Reactions Issue 1 - Royal Society of Chemistry

2 | Issue 1 | April 2007
Schools experiment in cutting edge style
School students in Yorkshire and the South
West will soon enjoy practical chemistry in
cutting-edge university laboratory facilities
instead of school. Thanks to projects
funded through Chemistry for our Future,
the Universities of Sheffield and Bristol are
exploring how they can widen access to their
teaching facilities. A purpose-built schools lab
will be available year-round at Sheffield, while
at Bristol facilities will be offered during the
traditional university downtime of Wednesday
afternoons and exam periods.
Chemistry for our Future funding is being
used to build the lab at Sheffield which will
be used solely by schools and teachers. Due
to be launched in September, about 1,500
students are expected to use it annually. It
will be available to schools as an open-access,
free resource which can be used in a normal
teaching capacity. Teachers can alternatively
take advantage of a series of pre-packaged
experiments designed, checked and packaged
by the lab’s dedicated technician – all of which
will be relevant to the current A and AS Levels.
Installation of the lab begins this month and
local schools will trial the facilities in June and
July.
Simon Jones, Senior Lecturer in Organic
Chemistry at Sheffield, is leading the project.
He said: “The new lab will have a double
impact – students will be able to experience
the excitement and fun of practical chemistry,
whilst teachers will improve their confidence
of teaching experimental science.”
“We’re really hoping schools will come back a
School students enjoying practical chemistry at the University of Bristol
second or third time so the students get a chance to meet undergraduates and postgraduates,
and get a good idea of what studying chemistry at university is like.”
Meanwhile, at the University of Bristol, a coordinated programme of curriculum-based practical
activities will be offered to local schools at the £18m teaching laboratories, Bristol ChemLabS,
which opened in February. Funded by HEFCE, with a large capital investment from the
university, the facilities will be amongst the best in the country for teaching practical chemistry.
Activities designed in consultation with local teachers and science advisors will include:
• Two-day taster sessions for year 11 students who have just completed their GCSEs
• A suite of experiments for Key Stage 4, AS and A2 level students
• Revision workshops for GCSE students focussing on structure and bonding, energy and
organic chemistry
• Research opportunities for students performing extended A level projects
Trials of all the activities will take place with a small number of partner schools over the next few
months. The full programme of events will be launched in September.
Meeting the needs of learners
Chemistry for our Future provides a unique, timely opportunity to review higher education chemical
science courses as secondary level teaching undergoes widespread changes. A new range of
science GCSEs was introduced recently and revised A Level chemistry specifications will follow next
year. Universities need to take these changes into account to make sure that their courses appeal to
prospective students and meet their needs and expectations.
Four curriculum development themes are being explored through Chemistry for our Future:
1 Improving the school to university transition
2 Introduction and evaluation of context and problem based learning
3 Greater access through distance learning
4 Maximising the benefits of European reform
Read about one of the new school to university transition projects on page 3.