RSC urges teachers, students, researchers and leaders to submit feedback ahead of Curriculum and Assessment Review deadline

The call for evidence aims to collect and collate feedback on curriculum and assessment for key stages 1-4 (i.e. primary and secondary school) and 16-19 education in England. Anyone can submit their views via the review’s website now, with further phases of the review taking place in 2025.

Our response comes after years of calling for changes to both the science curriculum itself and the way it is taught. We have built a body of evidence on numerous aspects of science teaching by gathering feedback from teachers, technicians and others working within education; and by analysing and generating research.

This review is an opportunity for the Government to break down barriers to opportunity in the sciences, ensuring all students have equitable access to a more modern and relevant curriculum that equips young people with skills and knowledge for the future.

The issues we want to see the review panel focus on in the second stage of the review include reform to the overloaded and outdated curriculum currently in place, a single-route approach to science teaching to make it as accessible to as many young people as possible, greater emphasis on technical qualifications and training between ages 16 and 19, and a greater emphasis on sustainability and practical work.

What exactly is the RSC calling for? A relevant and adequately resourced curriculum

We are asking for the Government to:

• Reform the curriculum to ensure it is fit-for-purpose, engaging and relevant, while avoiding content overload; it should provide young people with skills and understanding that enables them to become scientifically literate citizens, and that prepares them for further study and/or careers in the chemical sciences.
• Prepare all young people to fully participate in efforts to tackle climate change and sustainability challenges.
• Include relevant and regular practical chemistry activities that are sustainable, inclusive, accessible, and have a clear purpose and whose consumables and equipment are sufficiently funded.
• Foster a sense of identity and belonging in the chemical sciences through better use of contexts, examples and role models; students see that a future in chemistry is ‘for people like me’.
• Provide a single-route qualification that ensures every young person has equitable access to a full and diverse science education.
• Retain and support technical qualifications beyond T-Levels for students aged 16-19 to offer young people as many pathways as possible to continue their science education.
• Ensure sustainability and other future-focused aspects of science are given proper prominence in the curriculum to equip students with the skills needed to contribute to the workforce of the future.

"The curriculum needs more sustainability-related content but teachers have told us they already feel the workload burden is too great, so it's a balancing act. We also need to retain as many education pathways as possible to allow thousands of young people to maintain their participation in science between the ages of 16 and 19, which means looking beyond T-levels alone.

"It is also vital that chemistry and science curriculums prepare young people so they can contribute to a future economy in which chemistry will play a key role. Employers have told us green skills, practical skills and digital skills, among others, will be in high demand in the future chemistry-using workforce, which will be instrumental for achieving growth and making Britain a clean energy superpower.

"Our evidence is clear: things need to change for the good of both the teachers and the students. It is positive that the Department for Education has backed this review but that desperately needed change will only come if all stakeholders share their views on the state of science education as it stands now and how they want to improve it."

What research is there that backs up the RSC’s position on curriculum and assessment reform?

All our positions, reports and responses are based on our team’s continuous assessment of the broader education landscape, and engagement with those working on the frontline.

Here are some of the key information sources and pieces of work produced by our Education team that have fuelled our response:

• The Science Teaching Survey
• Report on the single route through the sciences at 16 
• Green shoots: A sustainable chemistry curriculum for a sustainable planet
• The elements of a successful chemistry curriculum
• Ice lollies on the curriculum?
• Is chemistry accessible for all?

How can you submit your feedback?

Visit the Curriculum and Assessment Review website, where you complete the survey online or find details about how to submit your feedback in other ways.