This podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) looks at how hikers and walkers could be unwittingly changing the landscape by spreading alien species; what it's like to work as a marine biologist in the Arctic in temperatures of minus 40°C; and exactly how...

Annually the publication of GCSE and A level examination results prompts public interest in the standards of those examinations. In 1996, Lord Dearing in his Review of Qualifications for 16–19 Year Olds made several recommendations to ensure that "there is a basis and...

This resource is a compilation of reports by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and Ofqual reviewing standards over time in science subjects at GCSE and A levels.

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This report, jointly published by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA) and Ofsted under the chairmanship of Ron Dearing, presents the findings of an investigation into whether standards in GCSE and A level examinations were maintained in the period up to 1995. The improving examination grades...

Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet introduces the sidereal day and shows how star trials can be used to calculate the length of one sidereal day. Included in the booklet are instructions on how to create a star trial photograph using a DSLR or bridge camera. Supporting documents that help the...

This resource explores the types and number of animals used in research. The activity is best conducted with a whole class or as group work. The resource includes a lesson plan for the teacher. The resource was produced by Nuffield Council on Bioethics.

In this activity, students are required to question the assumptions they may make when presented with visual images of animal research. They need to consider an image carefully before they come to any conclusions about what is happening to the animal. The activity is best conducted in groups.The resource, from the...

This set of learning activities supports learners to:

•Become more aware of how mathematics can contribute to successful completion of vocational tasks.

•Reflect on their personal mathematical learning experiences and identify some engaging starting points for their future learning.

•Become...

A Catalyst article looking at strategies for ensuring that there is a plentiful food supply in the future and how this can be sustained.

The article looks at three main areas for scientific investigation:

*Fertilisation

*Pest control

*Genetic modification

It also looks at...

This resource is part of a collection of Nuffield Maths resources exploring Calculus. The demand is roughly equivalent to that in GCE A level.

This stationary points activity shows students how to use differentiation to find stationary points on the curves of polynomial functions. It includes the use of the...

This Mathematics Matters case study, from the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, looks at how biometric identification systems rely on mathematical methods to convert images into data that can be digitally stored. It is essential that the biometric systems we depend on for national security can reliably...

This collection of resources is produced by the Core Maths Support Programme to support the implementation of Core Maths. The collection contains a range of activities all designed to enable students to use and apply statistics in unfamiliar contexts.

This CensusAtSchool resource is based on key concepts needed by students doing GCSE mathematics, although it may be useful for an introductory review at A level or for strong Key Stage Three students. Pairs are asked to discuss statements on cards and decide, with...

This toolkit from Plus magazine and Arctic Survey Education explores statistical aspects of the expedition, including the 'spin' that can be put on statistical evidence to make it sound positive or negative, and methods to predict future trends in Arctic climate change.

The whole toolkit can be downloaded...

This Mathematics Matters case study, from the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, discusses the importance of statistics and computing to developments in medical research. Sequencing the human genome was a fantastic achievement, but it was only the beginning. Now, statisticians are coming up with new...