The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans today to ensure all pupils in England study maths in some form until … read more
Katharine Birbalsingh made a comment about girls and choosing physics A-levels when addressing a Science and Technology Committee inquiry on … read more
The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) have published* an interim report detailing how grades have been awarded for … read more
A study, published in the npj Science of Learning, examines genetic differences between selective and non-selective school students. read more
A roundup accompanied this briefing. Research has shown that students who attend selective schools, such as grammar or private … read more
By Fiona Fox This blog contains the thoughts of the author rather than representing the work or policy of the … read more
There are some things that the scientific community are generally agreed on. That we need a stronger voice for science in government, most especially after Brexit, that what government spends on science is still too low (0.49% of GDP compared to the EU average of 0.67%) and that decisions about what research is conducted need to be free from government interference. But is the new U.K. Higher Education and Research Bill going to deliver all these goals? Unusually the scientific community is divided with Paul Nurse and the Royal Society believing that the bill presents the best chance of achieving some of the changes desperately needed, while others think it poses new risks. A strongly worded leader in Nature this week called on scientists to oppose the bill on the grounds that it opens the door to political interference and called on the scientific community to address the issues in public as well as negotiating behind closed doors. read more
Socioeconomic status and risk of developing brain tumours is investigated in a paper published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health with the authors reporting a higher risk of glioma for those with measures of higher socioeconomic status. read more
Socioeconomic status and risk of developing brain tumours is investigated in a paper published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health with the authors reporting a higher risk of glioma for those with measures of higher socioeconomic status. read more
Screen time (watching TV, playing computer games or browsing the internet) and sedentary behaviour have both been at the centre of recent controversy, causing particular concern amongst parents worried that their children are being harmed through long periods sitting and looking at a screen. Publishing in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, researchers have conducted a study to determine if looking at screens, compared to reading or doing homework, or being sedentary appears to have any impact on GCSE results. read more
Screen time (watching TV, playing computer games or browsing the internet) and sedentary behaviour have both been at the centre of recent controversy, causing particular concern amongst parents worried that their children are being harmed through long periods sitting and looking at a screen. Researchers have now conducted a study to determine if looking at screens, compared to reading or doing homework, or being sedentary appears to have any impact on GCSE results. read more
Genes are thought to play a significant role in general educational achievement, although it is unclear how this might apply to individual academic subjects. A team of researchers has now investigated this by using the GCSE results of pairs of both identical and non-identical twins, and report that many academic subjects are influenced by the same genes, even after accounting for general intelligence. read more
A study of schoolchildren in Spain has been published in the journal PNAS, in which the authors aimed to examine the effects of exposure to green spaces on cognitive development. The authors report beneficial effects on aspects including memory and attentiveness with increasing levels of green space, which the partially attribute to reduction in exposure to air pollution. read more
Dyslexia affects around 375,000 children in the UK and can have a lifelong impact on learning. Patients and parents naturally want the best treatments possible and many turn to coloured cards and lenses which are thought to reduce visual stress. Many practitioners offer specialist eye treatments and therapies. However, there is growing evidence that this entire industry is founded on unsupported research. Experts have now used comprehensive eye tests with thousands of children to test the role of vision in dyslexia. Based on these results and those of previous work, the researchers want charities, practitioners and support groups to reflect the latest evidence. read more
The exam regulator Ofqual ruled that science experiments will no longer count towards final A-level grades. read more
The Education Media Centre, modelled on the Science Media Centre, launched this month. Here, in a guest blogpost the EMC’s … read more
A study in PLOS One by Professor Robert Plomin suggested genetic difference accounted for over half of the variation between pupils’ GCSE results. read more
A briefing at the SMC announced the recommendations of a House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report on Higher Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), including making maths compulsory beyond the age of 16. read more
The authors of a House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report on Higher Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) came to the SMC to announce the report’s recommendations. read more
A new study, led by academics at the University of Bristol, investigated the possible link between school absence and incidence of chronic fatigue syndome. read more
