National Museum of Science and Industry consists of the Science Museum in London, the National Media Museum in Bradford, the National Railway Museum in York, Locomotion: the National Railway Museum in Shildon and the Science Museum in Swindon.

  1.  Our economy is dependent upon our ability to produce and retain scientists and engineers at all levels of their respective career paths. The potential opportunities of new technologies, like nanotechnology, will be lost if we do not have the graduate base to take forward research.

  2.  We are in a crisis with the take up of STEM subjects at school and students choosing physics and engineering in universities and colleges of higher education. The lack of degree level physics graduates means that physics is frequently taught by non-subject specialists. Students struggle to see what career opportunities are available for science graduates and the difficulty of the subjects coupled with a lack of understanding of how the subjects can be applied is a turn off for students.

  3.  There is much evidence that a child's experience of science at an early age can influence their attitudes and interest in the subject for the whole of their lives. Science in school is less "hands-on"" than many of us will remember it from our school days. The science centre network has a fundamental role in supporting and engaging students in informal learning outside school. The science centre network gives an unrivalled opportunity for students to participate in "hands-on, minds-on" science using the real phenomena and bringing out the excitement, theatricality and sheer enjoyment of investigative science in a way that is difficult to achieve in school laboratories and within the time constraints of formal lessons and curriculum requirements. School children lucky enough to be able to visit London have had this experience at the Science Museum or the Natural History Museum for over 70 years but there have been few opportunities outside London before the development of the science centre network, particularly post 2000.

  4.  Work in school is strongly reinforced by the experiences student garner outside schools. Informal learning both supports and can inspire students to be interested in science and often supports and solidifies learning in schools.

  5.  The new science curriculum gives greater opportunities for science centres to support teachers. Many centres have been running dialogue and debate events for a number of years. Ecsite has received funding to train science centre staff in running and facilitating dialogue and debate events. Teachers do not currently have that experience and the science centre network is uniquely placed to deliver this new curriculum.

  6.  Science centres do work effectively together when they are funded to do so but the funding is generally short term and does not enable them to demonstrate long-term effectiveness. The continuous struggle for revenue funding leads to energies being dissipated in fundraising to keep the doors open rather than centres concentrating on their core mission to engage young people and support learning in science subjects. Indeed poorly funded science centres without vigorous and exciting programmes and exhibitions act as a barrier to learning and reinforce students belief that science is "a going nowhere set of subjects".

  7.  At the NMSI Museums, but the Science Museum in particular, our outreach into schools and communities has produced some amazing praise from teachers and students. Outreach staff can provide positive role models who love science and revel in its possibilities; their influence with students should not be under-estimated. Students are enthusiastic about the outreach shows and workshops and teachers frequently are able to take new practice into their teaching. The demand for outreach far outstrips supply. Teachers are desperate for the kind of support that a fully functioning nation-wide science centre network can supply both in the science centres and in outreach into school programmes.

  8.  Proper use of the network could deliver significant targets to drive interest and take up of science subjects in schools. By acting together with an explicit national strategy the network could ensure that over 90% of school students could participate in visits, programmes, dialogue and debate initiatives. A clear and focussed strategy aligned to the science learning network and science learning centres that looks at opportunities for sustained targeted outreach together with support of teacher training is much needed.

  9.  Recommendations to best exploit the potential of the English Science Centre Network:

—  Put in place a five-year funding strategy allied to qualitative and quantitative targets for school and community programmes inside science centres and reaching out into schools and communities.

—  Develop and apply consistent data gathering across all organisations so that impacts and learning can be properly assessed and good practice applied nationally.

—  Use consistent programming across all sites to drive high value for money and use best practice at all times.

—  Work with the science learning centres and science learning networks to increase reach and impact for ALL users, students and teachers.

—  Identify and increase the use of best practice by accrediting good practice and training science centres to become accredited suppliers of best practice.

—  Ensure that the Olympic cultural programme identifies and supports science based activities demonstrating that science IS part of culture.

  With its national reach and expertise in delivering informal science learning, NMSI is happy to be involved in developing the existing network and facilitating any future discussions.

June 2007