During the period covered by this report, many primary schools were in the process of improving their programmes of work in science. Much of this improvement was in response to the publication of Improving Science Education 5-14 and the consequent revision of the national 5-14 guidelines for Environmental Studies in 2000.⁵ In many cases, primary schools had adopted well-structured commercial science schemes or frameworks developed by education authorities. Primary school programmes were good or very good in 54% of schools compared with 42% over the period 1995 to 1998.
In the period between November 2002 and November 2003, 70% of the primary schools inspected had good or very good programmes. This recent improvement in primary science programmes should now begin to produce benefits in terms of pupils' learning and attainment.

In secondary schools, science departments had focused their efforts on the implementation of National Qualification (NQ) courses for S3 to S6 pupils. These were generally very well developed. There had been significant improvements in the overall quality of separate science courses. At S3 to S6, 57% of courses were very good and 39% were good compared with 40% and 55% respectively over the period from 1995 to 2000. Improvements to Science courses in S1/S2 had taken place more slowly. At S1/S2, 6% of courses were very good and 75% were good, compared with 10% and 60% respectively. At all stages, the additional funding and support provided for schools and education authorities through the Scottish Executive's Science Strategy for Scotland⁶ has played an important part in the improvement of courses.

Features of effective courses at all stages

Effective courses:

• took appropriate account of pupils' progress and prior experience and attainment;
• were well planned to make good use of time, and ensure steady progress and time for revision;
• had clear learning objectives and assessment criteria which were shared with pupils and used to guide teaching;
• included relevant and challenging content, including practical work, that captured pupils' interest and developed the full range of investigative skills; and
  emphasised recent developments in science and their applications, including the benefits and risks to society.

Features of effective courses at P1 to P7

Effective courses helped pupils make appropriate progress in each of the main areas of science covering Earth and space, living things and the processes of life and energy and forces. Pupils' experiences of science were frequent enough to enable them to retain and build upon prior learning. Some schools gave a clear place to science in the curriculum by requiring pupils to write up their science work in jotters, rather than on sheets of paper, which in turn improved standards of presentation. Teachers gave equal importance to developing pupils' investigative skills and their knowledge and understanding. Teachers received clear guidance on the work to be covered and practical advice on tackling specific activities. Their plans specified what pupils were expected to learn, and in the best cases teachers shared these objectives with pupils. Worksheet materials were used sparingly and reviewed critically to ensure that tasks were relevant and challenging for pupils. Teachers were careful to involve pupils in using everyday materials, artefacts and specimens. They made good use of the school grounds and visits to places of interest such as country parks, museums and science centres. These approaches helped pupils to view science as important and relevant, and to develop positive attitudes towards the environment. Pupils frequently engaged in experiments that developed a range of investigative skills as well as encouraging initiative and independence.

Main areas for improvement in courses from P1 to P7

Whilst programmes of work in science were good or better in the majority of primary schools, there were some important weaknesses in a large minority of cases. The most common weaknesses were:

• science lacked a clear place in the curriculum, and was too infrequent to enable pupils to make connections with earlier work;
• insufficient continuity and progression in the development of pupils' knowledge, understanding and skills, sometimes resulting in unnecessary repetition of earlier work; and
• a lack of balance across the key areas of science, leading to gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Features of effective S1/S2 courses

Effective S1/S2 courses took account of pupils' prior learning in primary school, including their skills of literacy and numeracy. This helped teachers to set realistic expectations of individual pupils from the start of S1. In some cases, education authorities had developed coherent programmes of study from P1 to S2, which were being implemented across primary and secondary schools. This was most effective where all associated primary schools had met and agreed programmes of study in order to ensure greater consistency of pupils' experiences. Cluster planning of this sort enabled secondary schools to build on pupils' prior learning thus avoiding the need for a 'fresh start' approach. In the best practice, schools had worked closely with their associated primary schools to agree which aspects of science would be taught at each stage. In a few cases, secondary teachers were directly involved in providing science lessons for primary pupils or in working alongside primary colleagues. Such steps reduced the need for unnecessary repetition of work when pupils entered secondary school. This created time to include more up to date aspects of science, further investigative work and opportunities to talk about science. Many courses included science 'thinking skills' which helped pupils to solve problems, analyse and evaluate evidence and draw conclusions. In a few cases, primary teachers had agreed to begin this approach in P6/P7 or even earlier.

The best courses included the following features:

• agreed content coverage across a cluster of schools;
• key areas of contemporary science, including genetics, microelectronics, astronomy and earth science, and up to date examples of applications of science in society;
• practical work weighted towards open-ended investigations, supported by the teaching of 'thinking skills';
• effective strategies to meet the needs of different groups of pupils, including the most able and those with additional support needs; and
• suitably challenging, varied and purposeful forms of homework.

Features of effective courses at S3 to S6

Effective science departments ensured that the courses they taught prepared pupils thoroughly to meet the requirements of external examinations set by SQA. Departments provided staff with helpful written guidance on course structures, time-lines, resources, learning and teaching approaches and assessment. They also made available a range of additional materials and resources which staff used selectively to consolidate and extend pupils' learning as necessary. Arrangements documents, which included learning objectives, were often shared with pupils. This allowed them to take greater responsibility for their own learning. All these strategies helped to ensure consistency of approach across classes and that the course structures followed closely SQA advice and assessment requirements. Effective courses took due account of the need to cover key course elements and included regular opportunities for pupils to practise and develop appropriate investigative skills. Homework tasks were given regularly to consolidate learning and replicated the types of questions offered in external examinations. In the best departments, courses included opportunities to consider the benefits and risks associated with applications of the sciences, including moral and ethical implications.

At S3/S4, a significant number of schools had replaced Standard Grade Science with Intermediate 1 or Access 3 courses in one or more of the separate sciences. In some, but not all, cases these courses were proving successful in meeting pupils' needs, mainly because the content was more relevant and up to date. Early indications were that, in some schools, pupils were responding positively to these courses and were showing improved motivation and progress. Teachers were being well supported in the implementation of these courses by the provision of good quality national exemplary materials. Other schools had taken advantage of curriculum flexibility and successfully replaced Standard Grade courses in the separate sciences with equivalent Intermediate 2 courses. These courses, run over two years, gave teachers more time to consolidate understanding and to include optional activities such as fieldwork and visits. This had also freed up some time by removing the need to cover Standard Grade content which did not articulate directly with Higher provision in the sciences.

At S5/S6, schools had responded very well to implementing NQ courses thus enabling them to meet a wider range of pupils' needs and aspirations. Most schools offered biology, chemistry and physics at two or three levels and an increasing number offered human biology because of its vocational relevance. A few schools had also introduced new courses in biotechnology and managing environmental resources.

In many schools, senior managers, guidance staff and principal teachers made effective use of attainment information to advise pupils on course choices appropriate to their prior levels of attainment. This information included the use of grade-point averages from Standard Grade to help predict minimum targets for pupils in S5/S6. In effective schools, staff took time to explain course admission procedures and used induction time well to share key information and expectations with pupils. In the best courses, teachers ensured that all aspects were covered and that delivery went beyond minimum SQA assessment requirements. This was true both of knowledge and understanding and the development of investigative skills.

Main areas for improvement in courses at the secondary stages

The greatest need for improvement continued to be at S1/S2 where there were important weaknesses in about a quarter of schools. Failure to capture pupils' interest and to challenge them at these stages was constraining the uptake of sciences at later stages and pupils' subsequent attainment.

The most significant weaknesses at S1/S2 were:

• insufficient planned progression due to a lack of collaboration between associated primary and secondary schools in implementing an agreed science programme suitable for P1 to S2;
• a lack of structured and effective approaches to differentiation which ensured that all pupils experienced regular success and achieved their potential;
• insufficient emphasis on modern aspects of science, and on developing the full range of investigative skills through practical work;
• excessive, and unselective use of, worksheets;
• less frequent and challenging homework than in other subjects; and
• too little use of ICT by pupils to support their learning, and in processing and presenting scientific information and data.

At S3/S4, important weaknesses continued to be found in a number of Standard Grade Science courses. These weaknesses included too little use of direct, interactive teaching, an over-emphasis on worksheet-based activities and limited practical work. In addition, too many courses failed to provide Credit level work for higher attaining pupils. Much of the content, examples and approaches in the course were now dated and inappropriate. The replacement of Standard Grade Science with NQ courses had not been entirely successful in meeting the full range of pupils' needs. The high failure rate, including No Awards at Intermediate 1 was of particular concern.

In the separate sciences at Standard Grade, too many pupils were attempting both Credit and General levels with inappropriate prior experience and attainment. Sometimes, pupils who were clearly experiencing difficulty, were routinely expected to undertake Credit level work. This was inappropriate to their learning needs. At S5/S6, too many pupils were still opting to study, and fail, courses which were too demanding for them. Despite the availability of Intermediate 2 courses, it was disappointing that the proportion of No Awards at Higher had shown only a slight decline in some courses and no change in others.

Curriculum development and associated continuing professional development (CPD)

Across the sciences, and particularly at S3 to S6, it is proving increasingly difficult to keep the content of courses up to date and relevant to the needs of society. The existing model of curriculum development, which allows for subject updating on a 10- to 20-year cycle, is unable to take account of the unprecedented rate at which developments in science and technology are taking place. All science courses contain content which is out of date or which does not use recent evidence to reflect current understanding of contemporary issues. A more responsive model for curriculum development needs to be found which will allow a cycle of continuous updating and reform to be implemented.⁷ It is relatively easy to devise a modern science curriculum. The challenge is to turn well-intentioned aspirations for the science curriculum into reality in every classroom or laboratory where science is taught.

As a consequence of the almost exponential growth of scientific knowledge and associated investigative skills, it has not proved possible for science teachers to keep professionally up to date with developments in their subjects. Many science teachers in their 40s and 50s are required to teach content which they may not have covered in their university training, either because it was outwith their specialist field or because new knowledge has been acquired. This problem will only continue to grow with each new generation of science teachers. Understandably, science teachers require to have opportunities for hands-on experience of new and innovative protocols before they will allow pupils to practise such techniques in class. Some teachers have taken advantage of very good opportunities for subject updating provided by professional bodies, higher education and industry. These include residential summer schools as well as shorter events, aimed mainly at subject and pedagogical updating. However, many teachers are unable to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities. There is a need for a clear strategy to ensure that all teachers of science in Scotland benefit from high quality professional updating of this kind.

The age structure of the science teaching force is also a matter of concern. About 75% of science teachers are over the age of 40 and more than one in three are over the age of 50. Many will retire in the foreseeable future and will need to be replaced. Applications to teach physics and chemistry are barely enough to meet current demands and this problem will only worsen as more science teachers retire. In addition to attracting sufficient science teachers, it is also important that teacher education institutions ensure that their pre-service programmes prepare new teachers for the likely demands of any outcomes of the review of science 3-18.