ASE Futures conference 2019

The role of practical work in 11-16 science has been changed by the introduction of required practical activities at GCSE and in the assessment of Working Scientifically, entirely through terminal examinations. An increasing number of schools are realising that the route to better outcomes lies through not only focusing on running required practicals effectively but also in developing policy and practice throughout key stages 3 and 4. The Gatsby Charitable Foundation commissioned the ASE to develop materials to support schools to develop effective policies for practical science. These were developed from a variety of sources, including the "Getting Practical: Improving Practical Work in Science" project from  2009.  The Focus was on Benchmark 1 from the Gatsby "Good Practical Science" report from 2017 and echoes the importance of having an effective policy that frames and focuses practice. The project elicited expressions of interest from over 100 schools: 12 were selected to pilot the materials and all reported significant impact. The full set of materials including case studies from several of the schools is now available on the ASE website and free to download and use. The session will include an exploration of the materials that can be used with schools, consideration of the impact achieved and discussion of ways in which further progress towards effective practice in practical work can be made.