Culture, Media and Sport CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by the Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust is pleased to respond to the Committee’s inquiry into the future of the Science Museum Group (SMG). The Science Museum and its subsidiaries have an enormously important role as national institutions to inspire, educate and engage visitors about science.

The Wellcome Trust has awarded nearly £25 million to the Science Museum over the last 30 years, including £17.8 million for the development of the Wellcome Wing in 2000 and, more recently, £2.5 million for the renewal of the “Who am I?” biomedical galleries. We are also currently collaborating with the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) which will display the Wellcome Collection’s contemporary science exhibition, “Brains: The Mind as Matter” from July 2013, for the first time outside London.

There are two reasons why the SMG is important for the UK. First, science museums, and the SMG, have a vital role in informal science learning. Even when in full-time education, young people spend under 20% of their waking hours in school. There is immense scope for using the out-of-classroom time to improve learning in science.

In 2012, the Wellcome Trust commissioned research into the nature and impact of informal science learning, from Stanford University and GHK consulting. The review noted the importance of science museums for stimulating interest in science, building learners’ knowledge and skills as well as their appreciation of the social, cultural and historical contexts of science. The rich, multifaceted nature of museums broadens participants’ knowledge and understanding more widely, enabling young people to develop their communication skills and nurture their creativity. Specific evidence about the value of museums to learning includes:

A study of 762 secondary school pupils visiting museums found that 60% of pupils achieved higher marks in a post-visit assessed piece of work compared to three pieces of assessed work they had completed prior to the visit.1

The PISA 2006 study shows that extracurricular activities relate to better performance, enjoyment and more positive attitudes to science. Schooling and childhood experiences contribute 17% of the variance in adults’ science knowledge; adult informal learning experiences contribute 39%.2

Exposure to informal science learning opportunities available in museums can encourage and inspire young people to consider studying science at university. This is particularly important to deliver the next generation of scientists, which will be crucial for the UK’s economic recovery. The Social Market Foundation currently suggests there is a shortfall of 40,000 STEM graduates each year.

Science museums have a particularly important role for children from deprived backgrounds. Researchers have demonstrated that there is a “summer learning gap”: while learning gains during the school academic year were comparable for low and high socioeconomic status students, approximately two-thirds of the difference in learning between these groups could be attributed to the learning experiences over the summer months.3 Greater use of learning opportunities in informal settings such as science museums and centres could help to make up this deficit. However, this will only be achieved if freely available access to science museums is maintained.

The pressure of funding reductions has recently raised questions about freely available access to science museums and the SMG has talked openly about the threat of closures. We were extremely pleased to see that the Spending Round announcement limited the reductions to national museum funding to 5%, while maintaining the Government’s commitment to free entry. We will watch with interest the detail of the allocation for the Science Museum and the SMG.

The second key role of the Science Museum is to be the nation’s flagship public science institution. As such, it is important that the quality and content of the Science Museum’s galleries and exhibitions are commensurate with the quality of the UK’s outstanding scientific output. For UK and overseas visitors, the Science Museum is the lens through which they see the UK’s overall place in science. Although there are many excellent galleries, some of them clearly need major up-grading and investment.

In order to fulfil its dual role as a place of informal learning and as a UK flagship, the Science Museum must have sustainable and flexible funding to allow it to plan strategically, to maintain and upgrade existing displays to a consistently high standard, and to continue to deliver its highly effective programme of educational services and visitor activities. The Science Museum has successfully built partnerships with a wide range of funders and sponsors and it must continue to have the freedom to operate commercially to develop a sustainable business model for the long-term. We therefore welcome the Government’s announcement to pilot new operational freedoms to help museums take independent decisions and build self-generated income.

Given the importance of the SMG, both for informal learning and to inspire the public about science, it is essential that it has a strong champion within Government. Responsibility for the SMG currently rests with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), but it will be important to marshal support from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education, which both have clear interests in the SMG’s work. We are concerned that opportunities to support informal science learning are not given enough priority because of the lack of a coordinated approach within Government.

We would be happy to discuss these issues further with the Committee.

July 2013