SCORE responds to the Government's Call for Evidence for the National Curriculum Review

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday 15 April, 2011

SCORE calls for opportunity to bring coherence and consistency to the science curriculum

SCORE (Science Community Representing Education), the partnership representing the UK's foremost science education organisations, has submitted its response to the Department for Education's call for evidence in its Review of the National Curriculum.

The evidence calls for a 'cultured, coherent, consistent and authentic' National Curriculum to help students engage fully in modern life and develop rational explanations for understanding the world around us.

Before the next stage of the National Curriculum's development - which will involve consultation on the specific timing of scientific topics and the context within which they are taught - SCORE is offering its services to the Government and highlighting the guiding principles needed to ensure successful curriculum development.

Professor Graham Hutchings, Chair of SCORE, said: "This is an opportunity to devise biology, chemistry and physics curricula together to ensure students are getting the best experience of each, and the sciences as a whole, throughout primary and secondary education.

"Science is an effort to rationally understand the world around us and there are binding principles which, once understood, inspire and empower.

"Piecemeal reforms which have considered different key stages at different times have resulted in a lack of coherence and repetition between subjects.

"Students should be getting a grasp of the sciences' underlying principles so that, for example, they can see the relevance of the basic principles of chemistry when they are being taught life processes in biology.

"Collectively the scientific societies represented by SCORE contain a wide pool of scientific and educational expertise and we are able to take a holistic look at the sciences. 

"By bringing together the expertise within the SCORE partners with others, we can design a world-leading science curriculum."

A full copy of SCORE's response to the Review can be found at /media/7650/scorencevidence.pdf

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