School science needs more money, not more practical exams

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/09/school-science-needs-more-money-not-practical-exams

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I can only assume that Paul Nurse and the other scientists, educators and universities trying to reverse Ofqual’s decision to remove practical science from the overall grade for GCSE and A-level science (Letters, 7 February) have not been into schools and seen what is actually going on. Trying to ensure pupils are awarded marks that represent the skills they have and are comparable with other schools is an impossible task that causes staff and students enormous stress and wastes huge amounts of time. Removing these exercises in jumping through hoops will free up schools to include more, not less, challenging and relevant practical work. Teachers know that practical work is one of the most motivating aspects of science courses and are not going to stop doing it.

There are far greater threats to practical work in science. The desperate underfunding of science in state schools is leading to ever-increasing class sizes. Schools are finding it ever more difficult to offer salaries which will attract people with qualifications in science into the teaching profession. It would really help science teachers if our senior scientists would concentrate their efforts on addressing these real threats rather than trying to reinstate a completely discredited system of practical assessment.Keith StrachanLancaster

• Paul Nurse writes with the authority of his position as president of the Royal Society on the necessity of providing young people with the skills of practical understanding of science. From the perspective of the primary school there is a widespread recognition that opportunities need to be provided where children can learn not just science but how to become scientists. Lab_13, a space where children run their own experiments, is a model of how this can work.Rick HallNottingham