National Science Learning Centre. (360G-Wellcome-073694_B_03_Z)

The White Rose proposal to establish the National Centre for Science Learning Britain is a premier scientific nation. The results of British scientists are cited more frequently than those of any other nation except the United States. To maintain this leading position requires universal science education of the highest quality. Such quality is also needed to ensure that all British citizens, not only those who will become future scientists and technologists, are equipped to deal with the manifestations of science in their lives, welcoming them where they bring benefit, questioning where they raise dilemmas. This dual mandate - to inspire and prepare both the minority who will be future specialists and the majority who will not - is the central challenge for the science education community. However, evidence about the success of current approaches in school science education is equivocal. Although the attainment of British science students is excellent by international standards, there is also worrying evidence that many students find their science education irrelevant to their interests and aspirations, leading Dr. Ian Gibson MP, Chair of the Commons Science Select Committee to comment that 'we need to encourage a new generation of young scientists and to ensure that the rest of the population has a sound understanding of scientific principles'. To meet these challenges, we propose to establish a National Centre (NC) at the heart of a National Network of Science Learning Centres (NNSLC) with the goal of making British science education the best in the world by 2015.