Improving School Laboratories?

12 October 2006

There is increasing concern about the number of young people who choose to not to study the sciences beyond the age of 16 or, having studied the sciences to A Level, choose not to pursue them in higher education. A contributory factor is the poor quality of science accommodation in many schools.  

In 2004 the RSC commissioned CLEAPSS to carry out an investigation into the state of school laboratories in a cross section of schools ('Laboratories, resources and budgets'). The report showed that 65% of school labs were basic, uninspiring or unsafe.

Two years on, we have commissioned CLEAPSS to look again at the number and quality of new and refurbished labs and prep rooms. 

The purpose of the report is to determine whether the Government's commitment in recent years to building new schools and refurbishing old ones has had a positive effect on the condition of school laboratory provision.