‘School science prescriptive’ says report

Students in a third of secondary schools are given a limited opportunity to design and carry out scientific experiments says a government report into science education.

While the report – Successful Science – praised the rise in the number of teenagers taking separate GCSEs in biology, chemistry and physics, it found too much emphasis was placed on preparing students for their exams in a third of secondary schools visited.

“Too much of the practical work was prescriptive, with students merely following instructions,” the report said. “These schools were often influenced too much by the specific ways in which practical work and scientific enquiry skills were assessed for GSCS sciences, and as a result, were less concerned with providing opportunities for wider-ranging investigations.”

The reports suggested that while some secondary schools were offering an increased range of courses for 14-16 year olds – including the option to take triple science – others pushed pupils into taking less academic vocational science courses, restricting their chances of studying the subject at A-level.

“In a few schools, large proportions of students, or even the whole cohort, were entered for BTEC science with an associated rise in GCSE-equivalence point scores for the school,” the report said. “This approach means that some students were not able to access the more academic courses that would have matched their ability and aptitude more effectively.”

In around two-thirds of schools visited, the achievement in science was rated either good or outstanding, with teaching rated good in around three quarters. More outstanding teaching was seen in secondary than primary schools, but both benefitted from the scrapping of Sats taken by 11 and 14-year olds. The report said this “freed teachers to be innovative in planning their teaching and in enriching the science curriculum.”

However, the report suggests that at a primary level, children’s grasp of science was undermined by the lack of expertise among teachers, who often lack a maths or science background.

“This report highlights what the best schools are doing to ensure science courses prepare pupils for continuing education, training and living in a technological society,” said Christine Gilbert, chief inspector. “This should be a stimulus to better practice and improvement.”