Back in May 2003, the Secretary of State launched "Excellence and enjoyment: a strategy for primary schools". This set out the vision for the future of primary education built on what has already been achieved. In the words of the DfES: "This vision is for a sector where high standards are obtained through a rich, varied and exciting curriculum which develops children in a range of ways". The DfES sets out what it sees as the key to making this vision a reality on its website. From this document emerged the Primary National Strategy initiative. The problem is that the above brief is so wide ranging that it becomes difficult to provide a succinct definition of what the Primary National Strategy involves. In this article, the author tries to throw some light on what the strategy might mean for science education.