“The Department for Education has focused its resources
on improving pupil take-up and achievement in school science and
maths, and has made good progress in areas such as A-Level maths
and GCSE Triple Science. To make further progress, what’s needed is
a more joined-up approach, bringing together key success factors
into more coherent pathways that maximize successful results and
efficient use of public resources.”
Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, 12
November 2010
A National Audit Office report published today
has found that the Department for Education has made good progress
in improving take-up and achievement in areas such as A-Level maths
and GCSE Triple Science. However, there has been less success in
increasing the number of science teachers, improving take-up of
A-Level physics and raising the standards of school science
facilities.
There is evidence that pupils taking Triple
Science GCSE are more likely than those studying combined science
to choose science subjects at A-Level and to achieve higher grades.
While starting from a low base, pupil take-up of the three
individual sciences has increased by almost 150 per cent in the
last five years. However, by June 2009, almost half of secondary
schools still did not offer Triple Science.
Take-up of chemistry and maths A-Level has
already exceeded the targets for 2014 set by the Department, but
take-up of physics A-Level has increased only slightly since
2005-06. Achievement increased across all science subjects and
maths at A-Level between 2002-03 and 2009-10.
Until recently, the Department had a target to
ensure that all school laboratories were up to a good or excellent
standard by 2010. However, it did not collect routine data to
measure progress against this target, and the most recent research
available found that science facilities were inadequate in around a
quarter of secondary schools.
Although recruitment of science graduates to
train as specialist teachers has increased, the Department is not
on course to meet the targets set by the previous Government for
recruiting more mathematics and physics teachers by 2014.
Take-up of initiatives to encourage pupils to
study science and to improve achievement is high, although there
are regional variations and a small number of schools are not
accessing any. The Department has made progress in rationalizing
the plethora of initiatives previously available.
Publication details:
HC: 492, 2010-11
ISBN: 9780102965537