oxford Centre in Headington, Oxford.
Secondary School Programme
We develop and deliver engaging events and activities which inspire secondary school students to take up STEM skills and careers.
Public Programme
We run Family Days in the Science Oxford Centre every Saturday. You can explore, experiment and make discoveries in the Exploration Zone and follow trails in our 15-acres of woodland. Check out our regular STEM-themed Saturday Clubs too.
The Oxford Trust
The Oxford Trust is an independent charitable trust that runs programmes running across three key objectives – enterprise, education and engagement.
Accessing Science Fund
The Oxford Trust’s Accessing Science Fund gives children and young people in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire who experience barriers to STEM engagement the opportunity to access science learning.