This report from Ofsted is of a one day conference for representatives of LEA areas. The theme was good practice in science investigation and enquiry and how this important part of the primary science curriculum could be further enhanced. The report gives the inspection findings and summary of wider findings.

This document from Ofsted was designed to provide the wider science education community with a summary of inspection findings for primary and secondary schools for the academic year 2003-2004. The report drew on the detailed data gathered by Section 10 Inspections and gave not only the current view but changes to...

This Catalyst article looks at oil production in Trinidad and Tobago. The oil refining process and method are explained. The article also investigates the resulting human impact on the environment.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2003, Volume 13, Issue 4.

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This Catalyst article looks at metals and alloys which play an important role in construction at the Olympic site, both in sports equipment and in medals. Designers must consider the properties of the materials used to make both sports equipment and buildings. These include strength, density, toughness, ductility...

In 2012, the Olympic and Paralympic games will be held in London. These resources look at a wide range of topics that can all be linked to the games. They cover science, technology, engineering and mathematics and can be used in individual lessons or as part of a cross-curricular Olympic and Paralympic theme.

This Core Maths task looks at how countries are ranked at the 2012 Olympic Games. Students use Excel to order the data and are asked to comment on whether the ranking is fair. This activity is designed to then lead to a discussion of weighted rankings.

The teachers' notes give...

This Catalyst article looks at how computer games make increasingly sophisticated use of the laws of physics to produce convincing on-screen effects. From calculating the angle that a ball bounces off a wall to modelling the frictional forces on a rally car, physics has always played a part in the development of...

From The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), this guide provides practical information and advice about organising a visit to a local science-based industry. Visits can be engaging, stimulating and profitable for the students, teachers and companies...

This Core Maths task provides an opportunity for students to create questions based on the idea of someone being awarded a certificate for traveling one million miles with an airline. Students are to decide what information they need to help them answer their questions and then to work out the...

This online ecology practical, from SAPS, uses random sampling to measure the abundance of various different species on an area of grassland.

Objectives

To give students practice at

• using random sampling to measure the abundance of various different species on an area of...

In this resource from SAPS, students learn about random sampling, diversity and different measures of abundance, before looking at close-up photographs of quadrats and using the field guide to identify them. The resources are intended to help students develop skills and plant identification techniques before going...

This online ecology practical, by SAPS, is designed to give students an opportunity to see how systematic sampling can be used to

• investigate changes in species richness across a footpath
• the distribution of species across a footpath

These online exercises are not intended as a...

These O.R. Society resources contain seven short films explaining what operational research is, how it is used in a variety of every day situations and what career opportunities the study of operational research affords. The sub collection contains problems to be used to introduce, practice or consolidate a variety...

This activity allows students to  research and present data, using live job and apprenticeship vacancy information found at plotr.co.uk as a stimulus.  Students practise using mathematical tools to present information. The activity will  familiarise pupils with...

A case study from Mathematics Matters which looks at the development of optical fibres and how mathematical models have simplified the process of producing them. Modern society relies heavily on a variety of networks, but we don’t fully understand how they behave. Mathematical network theory lets us create models...