RSC Blog

At long last, someone in Government is taking talk of falling science exam standards seriously. At an Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) press conference on Thursday, Lord Drayson – the UK Science Minister – reportedly said ‘No dumbing down on my watch. We need to make sure that we provide the stretch for the brightest and best” in a reference to a question about recent media coverage of standards not being what they were. A BBC news report of his remarks can be found here.

So the RSC’s petition and Five-Decade Challenge report have made an impact at the highest level. We’ve managed to start the debate about what we assess in exams and what is needed for the UK to remain internationally competitive. (more…)

Hello, I’m Richard Pike, chief executive of the RSC. I’ve decided that my inaugural blog post will explain our campaign to reverse the appalling decline in school science exam standards.

I’m very concerned about the disappearance of problem-solving, critical thinking and mathematical manipulation from school science examinations, and am campaigning to raise awareness of, and ultimately reverse, this unacceptable trend. (more…)

We’ve turned our attention to the examination standards in schools this week. Richard Pike, CEO of the RSC, was interviewed on the Today programme on Radio 4 – the BBC’s flagship agenda-setting news radio programme this morning about the 5-Decade Exam Challenge report that we have published, and our Downing Street web site petition. Currently we’re adding one name a minute.

Much of the UK media has taken interest – see today’s BBC News Online, Daily Telegraph, Independent, Daily Mail and Times. (more…)