As anyone familiar with the ASE will know, we have long been champions of the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Good Practical Science report, which provides a framework for good practical science in schools and colleges. At the heart of their recommendations is that all schools should have a policy document explaining the purposes, outcomes and methods of using practical science in their teaching - and that the process of producing the policy is as important as the policy itself.

The ASE’s Making It Happen project supported Benchmark 1 (planned practical science) in the report by producing resources for use by science departments to help them consider different aspects of writing and reviewing a policy for good practical science. The resources were released in 2019, and last summer we spent considerable time evaluating their impact, the findings of which are presented in a new report.

We encourage all members to take the time to read the document, and reflect on whether its findings could be relevant to your school or college...