This booklet was written to provide a guide to the National Curriculum for students in compulsory education, those aged five to sixteen. Published in 1989, it examines the legal requirements of the curriculum in the light of the Education Reform Act (ERA) of 1988. Chapters aim: • to show how the ERA requirements...

This report, prepared for the Wellcome Trust in January 2008, presents the results of an audit of in-service training accessed by science teachers across regions of the UK. The data gathered provided a picture of what training was available, and the uptake of training.

Key findings showed various causes for...

In 2015-16, the regional Network has been found to have sustained a strong upward trajectory in the amount of CPD that it is delivering, increasing its level of CPD delivery by 45% compared to 2014-15, and surpassing the levels of CPD delivery achieved in previous years.  

The Network has also forged new...

Published in July 2015, this report from the ISOS Partnership evaluates the implementation and impact of the third phase of the National Science Learning Network’s regional programme.

The full collection of STEM Learning impact and evaluation research reports can be viewed...

These Department of Education National Strategies resources explore behaviour and attendance, taken from the Core Day 1 training sessions. The files cover: *Advice on whole school behaviour and attendance policy *Tutors notes: session 1 - review policy *Tutors notes: session 2 - implement policy *Tutors notes:...

These Department of Education National Strategies resources explore behaviour and attendance, taken from the Core Day 2 training sessions. The files cover: *Behaviour and Attendance: effective practice *Tutors notes: session 1 - focusing on solutions *Tutors notes: session 2 - developing staff skills *Tutors notes...

These National Strategies resources from the Department of Education explore behaviour and attendance. The files cover: *Developing emotional health and well-being: a whole-school approach to improving behaviour and attendance * Monitoring whole-school practice to promote positive behaviour and attendance: guidance...

A Catalyst article providing examples of some drugs derived from natural substances. Many drugs which are commonly used today are similar to naturally occurring compounds which have been used for centuries to treat illnesses. Chemists have identified and purified these substances. By determining their molecular...

A Catalyst article about the Open-Air Laboratory (OPAL) project. Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) is an England-wide initiative that has received a grant from the Big Lottery Fund to bring scientists and local communities closer together. The project hopes to uncover new insights into the world by encouraging people to...

This paper published in 2011 presents a case for extending partnership models of science teacher development in the UK through establishing a more formal networks of schools, universities and science learning centres. It uses social capital theory to argue that teacher learning is not simply about cognitive...

A study published in 2012 showed that possessing greater general knowledge about the brain does not appear to protect teachers from believing in “neuromyths” – misconceptions about neuroscience research in education. A study in Frontiers in Psychology found that teachers who are interested in the application of...

This document was published by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills in December 2011, and sets out the programme of work required to take forward the reform of FE and skills system for adults aged 19 and over in England. The report was based on the principles set out in Skills for Sustainable Growth...

A Catalyst article investigating what nitrogen and its compounds are used for. Nitrogen is colourless, odourless, non-toxic and inert, and has a wide range of uses. Nitrogen makes up seventy eight per cent of the Earth’s atmosphere by volume and has a considerable influence on respiration in plants and animals. The...

This Catalyst article looks at the work of field ecologists, discussing how ecological studies require the gathering and processing of large amounts of data. This article looks at how ant populations are studied in the field and how their study can produce information about the way living organisms exist in the...

This Catalyst article looks at OIF (Ocean Iron Fertilization) a process of pouring iron into the oceans. The theory behind it is to slow climate change by using a process that already occurs naturally. Nature has a way to draw carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air down into the ocean. If the process could be speeded up...