Overview
The Science Education Tracker highlighted a decline in students having hands-on practical lessons. Highlighting this decline impacted young people with the least interest in science most. This report aims to understand the barriers teachers face in delivering lessons where students experience hands-on practical work.
This briefing contains findings from research conducted with 800 STEM teachers across the UK, this report focuses on the 398 science teachers from this sample.
School report: Barriers to practical science
Who this is for
- Careers leads
- Policymakers
- Researchers
- STEM outreach organisers
- Teachers
Key findings
- 44% of teachers said the demands of delivering the curriculum doesn't allow them to deliver hands-on practical lessons
- More than a third of teachers (37%) said it is difficult to schedule hands-on practical work due to time
- Just under half (45%) said 1 or more of these school equipment and resource issues were a barrier to delivering hands-on practical lessons: Not enough money to buy equipment (27%), School doesn't have enough equipment (26%), or not enough technicians (23%)
Young people without strong engagement in science are likely to be the group missing out the most by reduced practical science in schools. To have a diverse and growing engineering and technology workforce, we need more young people engaged in science.
— School report: Barriers to practical science
