1.  The Field Studies Council (FSC) is a pioneering educational charity committed to bringing environmental understanding to all. Established in 1943, the FSC has become internationally respected for its national network of 17 education centres. The FSC provides informative and enjoyable opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to discover, explore, be inspired by, and understand the natural environment.

  2.  The FSC welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Inquiry into the Funding of Science and Discovery Centres which can play an important role in providing an exciting and memorable science experience for young people and in providing them with an opportunity to enjoy education outside the classroom.

  3.  Good quality residential fieldwork and outdoor learning helps to improve education standards. Despite this, fieldwork provision in science and biology is declining in British secondary schools. A minority of 11-16 students will now venture outside the classroom and even in A-level biology nearly half the students will do no fieldwork, or will only have a half-day experience near to their schools.

  4.  Recent surveys by the Science Museum and Awarding Bodies have shown consistently that practical hands on activity, visits and excursions are the most enjoyable aspects of science education. The FSC believes that the decline in outdoor learning has a negative effect on the number of pupils choosing science at A-level and that if the Government wants to attract more young people to scientific careers, science needs to be made more attractive to GCSE pupils and A-level students.

  5.  The decline in outdoor science learning and fieldwork is now extending to universities and appears to be leading to a shortfall in people with the practical skills needed to support biodiversity and teaching related careers and activities. It also undermines the potential to raise the level of informed environmental awareness at a time when there is an increasing demand for students, volunteers and the general population to be aware of their impact on the world around them. This is a strategic weakness for the Government because a great majority (76%) of its biodiversity field programmes—including those which are meeting EU statutory compliance needs—are dependent on volunteers.

  6.  Outdoor learning makes a real difference in enthusing and inspiring young people about science. Therefore science and discovery centres can fulfil an important role for students to develop their understanding of science as an evidence-based discipline and to acquire the hands-on experimental skills that are an essential part of scientific inquiry. More importantly, there can be reinforcement between the affective and the cognitive, with each influencing the other and providing a bridge to higher order learning.[2]

  7.  The FSC is concerned that the Government does not appear to fully recognise the positive impact of science centres and fieldwork on learning. For example in an answer to a Written Parliamentary Question Bill Rammell, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education said: "No formal assessment has been made to gauge the contribution science centres make to students choosing to pursue science- based university degrees and careers."[3] We feel it is crucial more understanding is sought on the benefits science centres and fieldwork can bring to young people.

  8.  The Government should address the low priority that is given to fieldwork and outdoor learning throughout the curriculum. Field experience remains optional and is weakly promoted in 14-16 (GCSE) and A level (16-19) science/biology curricula. This contrasts strongly with geography in which fieldwork is compulsory. As a result, FSC research has shown that GCSE geography pupils in secondary education are ten times more likely to take part in a residential field course than biology pupils.

  9.  There is also a major reliance on payment by parents/guardians, and this may exclude a large group of pupils from the benefits of residential courses. Children who fall outside the normal social services support for low income families probably suffer most because they do not get financial help and have to pay the full parental contribution for visits.

  10.  Teachers are pivotal to the success of science and discovery centres so more needs to be done to train them so they are able to support out of-classroom teaching. Many science, especially newly qualified, teachers have come from laboratory or desk-based disciplines so are not confident in taking students out of school.

  The FSC therefore proposes that:

The Government should do more to recognise the positive impact that science and discovery centres have on young people. This involves looking beyond simply the provision of funding and considering other issues which play a vital role in encouraging and promoting science and discovery centres. These issues include helping teachers gain the confidence to take students out of the classroom and make senior management aware of the benefits of these actitivites. There is also the issue of a low priority being given to outdoor learning throughout the curriculum and the high costs of fieldwork for parents/guardians.

June 2007

3   House of Commons Hansard Written Answers, 20 July 2006. Back