The level of science technician support in schools is falling.
School science technicians are often overlooked as a profession. That’s why we – in partnership with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and with input from the Association for Science Education (ASE) – commissioned a piece of research analysing how the school science technician workforce in England has changed since 2011/12.
The research was carried out by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER), and analysed the Department for Education’s school workforce census – an annual data collection of school staff in England and also explores the characteristics, pay and contractual arrangements of the school science technician workforce.
Key findings of the report
- The median full-time equivalent school science technician annual salary has been flat in real-terms between 2011/12 and 2018/19 – having grown at roughly the rate of inflation. Most of the science technician workforce is employed on a term-time only basis, which comes with a significantly lower salary compared to those technicians on a full-year contract.
- The average number of FTE science technicians per school has fallen by 16 per cent since 2011/12. The proportion of schools with an adequate level of science technician support –according to the Association for Science Education’s suggested minimum service factor – has fallen from 21 to 15 per cent.
- Regions in the north of England have considerably lower levels of science technician support than in London or the south of England. Additionally, schools with a less affluent pupil intake tend to have less technician support than those with a more affluent intake.
Download the full report
We support the following recommendations
-
The Government should review science technician pay and conditions, considering what policy measures might help to attract and retain science technicians in the future.
-
More research should be conducted to understand better the relationship between science technician support and science teacher workload.
-
The Government should consider what policy measures might encourage schools to increase the level of science technician provision and support.
Get in touch
- Email:
- Send Annette an email
Related pages
- Science teaching survey results 2022
- The elements of a successful curriculum - our vision for 11-19 chemistry education
- Teacher training during the pandemic and the long-term impact on practical work in schools
- Higher technical education - research provides new insight into the needs of learners, providers and employers
- Listen to our award winning podcasts covering many aspects of sustainability
- See all our chemistry education policy
- See our inclusion and diversity policy
- See all our policies, reports, evidence and campaigns