The Nuffield Foundation convened two seminars involving science educators from nine European countries. The seminars were held in June and December of 2006. The seminars investigated the extent to which the issues of the decreasing interest of young people in science and technical subjects were common across Europe...

A report published by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee (the 10th report of the session 2005-06), it focuses on secondary education in England, with regard to: *student attitudes and choices, and the effect on the take-up of science at GCSE and beyond *teaching methods *the recruitment and...

A Catalyst article about training as a technician after GCSEs. With an apprenticeship scheme it is possible to start a career at 16, keep learning to acquire qualifications – and get paid. It is quite possible to obtain a permanent job at the end of the apprenticeship. Many different companies up and down the...

Science for the Young School Leaver was one of a series of informal publications by the Schools Council. Schools Council Working Paper Number 1 started a series to make widely available information about curriculum development projects while still in their formative...

This report from Ofsted focused on the initial teacher training (ITT) in science for primary teachers. The inspection survey took place during the academic year 2000/01. At the time recent inspections of primary initial teacher training (ITT) had focused on training to teach either english or mathematics and also...

The purpose of The Science of Learning is to summarize the existing research from cognitive science related to how students learn, and connect this research to its practical implications for teaching and learning.

This document identifies six key questions about learning that should be relevant to nearly...

In this Catalyst article the work of archaeologists working on the graves of World War One (WWI) victims is described. The total number of military dead in WWI is estimated at 8.5–10 million. In the mud and confusion, many of the dead did not have proper burials. Many temporary graves were destroyed by later...

This is a report of a SCORE workshop held in September 2011 at the Royal Society to explore the place of scientific enquiry in the national curriculum. The report summarises the main issues raised and describes the views of the participants. The workshop was chaired by Libby Steele, Head of Education at the Royal...

This report sets out the recommendations of an independent Review of Teachers’ Standards, chaired by Sally Coates. The review was launched by the Secretary of State in March 2011 with a remit to review the existing framework of professional standards for teachers. The Review Group comprises excellent teachers, head...

A Catalyst article about light pollution which is a growing problem, especially for astronomers, obscuring the view of the Moon, stars and planets. Astronomers are campaigning to reduce the pollution and bring the night sky back into view. With the aid of statistics the article makes the case for better street...

A Catalyst article about a group of young scientists testing scientific claims in advertising. The group thought many claims sounded implausible. They decided to hunt for the scientific evidence behind them and challenge the manufacturers to explain how the products work. The article outlines the investigations...

This report is the outcome of a project initiated by the Royal Society in August 2010. The project was prompted by a high degree of concern about aspects of the provision of education in Computing in UK schools. The project was guided by an Advisory Group that brought together individuals and representatives with a...

A Catalyst article describing how engineers have designed an aircraft which will produce much less noise as it approaches and leaves the airport. The Silent Aircraft Initiative is a collaboration between scientists and engineers at two universities, Cambridge (UK) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA...

This report, published by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) in 2008, is based on a survey of ABPI and UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) member companies to review the position three years on from a previous report called Sustaining the Skills Pipeline in the Pharmaceutical and...

A Catalyst article about the early microscopists, including Leeuwenhoek, Hooke and Swammerdam. Their work looked at the miniature world beyond human sight and through publications raised awareness of phenomena such as how insects functioned and how disease spread. The article also examines the use of simple and...