Keep up to date with the latest guidance, resources, and support available from CLEAPSS.
This session provides an overview of recent changes and important safety updates. Ideal for technicians, teachers, and leaders who want to stay informed and confident in their practice. Join us to ask questions, discuss any concerns, and gain a clear understanding of safe and effective approaches.
Matt Endean is the Deputy Director of CLEAPSS, an advisory service supporting practical science and technology in schools in the UK. A former teacher, he specializes in health and safety, risk assessment, and laboratory design. Matt plays a pivotal role in developing guidance and... Read More →
Founded in 1963, CLEAPSS supports safe, engaging, and innovative practical activities in science (as well as design & technology and art & design). We provide schools and college staff with expert advice, training, resources, and trusted guidance. Providing staff with access to CLEAPSS... Read More →
This session will explore how action research has been used to drive meaningful and sustained improvements in science teaching and learning at The Manchester Grammar School. Framed around the principle of teachers as researchers, we will share how small-scale, classroom-based inquiry has empowered colleagues to take ownership of their professional development and directly shape departmental practice.
Over the course of the session, we will present a series of practitioner-led research projects carried out across the science department. We will outline how these projects were structured, supported, and embedded into a wider CPD programme, including the role of collaborative discussion, learning walks, and professional dialogue.
Crucially, we will evaluate the impact of this approach beyond individual classrooms, demonstrating how insights from action research have informed departmental priorities, strengthened consistency in teaching, and contributed to a culture of reflective practice. We will also reflect on the challenges of implementing this model and how they were addressed to ensure engagement and sustainability.
The session will include opportunities for discussion, enabling participants to consider how a similar approach could be adapted to their own contexts. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for embedding action research into CPD and for fostering a culture where evidence-informed practice can thrive.
Leading people is not the same as teaching students! Middle leaders are the engine room of schools and are worth investing in.
In this session, we will draw on the New to Science Leadership course (the most recent cohort led in autumn 2026 by ASE in partnership with Astin Consulting) to answer questions such as:
- what kind of training best prepares teachers for leading their peers? - is leading the same as managing? - how to prepare for a difficult conversation, how to run an effective departmental meeting, how to lead change?
Ideal for teachers new to leadership (or aspiring to), or those responsible for developing new leaders.
Join the team working with the Department for Education to develop the reformed Science Programmes of Study in England and GCSEs subject content as we outline the priorities and evidence underpinning the drafting process. This session focuses on Physics KS3 and KS4 plus transition from KS2 and KS1.
Please note the other sessions in the conference programme, on KS1 and KS2, and on biology and chemistry at KS3 and KS4.
The Science Education Policy Alliance (SEPA) brings together the Association for Science Education, Institute of Physics, Royal Society, Royal Society of Biology and Royal Society of Chemistry to coordinate and collaborate on science education policy, with Professor Dame Athene Donald... Read More →
This session explores how EarthLearn and EarthTogether are supporting schools to develop a coherent, future-facing approach to environmental science education, Moving beyond single-issue topics, these initiatives connect themes such as air quality, climate and biodiversity through real-world student-driven enquiry. Drawing on the Air We Breathe programme as a case study from King's Group Academies, we will demonstrate how local contexts can be used to engage students with global challenges, build data literacy and foster meaningful action. We will also introduce Minibeasts and Me, a new biodiversity-focused programme that extends this model into the study of ecosystems and the natural world.
Participants will gain insight into how authentic contexts, collaboration across schools and partners, and a strong emphasis on student agency can transform science learning. Through interactive discussion and practical examples, the session will consider how these approaches can be adapted across different settings and phases. Aligned with the conference theme, this session highlights how working together can support the development of connected, relevant and empowering science education that equips young people to understand and shape their world.
From global to local - learning that connects communities. One of the most powerful aspects of our learning platform is its' ability to bridge the global and the local. As well as presenting global programmes, we bring together community-centres stories from around the world and weave meaningful connects between them - helping learners understand... Read More →
Effective practical work can be challenging for students for many reasons, not least the overload on their working memory. Students’ understanding of the chemical concepts underlying a practical observation or measurement relies on them cognitively attending to a wide range of matters: their theoretical understanding of the world, new and recalled skills and knowledge, instruction in written and verbal form, the materials and equipment, and the social environment of the classroom.
This session will discuss two key aspects of improving students’ experience and engagement with practical work. Microscale practical tasks make use of smaller quantities of chemicals, simpler equipment and techniques, and a more rapid progression from start to observations and measurements. Integrated instructions use simplified guidance incorporated into diagrammatic representations of equipment and method. Participants will see how these approaches have been embedded throughout the chemistry curriculum, including the selection of suitable tasks, typical student responses and outcomes, and the process of securing staff buy-in. Links will be drawn between examination syllabuses and the conceptual understanding developed through these practicals.
Outcomes: Participants will be able to identify opportunities for microscale practical work, adapt instructions to reduce extraneous demand, and plan steps for implementation in their own departments.
Bob Worley FRSC MSc was the 2021 winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry Prize for Excellence in Secondary Education. He taught for 20 years and afterwards became the Senior Advisor at CLEAPSS dealing with school chemistry laboratory safety, from which he pioneered microscale chemistry... Read More →
If you are a secondary teacher or science education consultant, come along to the "Meet the 11 to 19 Committee" session at the end of Friday of Annual Conference 2027.
Got a question? Ever wondered about what goes on behind the scenes? Ever thought about getting involved in Committee activities? Are you wanting to know more about Professional Registration or writing an article for one of the ASE journals?
We look forward to listening to your questions and will endeavour to answer them!
