Morning, Monday, 22nd March 2027
Online
This conference will examine next steps for reforming the science curriculum in England. Planned areas for discussion include curriculum content and sequencing, practical science, assessment and accountability, access to triple science, the specialist workforce, and preparation for teaching the revised national curriculum from September 2028.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to consider the implications for science education of the Curriculum and Assessment Review and the Government’s response published in November 2025, alongside the forthcoming revised national curriculum and the development of subject content for reformed GCSEs. Delegates will assess approaches to strengthening coherence across primary and secondary science, reducing content overload, and clarifying expectations for practical work. Discussion will also consider the relationship between substantive knowledge and scientific enquiry, and the proposed changes to climate science content.
The planned agenda will consider the implications of reform for science qualifications and assessment, including the balance between recall, application and problem-solving, and the transition to revised GCSEs, with first teaching of the first reformed qualifications expected from September 2029. Attendees will examine proposed changes to Progress 8 and Attainment 8, following the Department for Education’s consultation, and their implications for science provision and subject choice. They will also assess requirements for widening access to triple science ahead of a statutory entitlement, taking account of differences in schools’ staffing, timetabling and laboratory capacity.
Further discussion will focus on teacher recruitment and retention, professional development, technician support and the resources required for effective implementation. Delegates will also consider differences in attainment and participation linked to pupils’ backgrounds and gender, drawing on findings from PISA 2025 results. The agenda will also examine progression into post-16 study, technical pathways and employment, and how schools, professional and learned societies, employers, universities and government can coordinate support for curriculum delivery and longer-term participation in science.
Overall areas for discussion include:
- curriculum design & sequencing:
- addressing overload and unnecessary repetition - strengthening progression between phases - climate and environmental education
- contextualising scientific learning - the range of scientists, examples and perspectives represented - maintaining disciplinary rigour
- implementation timescales and school readiness for September 2028 - curriculum resources and support - application of the national curriculum to academies
- scientific knowledge, enquiry & practical work:
- the relationship between substantive knowledge and scientific enquiry - expectations for purposeful practical work
- laboratory and technician capacity - digital and video-based resources to support practical learning
- assessment & accountability:
- balance between recall, application and problem-solving - approaches to assessing practical skills - arrangements for equation sheets in reformed physics and combined science GCSEs - examination burden
- maintaining standards and public confidence - implications of proposed changes to Progress 8 and Attainment 8 for science - learning from international benchmarking and PISA 2025 findings
- triple science & subject choice:
- preparing for a statutory entitlement - staffing, timetabling and laboratory constraints
- differences in access between schools - variation in participation across biology, chemistry and physics
- workforce capacity & professional development:
- recruitment and retention of subject specialists, particularly in physics - links between specialist teaching and attainment
- support for primary teachers and non-specialists - retraining and subject knowledge enhancement - sustained subject-specific professional development
- attainment, participation & equity:
- attainment and engagement - early identification and support for pupils falling behind
- barriers associated with pupils’ backgrounds and circumstances - gender differences in attainment and subject choice
- evidence of continuing effects of disrupted learning on attainment and practical experience
- post-16 pathways & careers:
- progression into further study, technical education and employment - participation in A level biology, chemistry and physics
- access to work experience - careers information and communication of STEM pathways
- the place of science in broader post-16 study programmes - developing the scientific knowledge and skills needed by employers and the wider economy
- partnerships & wider scientific experiences:
- collaboration among teachers, families, subject leaders, industry, universities and professional bodies - access to science outside school
