§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what reports he has received from Ofsted on the need for improvement in the laboratory teaching of(a) physics, (b) chemistry, (c) biology, (d) environmental sciences and (e) other sciences in the past two years; and if he will make a statement. [91281]
Ms Estelle Morris: The teaching of science subjects in secondary schools is referred to in several of the reports published by Ofsted during the past two years, including HM Chief Inspector's annual reports for 1996–97 and 1997–98, Secondary Education 1993–97, and Standards in the Secondary Curriculum 1997–98.
§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the research which he has evaluated in the past two years into the provision of laboratory science teaching in(a) England and Wales, (b) the USA and (c) European countries; and if he will make a statement. [91287]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe only relevant research commissioned by the Department is "Labour Market for Engineering, Science and IT Graduates: Are there Mismatches between Supply and Demand?" which covers briefly some aspect of science teaching in schools. The research was carried out by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, and was published in June 1999.
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§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to develop technical assistance for teachers in school scientific laboratories. [91283]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe Government announced in their Green Paper on Teachers their intention to provide funding to increase the number of teaching assistants by 20,000 full-time posts (or equivalent) by 2002. Schools, as employers, may wish to use some of these posts for the provision of technical assistance to teachers of Science in schools.