Science education in England

[3] For students aged 16 years (the upper limit of compulsory school age in England, but not compulsory education as a whole) and over, there is no compulsory nationally organised science curriculum for all state/publicly funded education providers in England to follow, and individual providers can set their own content, although they often (and in the case of England's state/publicly funded post-16 schools and colleges have to[4][5][6]) get their science (and indeed all) courses accredited or made satisfactory (ultimately by either Ofqual or the QAA via the qualification boards).

Gillard also mentions Bede's Ecclesiastical History, here science (in the form of astronomy) was already part of the curriculum in the early schools of the 600s.

Like pre-university education, science at Oxford University was initially taught in the form of astronomy (as part of the quadrivium).

Elementary schools were defined in law in England through a series of Acts of Parliament[7] which made education compulsory and free for children up to the age of 11 (later increased to 12).

[7][13] This was by far the single most important development for science education in schools in England in the nineteenth century from a British parliament point of view.

To the first question, Twisleton writes: There were noticeable opinions on the issue of science education from contributors that wrote to the committee to express their views.

By raising the school leaving age to 16, this formed the basis for creating a nationally organised science curriculum and education in England.

It was this Act that established the National Curriculum and made science compulsory across both secondary and primary schools (alongside maths and English).

As a result, the science curriculum at KS1 should be more or less plants and animals, and materials, with the emphasis on what can easily be seen or described by feeling things.

Hazards and dangers of certain scientific experiments (such as feeling things after they have been heated) should be drilled into pupils; necessary precautions against such dangers/hazards are taught.

[25] In addition, individual senior schools may have exams for entry into other years; for example, 14+, 16+ (for post-16 or ‘KS5’ study); details of which they give on their websites.

The skills and knowledge that should have been acquired from the practicals are subsequently assessed in the GCSE exams, which for most boards are entirely written (as alluded to earlier).

Following recent changes, a student can go for one of two routes if taking AQA combined science: trilogy or synergy.

The trilogy GCSE exam itself is made up of six papers (each one hour and fifteen minutes): two for biology, two for chemistry, and two for physics.

Unlike trilogy, each of the two parts in the synergy specification document [2] is broken down into ‘areas’ that enable biology, chemistry and physics to sit together.

The GCSE combined science A exam is made up of six papers (each one hour and ten minutes): two each for biology, chemistry and physics respectively.

The exam itself is made up of four papers (each one hour and forty-five minutes): one each for biology, chemistry, physics and combined science respectively.

Following the changes to GCSEs, only one route is available to the student that takes Edexcel or Eduqas combined science.

A search tool for only Ofqual approved list of subjects and their boards can be found at Ofqual: The Register[9]; the list can also be downloaded from the site, while a search tool for only QAA approved access to HE subjects can be found at Access to Higher Education[10].

Some RQF level 3 students may use the KS5 science subjects they study for entry into higher/degree apprenticeships or university-level vocational training.

Typically, further education colleges admit adult returners, although some universities may offer distance learning courses.

In addition to satisfactory passes in science subjects at RQF level 3, the learner also has to have passed mathematics and English at RQF level 2 standard (typically GCSEs or equivalent with minimum (or equivalent minimum) grades of 'C' or '4'); providers of university-level education give details on their websites.

Like post-16 or KS5, this is also highly varied, disparate and specialised, but more so, as a student may choose to study 'one' science, which s/he will subsequently study in depth for three or more years; the summative assessment leads to a degree (of which for science in England today is typically RQF level 5, 6 or 7; if it is level 5, the qualification is called a foundation degree).

Practical science at university-level can be quite extensive and by the time of the dissertation project, the student may well be doing complex experiments lasting weeks or months unsupervised (although s/he will still have a supervisor on hand).

The challenges of establishing a national curriculum for science below university level in England over the last two centuries have been explored by Smith (2010)[10] and others.

This sounds strikingly similar to the situation facing science (and indeed all) school teachers in England today; a hundred years later.

Another challenge was that there was not an appreciation by the political elite on the value of a science education to the wider public;[10] despite the fact that England was producing some of the greatest scientists in the world.

Exceptions are permitted, but prior to September 2017 (and in the case of postgraduate master's degrees, September 2016), these UK-government-backed loans for those in England that already had honours degrees were only available for them if the courses they were going to study led to professional qualifications such as medicine, dentistry, social care, architecture or teaching.

[56] It remains to be seen whether the direct interventions by the UK government help alleviate the general skills shortages in STEM subjects, as well as the challenges of delivering a science curriculum and education in the long-term.

The prevailing politics or government and social norms could be issues for university science education; for example, the priorities of the Early Middle Ages (also known as the Dark Ages) following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire could have been challenges to the development of university science (in England),[57] as could have been the attitudes and beliefs of the same period.