The 1999 Science curriculum: strands, skills, and planning alongside STE

Science is where the gap between the 1999 curriculum and the redeveloped one is most visible even in the names: the 1999 document is Science within SESE; its successor is Science, Technology and Engineering, a whole curriculum area with engineering and digital technology woven in. But for any school that has not chosen STE as its first enactment area, the 1999 Science curriculum is still the planning document for 2026/27, and it holds up better than its age suggests.

The four strands

• Living Things: plants, animals, the human body, life processes
• Energy and Forces: light, sound, heat, magnetism and electricity, forces
• Materials: properties, change, materials and the environment
• Environmental Awareness and Care: the strand that overlaps deliberately with Geography, caring for the local and wider environment

Each strand carries strand units and content objectives per class band, and a balanced year touches all four strands rather than living in Living Things because the nature table is nearest.

The half of the curriculum that is not content

The 1999 Science curriculum gives equal billing to working scientifically (questioning, observing, predicting, investigating, analysing) and designing and making. In practice this is the difference between a science plan and a topic list: the plan says not just “magnetism” but what the children will investigate and how. Inspectors read for it, and more importantly, it is where the actual science happens.

A useful habit: for every fortnight’s science, name one investigation the children run themselves. It keeps the skills strand real without any extra paperwork.

What changes with STE

The STE specification brings Learning Outcomes, an explicit technology and engineering dimension, and the same broad shape as the other redeveloped areas. If your school chose STE as its 2026 enactment area, your science planning moves to it this September. Otherwise, 1999 Science remains your document, and the transition guidance is the same as for every subject: right document, concise plans, no apology needed for planning from 1999 while the phased rollout runs. The Primary Curriculum 2026 guide has the full timeline; the subject-by-subject table settles any doubt per subject.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 1999 Science curriculum still in use in 2026/27? Yes, in every school that did not choose STE as its first enactment area.

How do the 1999 strands map to STE? Loosely rather than one-to-one: the content of the four strands survives, reorganised, with technology and engineering added. Your coverage of the 1999 strands is not wasted preparation for the new area.

What should a fortnightly science plan contain? Strand, strand unit, content objectives, the investigation or designing-and-making activity, and any linkage (Geography’s environmental strand is the natural partner). Keep it concise.

Science planning with the curriculum built in

Pleanáil carries the complete 1999 Science curriculum and the STE specification side by side. Tick the objectives you are covering, note your investigation in the learning experiences, and whichever side of the enactment line your school is on, the plan cites the right document.

Plan a science year with all four strands in balance. Start your free 30-day trial.