Top issues for reform in science education

In many respects science education in the UK is in quite a strong position. There is a strong culture of science in the school curriculum (though science is not as core as intended in England in 1989 when the National Curriculum was introduced). There have been substantial improvements to primary science in recent decades. The UK has a long tradition of practical work and in secondary schools, unlike in many other countries, this is backed up by a long tradition of technician support (though this is not as robust as used to be the case). We do well on international measures of attainment (PISA, TIMSS). We have quite good rates (compared to some other Western countries) of students choosing science once it is no longer mandatory, and overall the public has high trust in scientists and science (though there has been some recent attenuation). 

Nevertheless, I can see three areas that are ripe for reform. 

First, there is the issue of teacher retention. Teacher turnover has risen greatly since I qualified as a secondary science teacher in 1983. The job is now far more demanding than it was then. While some of the issues are expensive to remedy (teachers’ pay, in particular), others are not and could, and should, be dealt with rapidly. Despite failures to tackle the issue of teachers’ workloads and wellbeing, doing so is not impossible. We need teachers to be given more autonomy, and we need teachers to be protected from the perception that they can be contacted by parents at all hours. There are a host of specific improvements that could be made; for instance, we need all teachers to be provided with their own laptop. 

Secondly, curriculum changes need to be made but these should not be massive. There is considerable consensus among the members of SEPA (Science Education Policy Alliance) – Association for Science Education, Institute of Physics, Royal Society, Royal Society of Biology and Royal Society of Chemistry – as to what changes would benefit school learners. The emphasis should be on a sound understanding of the key concepts in science and how scientific knowledge is built up, and on maintaining student engagement with science 

Finally, we do need some assessment changes. One that would benefit many students would be to get rid of triple science. Two science GCSEs are quite enough (I have one science ‘O’ level). Triple science uptake is inequitable; it also squeezes out space for other subjects and is often taught in a way that is less enjoyable for students.