Teachers timed out on science experiments

Children are being deprived of the chance to conduct experiments in their science lessons because teachers say youngsters are too naughty or that there simply isn't time, a poll published today reveals. Almost all – 96% – of the 1,339 science teachers and school technicians quizzed said they had had to drop plans to conduct an experiment in class. More than two-thirds – 69% – blamed an already full curriculum, while 41% said they were too busy testing pupils to have time for experiments. Almost three out of 10 – 28% – said they had abandoned plans to conduct experiments in class because of poor behaviour. The poll was conducted for the national network of Science Learning Centres, which runs courses for science teachers across the UK. Teachers said the experiments they had dropped included the breeding of fruit flies, once common at A-level, and demonstrations of a ripple tank and a Van der Graaf generator. A ripple tank helps pupils to visualise waves, while a Van der Graaf generator teaches pupils about static electricity. Teenagers studying for their GCSEs are less likely to be given the opportunity to conduct experiments in class than pupils who are in their first few years of secondary school, the poll found. While 63% of teachers of 11- to 14-year-olds spend at least 40% of their science lessons on practical work, this falls to 43% for teachers of 14- to 16-year-olds. Professor Sir John Holman, director of the National Science Learning Centre, the network's headquarters, said: "Learning science without practicals is the equivalent of studying literature without books. Experimental evidence is the mainstay of science and the UK has a very strong tradition of scientific practical work in schools. Activities such as ripple tanks, dissection and microbiology, which were once to be found in school science labs up and down the country, are becoming endangered species." Meanwhile, a study published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families yesterday found that 14- and 15-year-olds studying for the government's new diploma qualification are less likely to have a positive attitude towards learning than those on GCSE courses. Diplomas are designed to bridge the gap between academic study and vocational training. Those studying for diplomas are "significantly less committed" to learning than those not studying for the courses, the report – National Evaluation of Diplomas: The first year of delivery – found.