Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:52 pm on 14 December 2021.
Minister, may I ask for a statement from the education Minister on the Government's proposed changes for teaching science in schools in Wales? From 2025, it's been said that physics, chemistry and biology will no longer be offered as separate subjects. Instead, pupils will study for one integrated science award that combines all three subjects together. This has led to concerns being expressed that science is being, and I quote, 'dumbed down', and teachers have a lot of anxiety about the new curriculum. The separate science subjects of physics, chemistry and biology have been part of the curriculum for many, many years, but it seems that the Welsh Government plans to reduce the opportunity to study these specific sciences for pupils in Wales are prevalent. So, can we have a statement from the Minister early next year on how he intends to ensure that science standards of education are maintained, and that his proposal will not mean future Welsh scientists, such as Dr Lyn Evans, who led experiments at the large hadron collider, become increasingly rare? Thank you.