Decline of the physicists
23 Mar 2011 by Evoluted New Media
Nearly 500 schools and colleges in England failed to enter a single candidate in A-level physics according to a new report released by the Royal Society.
Nearly 500 schools and colleges in England failed to enter a single candidate in A-level physics according to a new report released by the Royal Society.
The society is calling for A-levels to be overhauled to tackle the declining number of teenagers studying sciences, suggesting an A-level-based baccalaureate would allow students to study science and maths alongside other subjects.
The report – Increasing the size of the pool – found just 17% of 16-18 year-olds in England took one or more science A-levels in 2009; 90% of Scottish schools and 43% of schools in Northern Ireland put forward candidates for physics. Though the actual numbers of teenagers taking sciences in England grew by 8% between 2005 and 2009, it fell as a proportion of the age group.
It noted a sharp fall in the number of selective schools putting forward candidates for physics. In 2005, every private school in the UK had physics candidates: in 2009 this dropped to 89%.
“What makes this trend especially worrying is that historically, the independent sector has been the major provider of physics undergraduates to many of the UK’s leading universities,” the report says.
The decline in establishments offering physics, plus the difficulty in finding new physics specialists to replace retiring teachers, may reflect the economic pressures colleges are under not to provide classes for small numbers of students, the report says.
British universities produce fewer than 10,000 home-grown science graduates a year, the report suggests, because the standard three choices at A-levels limits the number of students applying for science degrees. Too few take the two sciences and maths required by the universities.
“At a time of economic uncertainty, when science and scientists can play a key role in revitalising the UK’s financial outlook, it is deeply worrying to find that numbers of A-level science students are at such low levels,” said Dame Athene Donald, chair of the Royal Society Education Committee.
The report suggests the introduction of a baccalaureate – similar to the recently announced GCSE English Baccalaureate – which would allow students to study more maths and science alongside other subjects. It says many students would welcome the chance to study a wider range of subjects at A-level, suggesting the current system is not fit of purpose.
Schools minister Nick Gibbs said: “As other countries make vast improvements in science and maths education, the UK continues to fall down in international league tables and we now languish 27th in the world for maths and 16th for science.”
The government is looking for ways to attract the best maths and science graduates into the teaching profession, as well as improving continued professional development for teachers in all subjects, he said.
The Royal Society report follows Simple Science, a government report which found that although there has been a rise in the number of students taking three sciences at GSCE, emphasis was placed on how to pass exams rather than creative scientific learning.
