In response to Alison Wolf’s letter (“We know the score with science,” 18 January), Science Community Representing Education (Score) fully agrees with the recommendation made in the Wolf report that funding for full-time learners aged 16 to 19 should be on a programme basis, with a core level of funding per learner. This will remove the perverse incentive for providers to “pile up” qualifications rather than develop genuinely full-time programmes that offer clear progression routes. Our concern regarding the removal of subject weighting is a separate issue. We believe that, if implemented, this will have a substantial impact on the science provision on offer at 16-19 institutions. We have published our letter to schools minister David Laws highlighting our full concerns (bit.ly10oqKx4). We are also gathering evidence on the impact this change is likely to have.

Professor Graham Hutchings, Score chair.