Memorandum 87
Submission from Chas Bishop, Chief Executive,
National Space Centre
SECTION 1: NATIONAL
SPACE CENTRE
1.1 Origins & Purpose
The National Space Centre is the brainchild
of the University of Leicester which, together with Leicester
City Council and Leicester Chamber of Commerce, secured a lottery
grant from the Millennium Commission to help build a world class
visitor attraction, education and research facility on the site
of a disused sewage works. The Centre opened to the public in
2001.
The purpose of the National Space Centre is
to inspire people, and particularly young people, to take an interest
in science via the subject of space. It has received significant
support from the East Midlands business and political community
as a catalyst for the development of a science park on the adjacent
brown field site and, recently, as a centre of excellence for
workforce development in science and engineering.
1.2 Visitor numbers
Since launch the National Space Centre has welcomed
over one million people; 250,000 of which have been children visiting
in school groups. An additional 150,000 children have received
a workshop in their classroom delivered by either a visiting presenter
or by videoconference.
The remaining 75% of visitors are mostly in
family groups led by parents keen to support their children's
formal education. An average visit lasts for three to four hours
and includes a tour of the exhibition, a show in the Space Theatre
and a choice of workshops and trails. Visitors attending corporate
events make up the remainder.
A summary of visitor numbers for 2004-07 may
be seen thus:
|
| 2004 |
2005 | 2006
| 2007 (forecast) |
|
| Family | 140,000
| 144,000 | 143,000
| 142,000 |
| School | 49,000
| 50,000 | 51,000
| 52,000 |
| Corporate | 11,000
| 13,000 | 14,000
| 14,000 |
| Total | 200,000
| 207,000 | 208,000
| 208,000 |
|
1.3 Funding
The National Space Centre was able to match the £30
million funds it received from the Millennium Commission with
funds from other sources in order to complete its development
and begin its operation debt-free.
From 2001-05, the business covered 73-86% of its costs from
trading income and the remainder, from other sources including
sponsorships, grants and some borrowing. In 2006 it was able to
cover 94% of its costs from trading income due to the implementation
of a gift aid scheme and strong growth in its corporate
hospitality business and creative service provision; the National
Space Centre's creative services team now being the biggest producer
of planetarium shows (by volume and license sales) in the world.
A summary of cost coverage may be seen thus:
|
| | % costs covered
| | Profit(Loss) £k
|
|
| Trading
| Fundraising | Borrowing
| |
| 2001 | 86 |
12 | 2
| (20) |
| 2002 | 75 |
16 | 9
| (244) |
| 2003 | 73 |
22 | 5
| (127) |
| 2004 | 76 |
28 | (5)
| 101 |
| 2005 | 79 |
22 | (1)
| 20 |
| 2006 | 94 |
10 | (4)
| 96 |
| 2007 (f) | 95
| 9 | (4)
| 125 |
|
The National Space Centre is a not-for-profit education charity
but is run as a commercial operation for which no public sector
support is assumed. That said, it received Government (DTI/DfES/OST)
funding totalling £354,000 in the three years 2003-04 to
2005-06 to support its education programme delivery.
The majority of the National Space Centre's education programmes
were developed using capital funds from the building phase of
the business. They are delivered on a commercial basis, but at
a financial loss due to schools' inability to pay an entrance
fee that reflects the cost of delivery. In addition, the business
invests in the development of new programmes in order to extend
its impact into new age groups and to keep pace with curriculum
development.
The total loss incurred by education programme development
and delivery is circa £250,000 per annum. This
is subsidised by the business on the basis (a) that it is what
the business exists for and (b) that stakeholders whose objectives
are also being met can be recruited to support this work.
1.4 Long term development
The National Space Centre has a good track record in identifying
development opportunities and delivering new exhibition content
and programmes that meet clear charitable and commercial objectives.
Two examples may be given:
1.4.1 Beagle 2 Lander Operations Control Centre
In 2001, the National Space Centre secured the authority
and the funds to locate the Beagle 2 Lander Operations
Control Centre in its research facility at the heart of the exhibition.
Visitors were able to watch live as the story of Beagle 2
unfolded during the six month journey to Mars in 2003, and through
the subsequent search, whilst the successful Mars Express
orbiter, and the American Spirit and Opportunity
rovers, sent back their images of the Martian surface.
1.4.2 Human Spaceflight: Lunar Base 2025
Using research feedback from visitors in 2001-02, the National
Space Centre decided to present the most-popular subject (human
spaceflight) via the development of a lunar base of the future.
Tranquillity Base was launched to the public in July 2005.
The impact of these two developments on visitor income can
be seen thus (the first vertical line is the timing of Beagle
2's impact; the second, the launch of Tranquillity Base):
1.4.3 The National Space Centre's development plans for the
next three years are:
2007
50 YEARS IN
SPACE
A celebration of the 50 years of discovery since Sputnik
1 became the first man-made object in space on 4 October 2007.
SPACE INFORMATION
MEDIA CENTRE
A redevelopment of the existing Space Now exhibition
gallery and web service to better tell "today's news from
space" via the latest exhibition technology.
CAREER PATHWAYS
& WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
An education programme targeting 14-19 year olds for the
first time; inspiring them, via the subject of space, to consider
the course and career options that will help them become the scientists
and engineers of the future.
2008
EARTH UNDER
THREAT
Exhibition gallery development to explain the human and natural
disasters that threaten the earth, and how satellite technology
can be used to help predict the threats and support efforts on
the ground to offset their impact.
SCIENCE PARK
DEVELOPMENT
Exploitation of the science park development to provide green
space, artefact and public art display in an impressively landscaped
setting.
2009
THE OBSERVATORY
A new corporate hospitality facility to exploit demand for
events bigger than those than can currently be accommodated.
OUTER SPACE
The development of an adventure playground on "covenanted
land" (for agreed, shared use) between the National Space
Centre and adjacent Abbey Pumping Station museum.
SECTION 2: EDUCATION
PROVISION
The National Space Centre provides on-site and off-site education
programmes for children in school groups, and a "space news"
provision to help inform all visitors.
To date its education provision has concentrated on the 8-14
age range, inspiring children to take a general interest in science.
In 2007, it is developing a programme called Career Pathways
& Workforce Development to encourage 14-19 year olds to
consider course and career options that will help them become
the scientists and engineers of the future. Programme development
and a pilot delivery phase is supported by the Particle Physics
& Astronomy Research Council, East Midlands Development Agency,
the University of Leicester and a number of Further Education
Colleges. Support for long term delivery is being sought.
2.1 Education Programmes on-site
50,000 school children visit the National Space Centre each
year to spend time in the exhibition and take part in a choice
of programmes, workshops and trails according to the age and needs
of the group. Astronauts and other influential role models visit
on a regular basis to tell their stories and inspire children.
The flagship programme is a space mission in the Challenger
Learning Centre. Curriculum-based preparation materials may
be used in the classroom before the visit to the site. The two
and a half hour simulated space mission is located at the Space
Centre in a fully-themed space facility—half mission control;
half space station.
All students see a highly-informative Space Theatre Show
as part of their visit. Shows cover subjects such as human
spaceflight, the size of the Universe and the search for extra-terrestrial
intelligence. Curriculum-based educational shows include Planets,
Tour of the Night Sky and Sunshine Story Time for under
five's.
Workshops and Exhibition trails are tailored to a
range of science, maths and geography syllabi and include Fizzy
Flyers and Fizzy Science rocket-building exercises,
Earth Under Threat, Earth, Moon and Sun and the Space
Station Challenge.
A pilot project, being run during the academic year 2006-07,
is the provision of GCSE Astronomy for two local schools.
Children will visit the National Space Centre for six days over
the course of the school year to receive presentations that use
resources and expertise not available within their school.
The Endeavour Learning Centre is a designated "City
Learning Centre" in which Leicester City Council runs study
support workshops for children that have either shown an interest
in science and want to learn more, or children who struggle and
need support. 60 children per term attend one workshop per week
for 10 weeks.
2.2 Education Programmes off-site
The National Space Centre provides education programmes directly
into schools for 40,000 students annually.
The Stardome is an inflatable planetarium that travels
from school to school and can accommodate up to 30 children for
a 50 minute show about the night sky. Up to six shows can be run
over the course of a day.
A simulated space e-mission, Operation Montserrat,
is carried out in the classroom with directions coming from
Mission Control at the National Space Centre via video conference.
Other video conferencing programmes, including Living
and Working in Space, The Solar System and Ask the Expert
are also available to schools across the UK and abroad.
Themed Loan Boxes, including Rocketry, Earth Moon
and Sun and Toys in Space, are available for hire to
schools on a weekly basis.
2.3 Teacher Training & Support
Programmes are far more effective if the teacher is fully
engaged in the subject, has a role to play in the workshop and
is committed to the pre- and post-programme coursework that best
exploits the achievements on the day of the visit or outreach
programme. The education team supports agencies such as Local
Education Authorities, SETPOINTS, City Learning Centres and Regional
Science Learning Centres in delivering their teacher training
programmes.
Education Preview Events are run as whole day or evening
sessions and allow teachers an on-site taster of all the educational
programmes that the National Space Centre has to offer.
Teacher INSET Sessions are run to direct and enhance
the teaching of space-related areas of the curriculum.
Curriculum-linked trails and background information are available
on the National Space Centre's website in a format that
allows teachers to print them off for use in the classroom and
enhance the exhibition learning experience.
2.3 Space News
An exhibition gallery called Space Now, with an associated
website, tells "today's news from space". An upgrade
of this facility in 2007 will help deliver the news via the latest
exhibition technology and with a dedicated team to deliver live
presentation every day.
The new gallery will include the development of a Mars
Yard in the adjacent research facility. This is a simulated
Martian surface on which space company Astrium plans to test its
prototype rover for the 2013 ExoMars mission, and on which school,
college and university groups will be able to carry out rover
building and testing workshops.
SECTION 3: CONTRIBUTION
& IMPACT
The National Space Centre delivers education programmes to
many young people and has much anecdotal evidence from teachers
and students that they are of high quality, fulfilling and enjoyable.
This section does not repeat or add to the anecdotal evidence
presented in other submissions, but seeks to summarise the National
Space Centre's quantifiable impact and recommendations as to how
this might be exploited.
3.1 Breadth of contribution (numbers rounded for simplicity)
Of the 50,000 school children that visit the National Space
Centre each year, 75% are from within a one hour drive time that
covers the wider Midlands region, and 20% are from a one to two
hours' drive time that reaches Leeds in the North to Gloucester
and North/East London in the South. The remaining 5% are from
further afield.
90% of these children are aged 8-14. 5% are under 8. 5% are
14-19.
10,000 teachers and support staff either accompany children
or attend teacher training.
The length of visit is determined by the distance of travel
but tends to be three to four hours. The majority of groups will
tour the galleries and take part in a trail or workshop. 8,000
children per annum take part in a Challenger Learning Centre space
mission.
In 2006 40,000 children took part in an outreach programme
at their school. 35,000 received a planetarium show in the inflatable
Stardome or completed a classroom workshop. 5,000 took part in
a video conference workshop or an e-mission.
60 children per term attend a two hour study support class
each week for ten weeks. These are children who either show a
specific interest in the physical sciences and are encouraged
to learn more, or children whose formal education needs additional
support in order to attain the required standard. The programme
has been running for four years.
The crew of Space Shuttle STS-121 presented the story of
its mission to circa 4,000 young people during a 10 day
tour of the UK organised by the National Space Centre in November/December
2006. This repeated a similar tour in 2003: the first time that
a full astronaut crew had visited the UK.
3.2 Challenger Learning Centre: impact
The National Space Centre has been the subject of several
studies looking at the impact of different space-themed learning
initiatives on the attitudes and cognition of students. 1.
Nearly 20% of the pupils showed an increased desire to become
scientists in the future... two months later they continued to
be more positive about being future scientist. 2. Studies have
shown that positive changes in attitudes towards science are retained
by over half of the participants, for months after a well organised
school education visit to the National Space Centre (Jarvis
& Pell, 2004).
3.3 Study Support: impact
Leicester City Council has, for the purpose of informing
this submission, completed two pieces of research to evaluate
the impact of study support.
The first is an attitudinal study to assess the impact of
the study support programme on the children's attitude to science
and enjoyment of the course. The results are in raw data form
at present but are very positive.
The second is an attainment study to compare the performance
of the children that have completed the study support programme
with the performance of a control group of children that have
not. The results will be available for the evidence session on
30 January 2007.
3.4 14-19 age group: future impact
The National Space Centre's current range of workshops has
been developed for the 8-14 age group. Some have been modified
for presentation to older children and to adults.
In 2007, and with funding from the Particle Physics &
Astronomy Research Council and East Midlands Development Agency,
a programme for 14-19 year olds called Career Pathways &
Workforce Development is being created. Its purpose is to
inspire young people to take a greater interest in science and
to consider course and career options that will help them become
the scientists and engineers of the future. A pilot workshop will
be tested October 2007 to March 2008 before the full programme
is integrated into the regular programme schedule.
3.5 Recommendations
The National Space Centre recommends that Government:
(i) reviews the contribution, and the potential contribution,
of the National Space Centre to the support of formal science
education, including teacher development, and in inspiring young
people to consider the course and career options that will help
them to become the scientists and engineers of the future;
(ii) considers the suggestion (ref Prof Alan Wells' submission)
that Leicestershire becomes a formal test bed for developing a
continuum of science learning from school to further/higher education
using the National Space Centre as the bridging partner; and
(iii) provides a rolling funding programme for the National
Space Centre to develop and deliver high quality education programmes
on a fully-costed basis and without recourse to subsidy from the
charity that runs it.
January 2007
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