One of the most pressing issues for science education in schools is the difficulty in recruiting and retaining science teachers. I’m a chemistry specialist but I find myself teaching more physics, for example.
The curriculum is also a major barrier, being overly packed with content, leaving insufficient time for students to truly engage with and enjoy science. There’s a stark contrast between the interactive and practical approach often adopted in key stage 3 and the content-heavy focus in key stage 4, which can suck the joy out of the subject.
Yet we do have applied science courses, like the Btec Level 3, which I also teach. This allows for a more career-driven approach and the opportunity to invite external speakers, enhancing student engagement and demonstrating real-world context.
While I appreciate that we should have high expectations for all of our students, the emphasis on the English Baccalaureate and the role that science has within it means there are few viable alternatives to GCSE science for schools. This creates a significant cohort of students who don’t think science, or a career in science, is accessible to them.
Chemistry: inspiring students with real-life science
I’m a strong advocate for the importance of subject knowledge and passion in teachers. I believe teachers need time to engage with their subject beyond the curriculum by doing things like attending lectures to reignite their enthusiasm, which they bring into the classroom.
I’ve been really encouraged by initiatives run by the Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS). It provides access to real-life scientists and research, which is invaluable for giving students context about careers and what working in science is truly like. My involvement with IRIS has personally broadened my subject knowledge and has positively impacted my A-level teaching.
In one instance, an IRIS project inspired a student, who was initially being pressured towards medicine, to pursue chemical engineering and engage in university research. I was delighted to see them inspired to pursue that path and it could only have happened with that exposure to real chemistry.
The KS3 curriculum definitely needs reviewing, and overlaps with geography could be explored to allow more time for investigative work, the development of scientific skills and preparing the next generation to play their role in tackling climate change. Fostering inquiry and allowing students to take ownership of their learning in KS3 would lead to better scientists at the GCSE level.
I’ve seen a clear example of a successful strategy that introduces research projects to Year 7 students upon their arrival, focusing on space, a topic with broad scientific connections, including chemistry, that is not heavily assessed later.
Our school has not been able to offer triple science for several years due to logistical constraints, and personally I have a certain degree of scepticism about its value as a transitional step to A level. Much of the triple content is revisited in Year 13 anyway.
If you select students for triple science, that can inadvertently create a barrier, making those in combined science feel that science isn’t for them. I’d prefer to see the triple science curriculum include more relevant content, possibly related to research. Above all, we need to avoid saying no to any student who wants to pursue science.
At our school, the introduction of 100-minute lessons has been a game changer for science, allowing for more developed lessons and practical work.
As for changes in the national curriculum, beyond a lighter KS3 curriculum with more focus on inquiry, I believe there are overwhelming discrepancies between exam boards that can demotivate students.
There are ongoing discussions about reducing exam pressure and reviewing assessment styles - changes that could be beneficial for science education - but, for me, they will barely paper over the cracks that have widened in my 15 years of education.
David Fairclough is head of science at St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
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