Gatsby advocated for practical science in schools and colleges for over 20 years. In September 2017 we published Good Practical Science by Sir John Holman, which provides a framework for good practical science in schools. Using international visits, surveys and literature reviews, the report developed a series of ten good practical science benchmarks for schools to use when planning their own approach.
Every school should have a written policy that explains why teachers use practical science, the outcomes they expect from it and how they achieve those outcomes. The process of producing the policy is as important as the policy itself.
1 Planned Practical Science |
Every school should have a written policy that explains why teachers use practical science, the outcomes they expect from it and how they achieve those outcomes. The process of producing the policy is as important as the policy itself. |
2 PURPOSEFUL PRACTICAL SCIENCE |
Teachers should know the purpose of any practical science activity, and it should be planned and executed so it is effective and integrated with other science learning. |
3 Expert Teachers |
Teachers should have subject-specialist training (bothinitial and continuing) in the subject (biology, chemistry, physics etc) and age range they teach, so they can carry out practical science with confidence and knowledge of the underlying principles. |
4 FREQUENT AND VARIED PRACTICAL SCIENCE |
Students should experience a practical activity in at least half of their science lessons. These activities can be short or long, but should be varied in type. |
5 LABORATORY FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT |
Schools should have enough laboratories to make it possible for every teacher to do frequent practical science safely. Each laboratory should have sufficient equipment for students to work in small groups. |
6 TECHNICAL SUPPORT |
Science departments should have enough technical or technician support to enable teachers to carry out frequent and effective practical science. |
7 REAL EXPERIMENTS, VIRTUAL ENHANCEMENTS |
Teachers should use digital technologies to support and enhance practical experience, but not to replace it. |
8 INVESTIGATIVE PROJECTS |
Students should have opportunities to do open-ended and extended investigative projects. |
9 A BALANCED APPROACH TO RISK |
Students' experience of practical science should not be restricted by unnecessary risk aversion. |
10 ASSESSMENT FIT FOR PURPOSE |
Assessment of students' work in science should include assessment of their practical knowledge, skills and behaviours. This applies to both formative and summative assessment. |
A |
TO TEACH THE PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY |
B |
TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF THEORY THROUGH PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE |
C |
TO TEACH SPECIFIC PRACTICAL SKILLS, SUCH AS MEASUREMENT AND OBSERVATION, THAT MAY BE USEFUL IN FUTURE STUDY OR EMPLOYMENT |
D |
TO MOTIVATE AND ENGAGE STUDENTS |
E |
TO DEVELOP HIGHER LEVEL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES SUCH AS COMMUNICATION, TEAMWORK AND PERSEVERANCE |
Following the publication of Good Practical Science, Gatsby provided support for projects with organisations across the science education sector, to help promote and embed the principles of good practical science in the classroom.
Organisations we have worked with include: the Association for Science Education (ASE), British Science Association (BSA), CLEAPSS, Institute of Physics (IOP), the Royal Society, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), STEM Learning, The Salters’ Institute, UCL Institute of Education, University of York and Wellcome.
Experimentation gives science its identity. Science uses experiments to discover the realities of the world, and this practical approach is as intrinsic to young learners as it is to professional researchers.
Practical science is important for learning, not only because doing experiments is a good way to learn scientific ideas and theories. The UK needs more scientists, engineers and technicians if our knowledge economy is to flourish, and practical science shows students at first hand how scientists and technicians work. It engages students to follow science further, on academic or technical routes, and gives them practical skills and attitudes that will be valuable in their future careers.
Download the Good Practical Science report and its appendices using the links to the right.
Ensuring that practical skills form a central part of qualifications requires good quality assessment. In 2016 we funded the Royal Society to organise a conference exploring new research directions in the assessment of practical science. The conference report is downloadable here.
We are also partnering with the Wellcome Trust in a new funding scheme to support high quality research into how best to assess practical science skills in schools and colleges. Details of the scheme are available here.
Teachers and technicians are the cornerstone of good practical science taking place in schools and colleges. We have therefore supported several initiatives aiming to tackle some of the challenges teachers and technicians face.
We funded the design of a practical hub on the National STEM Centre eLibrary to help teachers find resources to support practical work more quickly, and the development of a STEM Ambassador training module that encourages STEM Ambassadors to make use of their practical skills when they visit schools. In addition, the Good Practical Science hub on the National STEM Centre eLibrary focuses on the Good Practical Science Benchmarks in turn, with resources to help teachers on their journey to meet each one in turn.
We have also advocated for the critical role school science technicians play in enabling good quality practical work in the classroom. To support their role we have: collected advice from experienced technicians to support new staff, funded CLEAPSS to publish up to date equipment buying guides, and worked with the National STEM Centre to produce case studies illustrating the value of developing the technical support within a science department. Local networks play a critical role in supporting and developing science technicians; we therefore funded the production of a technician network booklet aimed at encouraging technicians to start up their own network.
Science demonstrations can be memorable, emotive and engaging for students. To encourage and celebrate teachers choosing to use them, we supported the British Science Association to create a series of resources and organised Demo Day, a series of annual events encouraging teachers to try out new demonstrations as part of British Science Week.
Gatsby recognises that to achieve our ambitions regarding the supply of STEM skills to the UK workforce, we must ensure that young people are taught by well-qualified and motivated specialists.
Over the years, a number of Gatsby-supported programmes have resulted in successful large-scale national initiatives. Through carefully selected partnerships, we aim to deliver lasting outcomes in improved STEM education.
The Awards aim to highlight the importance of technicians in enabling high quality practical work in science.
On September 26 2017, we launched the Good Practical Report by Sir John Holman which outlines ten benchmarks to transform practical science education in England.
