The journal was established in 2003 as part of the Physical Sciences Learning and Teaching Subject Network under the title New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences. Upon the transition from LTSNs to HEA Subject Centres, The journal was adopted by the HEA Physical Sciences Subject Centre and subsequently in 2013 as New Directions (Physical Sciences) by the HEA itself. With the reorganisation of the HEA in 2014 some of the HEA discipline journals have been adopted by Taylor and Francis and others, including New Directions, have been taken on by volunteer groups. The journal is now published as an open access e-journal by the University of Leicester. In keeping with the ethos of the journal there are no page charges to authors.
The journal had several roles: to act as a stepping stone into pedagogic research and development for lecturers in the physical sciences; and to inform the HE community about developments in teaching and learning. These remain its roles today.
In 2023, the journal changed its name to New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences.