Science has been a designated core subject in the national curriculum alongside Mathematics and English since the Education Reform Act of 1988. As such, science education remains absolutely vital for all young people. There’s a general consensus that good science education involves pupils learning a body of knowledge relating to the products and practices of science. By learning about the products of science (such as atoms, electrons and cells) pupils are able to explain the material world and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about the world around them.
Within science, pupils learn how scientific knowledge becomes established through scientific enquiry. It’s anticipated that pupils will appreciate the nature and status of scientific knowledge, with the underlying understanding that science is open to revision and advancement in the light of new evidence.
A crucial factor in all things science relates to pupils’ ability to learn it while equally learning about its uses and significance to society as a whole - and of course, in reference to their own lives. They should be able to demonstrate the significant contribution science has made historically and is doing currently - from developing power generation to discovering penicillin. Pupils should now have the understanding and confidence to learn about the continuing importance of science in solving global challenges such as climate change, energy, sustainability, food availability, controlling disease and access to water - to name just a few examples.
Science education should also ensure that pupils can contextualise science and picture themselves in a diverse and valuable career which is crucial for economic, environmental and social development – especially green skills and green careers. A fundamental part of science education is ensuring teachers and technicians have the right skills, understanding and pedagogical support to deliver engaging, knowledge-rich lessons, while relating science to the world of work, research and innovation.
To meet the needs of science teachers and technicians at all career stages, STEM Learning, with direct support from DfE in the form of subsidies, delivers subject knowledge enhancement and practical primary and secondary science CPD at the National STEM Learning Centre in York. This is designed to:
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develop a secure understanding of concepts within the science curriculum as well as knowledge of a range of teaching, learning and assessment strategies
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align with teachers’ wider professional development frameworks, including the Early Career Framework and leading teaching national professional qualification
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be flexible, ensuring that teachers and technicians can easily access CPD based on their context and need
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include wraparound support before, during and after CPD, including peer-to-peer support via local networks as well utilising STEM Community
STEM Learning also has a network of 28 school-led Science Learning Partnerships (SLPs) across England that provide high-quality, responsive, subject-specific science CPD which build local expertise in science teaching at all levels. SLPs are your local curriculum hub for science, and support the specific local needs of teachers, departments, whole schools, Teaching School Alliances (TSA), and Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) across the primary and secondary curriculum.
We know the recruitment and retention of science teachers is a significant challenge. A study by the National Foundation for Education Research highlighted that almost a third of newly qualified science teachers in England leave the profession within their first five years.
The increased demand for STEM skills within the workforce saw the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee - led by STEM Learning’s Chair Baroness Brown – publish the results of their inquiry into the STEM skills gap in the UK. One of the four areas of focus was recruiting and retaining science teachers. A key recommendation was to increase the accessibility of CPD opportunities, especially in relation to shortage subjects.
As the largest provider of STEM education and careers support to schools in the UK, STEM Learning plays a central role in supporting science teachers. To understand how the CPD we offer impacts on teacher retention, we recently carried out an analysis of the School Workforce Census to examine how attending CPD courses we offer impacts on the likelihood of a secondary science teacher remaining within the profession.
The report published by STEM Learning’s Monitoring and Evaluation team demonstrates the impact our CPD has on the retention of secondary science teachers in England. A teacher who engaged with STEM Learning CPD is 155% more likely to be in the profession in the following academic year than a similar teacher who did not engage with this support. An engaged teacher is 151% more likely to remain in the profession one year later compared to a similar teacher who did not access this support.
In addition to core science CPD support, it is crucial that pupils contextualise the science education taught by excellent, high-quality teachers. Our amazing, inspirational STEM Ambassador volunteers are available now to visit classrooms in person or remotely. They’re from a broad range of employers, sectors, research and innovation backgrounds and offer their time, passion, and energy to visit schools, colleges, and youth group organisations.
High quality, high impact teacher CPD really is the key to ensuring a great science education and empowering and inspiring the STEM stars of the future.
Check out our high impact primary and secondary CPD - most of which is supported by subsidies.
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