Science subjects could be reduced to less ‘Western’ under the Government’s reform of the school curriculum.
The independent review of what is taught in schools was launched by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson shortly after Labour’s general election victory in July.
It wants to ‘refresh’ what pupils learn after Mrs Phillipson complained the current curriculum was ‘outdated’.
The terms of reference for the development say it must reflect the ‘content and diversity of our community’, and the committee is currently considering proposals.
In response to the Department of Education’s call for evidence, leading scientific organizations have emphasized the importance of teaching non-Western contributions to science.
The Royal Society of Biology, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Institute of Physics also said that children should learn why other cultures cannot claim credit and ownership of ideas’.
Together with the Science Education Association, they convened a group to make recommendations that have now been sent to the Labor Review.
But their evidence has been called a ‘strange revelation from the bureaucracy’, while Labor has been accused of ‘damaging education’ by changing their education system.
The independent review of what is taught in schools was launched by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson shortly after Labour’s general election victory in July.
The review wants to “refresh” what students learn after Ms Phillipson complained the current curriculum was ‘outdated’.
Highlighting the work of the Early Years Curriculum Advisory Group, the Royal Society of Biology’s own submission said: ‘It is important that all children feel part of science through valuing their experiences and through the thoughtful use of context. , pictures and reports.
‘This is partly achieved by ensuring that they create a pool of shared experiences; a section on classroom practices; and the other part with reports related to science.
‘In particular, the curriculum should give children the opportunity to learn about Western and non-Western historical contributions to science, as well as current research from different groups of scientists.
“Teachers are encouraged to make examples of the history of scientific discoveries in order that people, groups, cultures and nations were deprived of their ability to participate or carry out instrumental research, and were not able to do request for credits and owners of the ideas presented by them.’
The Royal Society of Biology also said it wanted expertise on ‘decolonising education’ and how to ‘de-heroise’ science teaching in schools.
This will mean ‘avoiding prescriptive lists of historical people in biology’ and instead ‘exploring the possibilities of local, recognizable, historically diverse and contemporary people who through the discovery and investigation of biological ideas’.
It added that students should be encouraged to ‘see more biologists in action’.
The Institute for Physics suggested that ‘thinking should be done according to the conditions of the times in which it was discovered and accepted in Western science’.
Its publication in the curriculum review added: ‘They can explain how many of those discoveries are based on earlier work in other parts of the world.
And how, during the growth of Western science, different groups, cultures and nations were able to participate in research, scientific activities, or claim credit and ownership of ideas.’
The Royal Statistical Society has called for the use of ‘real world data’ – such as gender inequality or migration – in mathematics and statistics.
‘The curriculum should focus on solving problems using data rather than answering questions about data,’ its proposal added.
Teachers’ unions are also among the groups that have submitted evidence to the curriculum review.
The Association of School and College Leaders said the current curriculum ‘prioritises a certain monocultural perspective, particularly in relation to literature and history’.
Ms Phillipson hailed the review as ‘an important step in the Government’s plan to break down barriers to opportunity, provide better life chances and enable more young people to get ahead’.
The review is led by Professor Becky Francis, who leads research into educational inequality.
Tory MP Laura Trott, shadow education secretary, said: ‘The changes to the Labor curriculum will lower the standard of education.
‘Instead of continuing the rich, knowledge-based education that has made our children the best readers and mathematicians of the Western world, they are destroying it all.
‘To destroy pure education again.’
The Deputy Leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, spoke of the “amazing performance from the workforce”.
He added: ‘We need more British heroes and achievements taught to our children, not less.’
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