Memorandum 88
Submission from the Department for Education
and Skills
INTRODUCTION
1. The Government is committed to ensuring
that the UK has a strong supply of scientists and engineers and
that young people understand the importance and relevance of science
to the world around them. That is why it has made improving the
teaching and learning of science a high priority. Our ambition
is to create an education and training environment that delivers
the best in science teaching and learning at every stage. The
Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004-14: Next Steps,
published in March 2006, outlines a strong programme for stimulating
and improving teaching and learning, to improve pupils' enjoyment
of and attainment in science and the number of young people continuing
to study science at higher levels.
2. This memorandum looks at the action taking
place to improve science teaching and learning, including: the
Next Steps commitments; the school science curriculum,
curriculum enrichment activities; further education; plans for
ensuring that teachers are thoroughly equipped for, and can take
a flexible approach to, delivering the curriculum to inspire students;
the importance of space in the science curriculum; and support
for university research.
THE SCIENCE
EDUCATION CONTEXT
3. The Science and Innovation Investment
Framework 2004-14: Next Steps document published in March
2006 set new targets to:
— Increase the numbers of young people
taking A Levels in physics and chemistry so that by 2014, entries
to A Level physics are 35,000 (from 24,094 in 2005), and chemistry
A level entries are 37,000 (from 33,164 in 2005).
— Improve the number of pupils getting
at least level 6 at the end of key stage 3 (11-14 year olds).
— Improve the number of pupils achieving
A*-B and A*-C grades in two science GCSEs.
— Step up recruitment, retraining and
retention of physics, chemistry and mathematics specialist teachers
so that by 2014, 25% of science teachers have a physics specialism
(compared to 19% currently), 31% of science teachers have a chemistry
specialism (compared to 25% currently).
4. There is a robust programme of activity
underway to help meet these commitments including:
— Measures to boost the supply of qualified
science teachers, including a teacher training bursary of £9,000
and a "golden hello" of £5,000.
— Improving the quality of teaching
and learning through the National Strategies and the network of
Science Learning Centres.
— Piloting 250 after school science
and engineering clubs to offer an engaging and stretching programme
of activities to key stage 3 pupils with an interest and potential
in science.
— Giving more pupils the chance to
take separate GCSEs in physics, chemistry and biology (triple
science), for example through collaborative arrangements with
other schools, further education colleges and universities.
— Engaging more effectively with employers
and universities on how they can help support attainment and progression
in science to higher education and science careers through a model
of best practice.
— Expanding the Science and Engineering
Ambassadors scheme to support teachers and engage and enthuse
pupils to continue studying science. By 2007-08 the total number
of ambassadors will be 18,000, an increase of 50% since 2005-06.
— Working with key stakeholders to
develop ways to improve the awareness of young people and their
parents and teachers of the benefits of studying science and the
career opportunities available to those with science, engineering
and mathematics degrees and other qualifications.
5. This programme of activity will help
to improve the overall quality of learning and teaching within
our schools, inspiring pupils to pursue science education post
16 and to go on to careers in the field of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics.
THE SCIENCE
CURRICULUM
6. Worldwide, science knowledge is expanding
at an unprecedented rate and it is often difficult to predict
where the next advances will come. A good science education should
ensure that pupils have the skills needed to make sense of new
developments. All pupils need a sufficient understanding of science
and how it will affect their lives for the future. Those who will
go on to careers in, and related to, science also need a sound
preparation for further study and work.
7. The Government recognises the impact
that space can have on inspiring science learning in schools.
That is why the science curriculum enables young people to learn
and develop their knowledge and understanding about the sun, moon
and the solar system and how the universe began. In the process,
they learn to develop their practical enquiry and communication
skills.
8. The Relevance of Science Education
Project (ROSE) in England: A Summary of Findings (2006) explored
students' attitudes to, interest in and experiences of science
in the curriculum. It noted that overall, girls showed more enthusiasm
for topics related to self, such as health issues (like eating
disorders), mind and well being, and boys showed a stronger interest
in destructive technologies and events (for example, how the atom
bomb functions). The research also found that boys and girls shared
a common curiosity and excitement about the study of space (stars,
planets, black holes, space travel, etc), although boys showed
a slightly higher level of interest in this than girls.
9. The role of the DfES in the curriculum
is to set the strategic framework and ensure that pupils have
access to a broad, rich and relevant curriculum. The DfES provides
some funding for the development of resources and works with partners
to develop and deliver these. Currently, the DfES is working with
the science education community to develop support for teachers
on effective delivery of the new GCSE specifications, a model
of good teaching practice and models of effective collaborative
working between schools. These will be rolled out nationally on
completion. There is a wide variety of resources available for
use in schools and teachers are free to use their professional
judgement to select appropriate materials for their science lessons.
KEY STAGES
1 AND 2
10. The National Curriculum for science
requires pupils to begin to learn about space from as early as
key stage 1, where they learn about light and dark, and the role
of the sun as a light source. At key stage 2, pupils learn that:
the sun, earth and moon are approximately spherical; the position
of the sun appears to change during the day and how shadows change
as this happens. They also learn how day and night are related
to the spin of the earth on its own axis and that the earth orbits
the sun once each year and that the moon takes approximately 28
days to orbit the earth.
KEY STAGE
3
11. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
(QCA) has developed proposals for reforming the key stage 3 science
curriculum (11-14 year olds). The new curriculum will have a focus
on "how science works" whilst aiming to engage and inspire
all pupils and providing a sound basis for further science study.
QCA will be consulting on a draft from February 2007 and the new
curriculum will be introduced into schools for first teaching
from September 2008. It is envisaged that the key stage 3 curriculum
should enable pupils to: research, experiment and discuss; pursue
an independent enquiry into a scientific topic of interest to
them; use case studies as a basis for finding out about the applications
and implications of science and explore contemporary and historical
scientific developments and how they have been communicated.
12. In the current programme of study for
key stage 3, pupils learn how the movement of the earth causes
the apparent daily and annual movement of the sun and other stars;
the relative positions of the earth, sun and planets in the solar
system; about the movements of planets around the sun and to relate
these to gravitational forces; that the sun and other stars are
light sources and that the planets and other bodies are seen by
reflected light; and about the use of artificial satellites and
probes to observe the earth and to explore the solar system.
KEY STAGE
4
13. A new curriculum for science at key
stage 4 was introduced into schools in September 2006. It maintains
the breadth, depth and challenge of the previous curriculum, but
has a better balance between knowledge and understanding. It will
lead to new GCSEs, which pupils will sit for the first time in
Summer 2007. Among other things, pupils learn about the way science
and scientists work within society and the applications and implications
of science. They consider the relationships between data, evidence,
theories and explanations, and develop their practical, problem-solving
and enquiry skills, working individually and in groups. Pupils
also develop their understanding and skills in ways that provide
the basis for further studies in science and related areas. In
particular, pupils learn that the surface and the atmosphere of
the earth have changed since the earth's origin and are changing
at present; and that the solar system is part of the universe,
which has changed since its origin and continues to show long-term
changes.
A LEVEL
14. The A level subject criteria have been
revised and updated to reflect recent developments at key stage
4 without reducing the overall amount of content or demand. These
changes come into effect for first teaching from September 2008.
The A Level subject criteria for physics do not specify that space
must be taught in the curriculum, although it may be taught within
the context of specified areas of study such as momentum and quantum
theory.
PUPIL ATTAINMENT
IN SCIENCE
15. The number of children achieving a Level
4 or above in the key stage 2 tests has increased from 69% in
1997 to 87% in 2006. The picture is very similar at key stage
3, where 72% of pupils achieved Level 5 or above in 2006, compared
with 60% in 1997.
16. At GCSE, 50% of pupils got a good grade
(A*-C) in science in 2006, compared with 51% in 2005. 69% of pupils
at the end of Key Stage 4 took double science GCSE.
17. The GCSE achievement rate is very high
for pupils taking the single sciences. In 2006, 8% took physics,
of which 91% achieved a grade A*-C; 8% took chemistry of which
91% achieved a grade A*-C; and 8% took biology of which 90% achieved
a grade A*-C. Of the 534 entries for astronomy, 73% of pupils
obtained a grade A*-C.
18. The latest figures show that 23,657
young people took A Level physics last year. The figures also
show a gender imbalance, with 18,687 boys and 4,970 girls taking
the subject. There were 34,534 entries for chemistry and 46,624
entries for biology last year. In physics 95.7% of pupils achieved
a grade A-C last year, compared to 97% in chemistry and 95.7%
in biology. In 2006, 3,599 pupils took other sciences, a category
which included astronomy, of which 96.6% obtained grade A-E.
19. The Government has a set new target
for increasing the take up of physics overall—by 2014 entries
to A Level physics to be around 35,000 (from 24,094 in 2005).
The DfES is aiming to achieve this through a range of activity,
including working with the Institute of Physics and Science Learning
Centres on practical ways to encourage more girls to study physics
after the age of 16. We are introducing a statutory entitlement
to a course of study leading to two science GCSEs. The intention
is that at least 80% of young people will take at least two science
GCSEs. The Department is also exploring ways of improving the
information available to young people, their parents and teachers
about the advantages of continuing to study the physical sciences
after 16.
CURRICULUM ENRICHMENT
20. It is important that all pupils understand
the importance of science and how it relates to the world around
them. The DfES actively encourages schools to give their pupils
a broad range of experiences away from the classroom setting,
so they can place science into its everyday context. This includes
activity to encourage the study of science, and might include:
— visits to museums and other venues
that have a science focus such as a planetarium;
— field studies and learning about
the natural environment;
— observing the night sky;
— using online resources, including
webcam pictures and satellite images of astronomical phenomena;
— using the internet to find out about
current developments and issues in science, for example how human
health is affected by environmental factors;
— using an interactive software package,
the internet or CD Rom to explore the solar system or explore
environmental effects, or model the supply of electrical power
and energy loss in a house; and
— using simulations/spreadsheets to
explore models of atomic and molecular arrangements when studying
chemical and material behaviour.
21. The Government is also extending opportunities
in science to enable more young people to fulfil their potential,
including: encouraging collaboration between schools, between
schools and universities, and employers; and encouraging schools
to offer more enrichment activity, so that pupils can gain a practical
experience and better understanding of science at work.
22. The Science and Engineering Ambassadors
Programme, supported by the DTI and the DfES, sends around 12,000
role models to schools across the UK. The Programme includes a
diverse range of individuals from over 1000 different employment
backgrounds; including some several hundred Ambassadors from the
space, aerospace and the military sector representing companies
such as EADS Astrium, BAE, Smiths, and the global missile company,
MBDA, as well as a number of academic astrophysicists. There are
also a number of medical physicists and industrial chemists on
the programme. These enthusiastic volunteers go out into all types
of schools, inspiring the pupils and adding to the continuing
professional development of teachers. They play a key role in
the Government's overall strategy to increase the number of scientists
and engineers in the UK workforce.
23. SETNET, together with a consortium of
partners including Science Learning Centres, The British Association
for the Advancement of Science, Ecsite-uk (the National network
of science centres and museums) among others, are developing and
delivering the after school science and engineering clubs pilot.
The clubs will provide a range of enrichment activities for pupils.
They will engage with a range of partners representing industry/business,
Regional STEM Support Centres, and Science and Engineering Ambassadors.
We envisage that the clubs will be an excellent vehicle for promoting
and delivering enrichment activity, including learning about space.
The intention is that the clubs will provide a sustainable and
best practice model that can in future be adopted widely throughout
the school system.
24. The DfES gave approximately £600,000
over three years from 2003 to 2006 to support the Dill Faulkes
Telescope Project, a joint project with the Economic and Social
Research Council. The project enabled schools to have online access
to two giant telescopes in Australia and Hawaii, where they could
observe live astronomical phenomena. Given the sheer size of the
sky, students from different schools were able to observe different
parts of the sky, making an important contribution to astronomical
research.
25. In partnership with the DTI, the DfES
has also funded the National Space Centre in Leicester with approximately
£354,000 over three years (2003-06), as part of our Millennium
Science Centre support funding. The Particle Physics and Astronomy
Research Council received £8,500 in 2005-06 from the DfES
to help the fund a project manager to take forward its space education
initiatives.
26. In 2004, the DfES became a consulting
partner of the British National Space Centre (BNSC), offering
strategic advice to help move the BNSC educational work forward.
Together with the BNSC we worked with the Particle Physics and
Astronomy Research Council to produce classroom teaching resources
for the Cassini-Huygens probe to Saturn and Titan in 2004. The
DfES has also attended UK Space Advisory Council meetings and
helped to bring about co-ordination and focus to the diverse range
of space education activities with Government education policy.
We recognise the need to continue to work in close partnership
with the BNSC, and will be meeting with BNSC colleagues in the
near future to explore how we can build on our existing relationship.
FURTHER EDUCATION
27. Both science and engineering have been
included in the National Teaching and Learning Change Programme
for the further education sector. This aims, through offering
world class resources and subject specific regional networks,
to encourage the exploration of new and innovative teaching methods
and professionally trained and qualified subject learning coaches
within institutions, to transform the learning experience of students.
28. The Quality Improvement Agency, which
manages the programme, recently visited the National Space Centre
to explore what opportunities it was able to support in relation
to developing further resources for learners. The meeting
was successful and there is a possibility that space and the space
centre will feature in future materials.
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT (CPD) FOR
TEACHERS
29. Research into the qualifications and
deployment of secondary science and mathematics teachers (carried
out by NFER for the DfES and published in January 2006) found
that, 44% of secondary science teachers have got an initial specialism
in biology, 25% have got an initial specialism in chemistry and
19% an initial specialism in physics. The study established that
although there was no shortage of science teachers overall, there
were shortages of those with physics and chemistry specialisms.
The Government recognises the need for improvement between the
balance of specialisms, and has set a target for increasing the
number of teachers with a physics specialism to 25% by 2014 and
with a chemistry specialism to 31% by 2014. A range of recruitment
and retention measures have been put in place to achieve this.
30. The DfES has also funded the Training
and Development Agency for Schools to develop and pilot a CPD
programme, leading to an accredited qualification to give existing
science teachers without a physics or chemistry specialism the
deep subject knowledge and pedagogy they need to teach these subjects
effectively.
31. The National Strategies are a major
provider of science CPD. They have developed a variety of blended
learning strategies to support science staff's professional development
such as:
— Subject leader development meetings
to develop teaching approaches and provide stimulus and support
to subject leaders who can then disseminate to their staff.
— Resources which are self directed
(eg science pedagogical pack) which are designed to build capacity
for schools to provide their CPD.
— Consultancy support in school in
which consultants work over a period of time with staff to develop
and improve teaching practice through coaching, mentoring, in-class
support and departmental training as appropriate. This is particularly
focused on underachieving schools.
32. Recently the Secondary National Strategy
has focused its science strand on improving teaching practices
in particular areas that pupils and teachers may find challenging.
For example, specific knowledge areas like geology or improving
particular scientific enquiry skills, such as written scientific
explanation and graphical interpretation. It is also providing
opportunities for teachers to improve their assessment skills
and ability to deal with the demands of improving behaviour in
science lessons. Other current areas of work include identifying
and promoting effective practice in interactive teaching, including
imaginative use of practical work and support to increase the
number of young people achieving level 6+ at key stage 3.
33. The DfES is also supporting CPD for
teachers on practical work through the national network of Science
Learning Centres (a £51 million initiative, joint funded
with the Wellcome Trust). Courses cover aspects such as making
science relevant and exciting, subject specialism and inspiring
practical work. Subject-specific CPD is also available to help
keep teachers up to date with their pedagogical skills so that
they can teach their subject effectively. The training focuses
on encouraging innovative and exciting teaching practice that
will enthuse and inspire young people. Science Learning Centres
also offer specific courses aimed at helping teachers to deliver
the space element of the science curriculum more effectively.
34. In conjunction with the National Space
Centre and PPARC, the Science Learning Centre East Midlands designed
a fully funded course where teachers spent a day during the Easter
vacation at the European Space Research and Technology Centre
in Noordwijk, Holland, with a follow-up day at the National Space
Centre. The course, aimed at secondary science teachers wishing
to update and enhance their knowledge, teaching of space and related
topics such as citizenship, was a huge success.
35. In March this year, the Yorkshire and
Humber Science Learning Centre is running a one-day course about
the fundamentals of astrophysics, including the origins and expansion
of the universe, gravitation, measurement and scale and will also
outline some of the more recent advances in astrophysics. These
topics fascinate pupils, particularly as they are regularly featured
in the media and science fiction. The course will be relevant
to teachers delivering key stage 4 science but will also be appropriate
for post-16 physics teachers.
36. During its launch event, the Yorkshire
and Humber Science Learning Centre hosted a live videoconference
from space, with the International Space Station, enabling pupils
to have live conversations with astronauts.
37. The London Science Learning Centre in
collaboration with the International Space School Educational
Trust, is running a course entitled "Space Camps". The
course looks at how space camps can be run in after school or
lunchtime clubs, at weekends or during the school holidays. The
course is built around stimulating, hands-on, multi-media based
student activities that utilise state of the art aspects of the
human space programme. The course is based around five themes:
planning a mission; understanding the solar system; rocketry and
propulsion; living in space; and, landing and living on other
planets.
38. The National Science Learning Centre
is running a course entitled "Space and the Universe".
The course will give secondary school teachers a chance to work
alongside research and applied scientists and engineers. Participants
will experience space activities to enrich the learning of their
pupils and to explore pupils' misconceptions about gravity and
how these can be overcome. The course will enable teachers to
plan better how they can use space to make science more engaging
and attractive in their own school.
DFES SUPPORT
FOR UNIVERSITY
RESEARCH
39. With the Office of Science and Innovation
(OSI) in the Department of Trade and Industry, DfES provides the
main funding for the university research base in England, through
the "dual support system". As the Committee will know,
under this system OSI, through the Research Councils, provides
funding for individual research projects, and DfES, through the
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) provides
funding to universities to help support their overall research
base.
40. The DfES arm of "dual support"
is delivered as a block grant and universities have—and
highly value—flexibility to use it as they think best to
further their individual research missions. It is therefore up
to them to decide whether or not to use any of this funding in
support of space research and associated subjects. Funding is
informed by assessment of research quality and is consequently
known as Quality Related (QR). Assessment of research quality
is currently made via the peer review based Research Assessment
Exercise, which the Committee has examined in previous inquiries.
41. Following consultation with the sector,
the Government recently announced (in the pre-Budget report on
6 December) new arrangements for research assessment to replace
the Research Assessment Exercise after the next exercise in 2008.
The new process, of which HEFCE is now undertaking the detailed
development, will use a combination of statistics relating to
research income and student numbers and a bibliometric (statistic
relating to research publications) to assess science, engineering,
technology and medicine subjects, including those relevant to
space research. The aim of the Research Assessment Exercise and
of the new research assessment process is the same: to identify
research excellence in all its forms and wherever it is found.
DfES agrees with DTI that academic excellence is a key strength
of the UK research base, and our policy continues to focus on
allowing that excellence to thrive in all areas of research.
42. Today there are 130,000 more young people
studying for science related degrees than in 1997-98. Overall,
the Government is raising science spending by over £1 billion
in 2007-08 compared with 2004-05. This is on top of an additional
£1.25 billion investment in the previous Spending Review.
The Government is now spending over £10 billion a year on
higher education, 20% more than in 1997-98.
January 2007
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