£2.3 million to support science in schools
16 Jun 2014 04:14 PM
A package of funding
worth £2.3 million to boost science in schools in 2014-15 has been
announced by First Minister, Carwyn Jones
yesterday
Speaking during a visit to
Techniquest, where he held his monthly news conference, the First Minister said
that the funding aims to improve the quality of teaching and learning of
science in our classrooms ahead of next year’s PISA
assessments.
New funding of £600,000
per annum in 2014-15 and 2015-16 has been made available to help deliver
science in school. This includes teacher development and the production of
learning materials designed to improve science literacy skills and overall
knowledge.
The package also includes new
funding for a science advisory function based in the four education Consortia,
with a secondary school focus for the next two years.
Techniquest will receive grant
funding of £1.375 million and Techniquest Glyndwr will receive
£380,000 to support education programmes to enhance the provision of
science and mathematics in schools.
A marketing campaign will also
be run from the autumn to reinforce the importance of science with learner,
teachers, school leaders and parents.
The First Minister
said:
"A good grasp of the
sciences is really important for a well rounded education. We need to inspire
young people to take an interest in science and the many doors it opens for
them for the future.
"Wales is already punching
above its weight in developing and attracting high skilled jobs and globally
recognised companies. If we are to build on our success in this area and
continue to forge Wales into an internationally recognised place to do business
– then a good science education is a must.
"The significant package of
funding I’ve announced today will go a long way to boosting science in
our schools in preparation for PISA testing in 2015, but more importantly
it’ll help improve performance in the sciences across the
board."
The Education Minister, Huw
Lewis said:
"By committing
£2.3million to science education we are demonstrating the importance of
this subject. Strong literacy skills are as significant in science as they are
in maths and English.
"Last week I had the
pleasure of meeting Andreas Schleicher at a major education conference in
Cardiff, in which the message was clear - PISA matters. As science is the major
domain in the PISA tests in 2015 we must get this right if we’re to
succeed and improve in the next round of international
testing."
Chief Scientific Adviser for
Wales, Prof Julie Williams said:
"This new funding package
is an excellent boost for science in Wales and will be warmly welcomed by all
of us in the Welsh scientific community.
"Science is one of
Wales’ success stories and the Welsh Government is already supporting
this with an investment of £50m in the Sêr Cymru initiative to
build new capacity around our existing scientific strengths.
"Ultimately, I’d like
Wales to be recognised as a small, smart country with great science. A place
where young people and adults alike have opportunities to learn about and be
enthused with the excitement of science. The work that we’re doing today
is taking us ever closer to realising that vision."