Science CPD Programme - England

The government has stated a clear ambition for the UK to cement its place as a ‘science superpower’. This means that a secure and sufficient pipeline of pupils studying science subjects and performing well in them is needed. This pipeline begins with the provision of regular, high quality science lessons to drive performance at primary level, and continues throughout education.

Overall, A level exam entries in the sciences have increased significantly over the past decade, as have the number of students completing the EBacc science component. The challenge is not only to sustain this overall progress by supporting each stage of science education, but also to address the particular challenges that science education faces.

These are:

• The need to drive good outcomes for all and at all levels, especially following the impact of Covid-19 on learning, and in particular to address the disadvantage gap in performance at GCSE and A level.
• The need to continue driving participation in A level sciences, and in particular to pursue measures to tackle the longstanding low levels of uptake of A level physics, particularly by females.
• The need to bolster the confidence of primary science teachers in delivering all aspects of the primary national curriculum for science.
• The need to encourage science teacher retention (particularly physics teacher retention) in the context of high levels of turnover.

Supporting good quality teaching is paramount for addressing these challenges - both in terms of supporting effective delivery of lessons and subsequent outcomes and also for inspiring students to continue studying science subjects to a higher level. The department has committed to level up education standards across the country so that children and young people in every part of the country are prepared with the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need. This includes addressing the disadvantage gap in performance.

The department currently funds three programmes focussing on the delivery of CPD: the Science Learning Partnerships (SLP), Enthuse bursaries and the Stimulating Physics Network (SPN). These programmes have been running for several years with Enthuse bursaries starting in 2008, SPN in 2009 and SLP in 2005. The programmes have been successful in supporting teachers to deliver the high-quality lessons needed to facilitate a good supply of high-performing science students, but continued work is needed to meet the ongoing challenges outlined above.

The purpose of the new programme is to deliver CPD for the sciences to state-funded schools in order to raise the quality of science teaching and to support teachers. At primary level this should cover the teaching of primary science as part of the national curriculum, and at secondary level should cover the separate sciences of biology, chemistry and physics at key stage 3, GCSE and A level.

The department remains committed to the existing delivery model of bursary funding to provide targeted access to CPD and two separate school-led networks: Science Learning Partnerships, covering all three secondary sciences and primary science, and the Stimulating Physics Network giving targeted support to physics teaching in order to improve the take-up of A level physics.

To simplify governance, administration and contractual and grant funding arrangements and promote financial efficiency and consistency of approach, we have chosen to draw the three existing programmes into one new contract and with a single oversight and administration body.

In order to participate in this opportunity you must register on the departments e-sourcing portal 'Jaggaer'.