AT-BRISTOL: A CASE STUDY

1.  Executive Summary

  1.1  Recent reports have highlighted the serious decline in young people taking science and technology courses, and therefore the effect this will have on numbers entering careers in science and technology related industries. If the UK economy continues along its present path and which to be successful demands an ever better educated and skilled workforce, this decline in the knowledge base of its population could be catastrophic. At-Bristol is committed to addressing this issue head-on, and through its activities is making a significant difference to the interest in and understanding of science by the audiences it engages with.

  1.2  At-Bristol is a centre of excellence for active discovery based learning in the South West. As a registered charity, At-Bristol's primary objective is to advance the education of the public in science, technology, natural history and the environment.

  1.3  In order to achieve its primary objective, At-Bristol's Trustees are committed to creating new and better opportunities for students and citizens to learn and engage with science and technology by:

—  Producing innovative hands-on interactive exhibitions for permanent show within Explore, its science centre, and as temporary, touring exhibitions.

—  Delivering engaging workshops, events and programmes.

—  Providing high-quality Continuing Professional Development for science educators.

—  Creating learning opportunities for students of all ages and from all sectors of the community.

—  Facilitating wider public engagement with science and technology.

—  Reaching audiences locally and more widely through regional and national outreach programmes and international partnerships.

  1.4  Like most science centres, At-Bristol operates under a business model based on a diverse income mix of:

—  ticket sales and ancillary services;

—  the return received on its service assets (rental, venue hire and car park); and

—  fundraising.

  It is able to generate between 80-90% of its needed annual income, relying on fundraised income to close the operating deficit and develop new exhibitions and programmes. To date, At-Bristol has been able to bridge the fundraising gap of £1.5 million through a series of one off solutions, accessing a number of competitive grant sources, some central government funding and a more generous Gift Aid scheme.

  1.5  As a result of all of the above sources of support being removed or substantially reduced, At-Bristol was forced to review its business model. As a result of this review, the Board of At-Bristol took the decision to significantly reduce its operation and close two of its activities, Wildwalk (At-Bristol's natural history attraction) and an IMAX cinema.

  1.6  At-Bristol is now focused on delivering programmes and exhibitions in:

—  Explore, At-Bristol's science centre containing over 150 permanent interactive exhibits, a Live Science zone, a 500m2 temporary exhibition space and a dedicated education suite, including laboratories, classrooms and ICT facilities.

—  The Planetarium, containing a 90 seat auditorium in which visitors can watch presenter-led seasonal night sky shows beneath an immersive domed screen.

  In 2004, At-Bristol secured the contract to establish the Science Learning Centre South West, and works with the Universities of Bristol and Plymouth to deliver high quality continuing professional development for everyone involved in the teaching of science in primary and secondary schools and in FE colleges. The Science Learning Centre South West now forms a separate but integral part of At-Bristol's operations.

  1.7  Like all science centres, At-Bristol needs to embark upon a regular course of refreshment, in order to attract new and repeat visitors. It also needs to develop its innovative programmes in order to achieve its educational objectives. For this it needs support. Unlike most science centres around the world, science centres in England do not receive regular central government subsidy. Two major Millennium funded projects have already closed. Several others, like At-Bristol, have had to significantly refine and reduce their operations. At-Bristol urges the Science and Technology Committee to make a long term commitment to science centres in England.

MAKING SCIENCE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL—THE ROLE OF AT-BRISTOL

2.  Producing innovative hands-on interactive exhibitions and developing engaging events and programmes

  2.1  Through its exhibitions and associated programming spaces, At-Bristol is able to improve the provision of information and encouragement of young people. At-Bristol's exhibits are hands-on, interactive and investigative, promoting exploration and learning in science. They provide the user with an opportunity to actively engage with scientific phenomena.

  2.2  Its experienced in-house exhibition design and development team has redeveloped and renewed its permanent exhibitions and created an impressive portfolio of temporary exhibitions. All of the temporary exhibitions were developed to tour, thus increasing the reach of the science centre. At-Bristol is currently developing Inside DNA, a 350m2 touring exhibition exploring current and future trends in human molecular genetics and genomics research. The exhibition, funded by the Wellcome Trust, aims to provide the tools to enable citizens to make informed choices and to enter the debate on both personal and societal levels. The exhibition will be accompanied by associated engagement programmes.

  2.3  At-Bristol's Live Science exhibition and programme space encourages a deeper understanding of contemporary science and provides a forum for dialogue and debate. Its Meet the Expert sessions allow for greater communication between and understanding of the research community by the wider public. With funding received from Awards for All, At-Bristol and the University of Bristol's Neuroscience Group hosted Mind Matters, a week-long event that aimed to raise awareness of brain science. After completing public engagement training, 40 scientists engaged with over 450 school children and family visitors to raise awareness of the latest brain science research.

  2.4  Controversial fast moving science subjects and ethical issues can be quickly addressed and incorporated into At-Bristol's offer through its News and Views pods. Situated within the Live Science zone, the pods allow visitors to understand, form opinions of and respond to science in the news.

  2.5  In order to provide opportunities for the public to access science through alternative media, At-Bristol hosts lectures, debates and has worked with several local theatre companies to stage science drama productions. Last year, for example, At-Bristol worked with the Full Beam Theatre Company to host The Man Who Discovered That Women Lay Eggs, a production telling the story of the discovery of the human egg by Karl von Baer in 1827.

  2.6  At-Bristol has also been involved in innovative, ground breaking initiatives to improve visitor interaction and understanding including Learning on the Move, a project investigating the use of mobile technologies (PDAs) in learning. Led by At-Bristol, the project was the largest of its kind in the UK and involved partnerships with the National Space Centre, Leicester and The Fitzwilliam Museum, the University of Cambridge's art museum.

3.  Creating learning opportunities for students of all ages and from all sectors of the community

  3.1  Through its formal learning programme, At-Bristol is able to enhance the national curriculum and enrich school science teaching. At-Bristol's learning department delivers 30 workshops to over 30,000 young people per annum, providing opportunities to develop skills relating to science, technology, engineering and maths and giving students the knowledge and understanding that they need as scientists and citizens of the future. At-Bristol's exhibitions, events, workshops and special projects also support the teaching of citizenship, PSHE, geography, English and the arts. Feedback from teachers is extremely positive and repeat visits are high:

"The fact that we come so regularly is a definite indication of what an excellent facility At-Bristol is. My pupils always come away enthused, informed and very pleased that they went".

Haberdasher's Monmouth School for Girls, South Wales.

  "The day went exceedingly well and the content was highly relevant to the students' AS biology coursework. The quality of the presentation was excellent and the students gained valuable experience and knowledge about the subject"

Lipson Community College, Plymouth


  3.3  Through its Science Learning Centre, At-Bristol provides relevant, innovative Continuing Professional Development for all those involved in science education across the South West region. The 35 courses on offer address science learning for the Foundation, Primary, Secondary and Post-16 stages and have been designed to innovate and inspire lecturers, teachers, teaching assistants and technicians.


  "Great ideas! I really like them and I know they will work well in my class."

Using games in primary science, Autumn 2006

  "An excellent course with an engaging tutor. Relevant to school requirements".

How Chemistry Works, Autumn 2006


  With funding received from Bristol City Council, At-Bristol and the Science Learning Centre South West have collaborated on a project to improve the teaching and learning of science at Key Stage 2. The Active Learning in Primary Science project delivers a series of CPD and real life (classroom based) training sessions focusing on scientific enquiry, aiming to improve teacher's knowledge and enthusiasm towards teaching science.


  3.4  At-Bristol's flexible approach allows it to respond quickly and support teachers by introducing innovative engagement techniques. With funding received from the Wellcome Trust, At-Bristol developed Citizen Science, an ambitious three year project that created dialogue based programmes and materials for KS3, KS4 and Post 16 students on biomedical ethical issues in science. The project also responded to teachers' needs for resources and training and created a web resource www.at-bristol.org.uk/cz. The project delivered over 70 special events for young people trialling new debating formats and resources. As a result of this project, At-Bristol has become recognised for its expertise in developing science ethics and debate programmes and continues to lecture in the techniques across Europe.


  3.5  In addition to Citizen Science, At-Bristol has developed another three resource based websites (www.youramazingbrain.org.uk, www.at-bristol.org.uk/alcoholandyou, www.puzzlemania.org.uk) to support aspects of the National Curriculum and raise awareness on a number of topics. Additional supporting resources have been developed and are available on providing ideas for pre- and post-visit activities.


  3.6  Special theme days and gifted and talented days are organised throughout the year providing enriching experiences.


4.  Widening access and removing barriers to learning


  4.1  In order to ensure that the experiences and opportunities provided are available to the widest possible audience, At-Bristol has developed a bursary scheme offering a range of initiatives that aim to overcome social, cultural, financial or physical barriers. The bursary programme, which is separately fundraised for, allows children, young people and adults from schools and community groups across the region to take advantage of our facilities and participate in educational activities without the associated costs of the activities themselves and transportation. Particular emphasis is placed upon schools located within "Excellence in Cities Action Zones".


  4.2  At-Bristol has also worked extensively on projects with community groups that face barriers to access, and, as a key priority for the organisation, has appointed a Community Liaison Co-ordinator. As a result of funding received from COPUS, At-Bristol and the University of Bristol delivered four Science Matters events that brought scientists and members of community groups from deprived areas of Bristol together to discuss and debate relevant science issues, the themes of which were decided upon by the community members. The most popular of these events was the "Do drugs do your head in?" debate attended by over 200 people.


  4.3  Specifically targeting family groups that face barriers to learning, At-Bristol has developed an inclusive programme to encourage family learning through a wide variety of activities. The programme runs in partnership with Sure Start and the Single Parents' Network.


5.  Increasing science communication skills


  5.1  In addition to its extensive Continued Professional Development training programme, At-Bristol employs a Co-ordinator to develop a volunteer and work experience programme, providing participants with transferable skills and experiences. At-Bristol currently has approximately 30 active volunteers.


  5.2  At-Bristol is also working with the Universities of Bristol and the West of England to deliver a MSc in Science Communication. At-Bristol's Meet the Expert series provides assistance to scientists in communication techniques, allowing them to better communicate the results of their research to a public audience.


6.  Reaching audiences through regional and national outreach programmes


  6.1  At-Bristol has extensive experience in delivering successful school and community outreach programmes. The projects aim to overcome the barriers faced by many people living throughout the south west that prevent them from visiting At-Bristol, therefore improving learning opportunities in the region's most deprived communities. Equipped with travelling versions of some of At-Bristol's most popular exhibits, a team of specially trained Explainer-Performers visit schools and public venues throughout the South West to deliver science shows in a fun and interactive way.


  6.2  More recently, At-Bristol, Intech (Winchester) and the Telegraph Museum (Porthcurno), together with the Science Learning Centres South East and South West, successfully secured a Science Communication Engagement Activity Grant from the DfES/OSI (administered by ecsite-uk) for a national outreach project which uses portable, interactive exhibits to enrich learning opportunities for science enquiry and investigation at Key Stage 2 and 3.


7.  Partnership working


  7.1  At-Bristol has an extensive and successful track record of collaborating with other science centres, museums, universities and other institutions and individual artists and scientists in the development of exhibitions, programming, research and interpretation. Recent successful collaborations include:

7.2  Science Centres

  Having successfully secured funding from the Millennium Commission's ReDiscover Fund, At-Bristol collaborated with W5(Belfast), Magna (Rotherham), National Museums Liverpool, Satrosphere (Aberdeen), Inspire (Norwich), Glasgow Science Centre and ecsite-uk to develop and deliver a series of touring exhibitions. The exhibitions now form part of At-Bristol's portfolio of travelling exhibitions and continue to be hired by science centres across Europe.

7.3  Formal learning sector

  At-Bristol works closely with its local authority to help improve the teaching of science in schools. At-Bristol is a regional hub for SETNET and also hosts the Science Learning Centre, South West, working in partnership with the Universities of Plymouth and Bristol. It continues to work with the Universities of Bristol and the West of England with their engagement events.

7.4  Local and national companies

  At-Bristol develops corporate partnerships to achieve shared goals. Current corporate partners include Airbus, Messier Dowty, Rolls Royce Bristol Water and Clerical Medical. All of these organisations have provided At-Bristol with financial support, expertise and resources. At-Bristol also assists them by raising their profile, assisting with their trainee development programmes and provides them with a forum to showcase their work.

  At-Bristol has also developed strong relationships with creative industries including Aardman Animations, the BBC, Watershed Centre and FutureLab.

7.5  International collaborations

  At-Bristol has been a partner on four European Union funded projects working with research institutions, science centres and universities across Europe.

8.  Recommendations

  Like museums and galleries, science centres play an important educational role in today's society. Unlike museums and galleries that together receive in excess of £700 million, there is no regular central government funding and some science centres have to rely on private sector support to remain operational.

  If the government values the contribution made by science centres to science learning and understanding, helping to develop a strong knowledge-based economy able to compete in a global market, there ought to be a central commitment to support them.

  This commitment could take a number of different forms, for example:

—  The establishment of an annual fund distributed to successful peer-reviewed project applications.

—  A system, similar to that adopted in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, whereby revenue funding is provided following negotiation against a series of agreed objectives.

June 2007