This paper reports on a study investigating the effectiveness of a new professional learning development (PLD) initiative in New Zealand, The Sir Paul Callaghan Science Academy (The Academy). The Academy is designed to provide primary and intermediate (students aged 5 to 13) classroom teachers with the knowledge, materials and support needed for The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). After the Academy's first two years of operation, results indicate that The Academy has shown how relevant, useful and meaningful education through science can impact on both individual classroom teacher's practice and entire school programmes. The implications of this paper support the critical importance effective PLD plays in continued teaching practice.