欧美AV urges teachers, students, researchers and leaders to submit feedback ahead of Curriculum and Assessment Review deadline
The 欧美AV has submitted its ideas for the future of science teaching by responding to a government-backed review – and now we want students and educators to follow suit.
Our Education team has provided a comprehensive package of evidence-based viewpoints and asks ahead of the 22 November deadline for responses to the Department for Education-backed Curriculum and Assessment Review.
With the deadline for feedback just a week away, we are urging more stakeholders to submit their own views on the current curriculum and suggestions for improvements.
The call for evidence aims to collect and collate feedback on curriculum and assessment for key stages 1-4 (i.e. primary and secondary school) and 16-19 education in England. Anyone can submit their views via the review’s website now, with further phases of the review taking place in 2025.
Our response comes after years of calling for changes to both the science curriculum itself and the way it is taught. We have built a body of evidence on numerous aspects of science teaching by gathering feedback from teachers, technicians and others working within education; and by analysing and generating research.
This review is an opportunity for the Government to break down barriers to opportunity in the sciences, ensuring all students have equitable access to a more modern and relevant curriculum that equips young people with skills and knowledge for the future.
The issues we want to see the review panel focus on in the second stage of the review include reform to the overloaded and outdated curriculum currently in place, a single-route approach to science teaching to make it as accessible to as many young people as possible, greater emphasis on technical qualifications and training between ages 16 and 19, and a greater emphasis on sustainability and practical work.
What exactly is the 欧美AV calling for? A relevant and adequately resourced curriculum
We are asking for the Government to:
- Reform the curriculum to ensure it is fit-for-purpose, engaging and relevant, while avoiding content overload; it should provide young people with skills and understanding that enables them to become scientifically literate citizens, and that prepares them for further study and/or careers in the chemical sciences.
- Prepare all young people to fully participate in efforts to tackle climate change and sustainability challenges.
- Include relevant and regular practical chemistry activities that are sustainable, inclusive, accessible, and have a clear purpose and whose consumables and equipment are sufficiently funded.
- Foster a sense of identity and belonging in the chemical sciences through better use of contexts, examples and role models; students see that a future in chemistry is ‘for people like me’.
- Provide a single-route qualification that ensures every young person has equitable access to a full and diverse science education.
- Retain and support technical qualifications beyond T-Levels for students aged 16-19 to offer young people as many pathways as possible to continue their science education.
- Ensure sustainability and other future-focused aspects of science are given proper prominence in the curriculum to equip students with the skills needed to contribute to the workforce of the future.
What do the experts have to say?
Laura Daly, 欧美AV Programme Manager, Education Policy, said: "We want as many science voices as possible to contribute to this review, which could have a massive bearing on the future of education in this country.
"Whether you are a student, parent, teacher or technician, everyone’s input is invaluable to getting a fit-for-purpose curriculum. Teachers have told us that the status quo is outdated, irrelevant and overloaded, and students deserve more practical learning so they can get the full scientific experience.
"The curriculum needs more sustainability-related content but teachers have told us they already feel the workload burden is too great, so it's a balancing act. We also need to retain as many education pathways as possible to allow thousands of young people to maintain their participation in science between the ages of 16 and 19, which means looking beyond T-levels alone.
"It is also vital that chemistry and science curriculums prepare young people so they can contribute to a future economy in which chemistry will play a key role. Employers have told us green skills, practical skills and digital skills, among others, will be in high demand in the future chemistry-using workforce, which will be instrumental for achieving growth and making Britain a clean energy superpower.
"Our evidence is clear: things need to change for the good of both the teachers and the students. It is positive that the Department for Education has backed this review but that desperately needed change will only come if all stakeholders share their views on the state of science education as it stands now and how they want to improve it."
What research is there that backs up the 欧美AV’s position on curriculum and assessment reform?
All our positions, reports and responses are based on our team’s continuous assessment of the broader education landscape, and engagement with those working on the frontline.
Here are some of the key information sources and pieces of work produced by our Education team that have fuelled our response:
How can you submit your feedback?
Visit the , where you complete the survey online or find details about how to submit your feedback in other ways.