Science Diploma

N.B. On the 7th June 2010 the new UK Government announced that development of the Science Diploma would cease.

The Science Council welcomes DCSF announcement that Science Diploma needs more time to get it right

16th April 2009

The Science Council welcomes the DCSF's announcement of a twelve month delay to give more time to develop the right framework and curriculum for the Science Diploma.  Now that a delay has been agreed it is essential that all stakeholders have an opportunity to work to ensure that the Level 3 diploma is fully integrated within the overall framework of diplomas.

The Science Council supports the introduction of a flexible and broadly based Science Diploma which responds to the need to teach the sciences in a more integrated way and will attract more young people into STEM post 16.  However, the Science Council has a number of issues of concern about the current proposals which it has raised with the diploma development team - these are not insurmountable problems but they do need to be addressed fully and in depth.  We very much hope that in this coming twelve months DCSF will do this.  In particular the Science Council wants to address the following issues:

• DCSF must give greater clarity to the way in which the Level 3 Science Diploma will address the needs of the student cohort it has identified and this needs to influence and guide the development process - there is a tendency to present the Diploma as all things to everyone.
• If the Diploma is to support post 16 and 19 entry into science based industries for those without higher education qualifications, there must be clear evidence of employer demand and clarity about continued training and employment opportunities.
• The Level 3 Diplomas must offer clear and attractive progression routes through to the full range of STEM opportunities in higher education and accurate careers information, advice and guidance must be available to schools, students and parents. 
• The Diploma must respond to the desire of young people to have breadth in their post-16 education and enable options in subjects beyond STEM (i.e. including languages and humanities) at Level 3 without restricting their progression routes to STEM in higher education.
• The Diploma must respond to students' desire for choice and flexibility by enabling students to move between the different lines of learning (subject strands) at each level.
• The Diploma should be designed to fit within a framework of lifelong learning to allow access for those who wish to retrain or update their skills.

As a member of the partnership the Science Council also supports the SCORE (Science Community Representing Education) statement on this issue. Read the SCORE press release here.

Science Diploma Phase 1 Consultation

The Science Council has responded to the SEMTA Phase 1 Consultation on the purpose and rationale of the proposed Diploma in Science.  The response draws attention to concerns in the following areas:

• The need for greater clarity about how A levels will fit within the proposed new qualification.
• Greater clarity with regard to progression routes through to higher education.
• The need for evidence to show high levels of demand for post 16 and 19 entry into science based industries for those without higher education qualifications. 
• Concern that the new qualification could be perceived as requiring young people to 'brand' themselves as scientists from the age of 14, and might therefore be viewed as cutting down their options: the unintended consequence of this could be to discourage the study of science post 16: further research is needed to understand audience perceptions of the proposed qualification. 
• There is also a strong trend in employment, especially in the tertiary and policy sectors, for those whose learning and skills cover a breadth of disciplines and subjects: the new diploma qualifications will also need to provide for this.
• The need for progression routes to a level 3 science diploma to accommodate a pathway from the applied level 2 diplomas. 
• It is noted that the proposed science diploma qualification is very different from the solutions being explored in other countries and there is concern that the speed of implementation in England could mean that we establish a qualification that is out of step with other parts of the UK, and internationally. 
• A concern that it is intended that the new science diploma will only be taught in schools and colleges up to 19 and is not designed to fit within a wider framework of lifelong learning.  

SCORE Position on the Science Diploma

30th May 2008

The introduction of the Diploma is a major change to the English education system. The SCORE partnership (of which the Science Council is a member), with support from the Gatsby Foundation, commissioned People Science & Policy Ltd to undertake a consultation examining the key issues around the development of the 14-19 science Diploma.   The resulting report and SCORE's own discussions have informed the position statement given here.
Download the statement. (pdf 140KB)