Lack of technician support highlighted as barrier to conducting practical lessons

The survey outlines that such lack of support, in addition to a lack of funding, time and access to facilities all serve as barriers to conducting essential practical work that supports the understanding of chemistry and the wider sciences.

The annual Science Teaching Survey was launched last year to understand the experiences and attitudes of science teachers and technicians.

The 2022 survey was formed of 3,742 complete responses and 60 in-depth interviews. Of the 42% of UK Mainstream state schools that were understaffed for science technicians, 57% stated a lack of technician support as a barrier to running practicals.

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) said that it will continue to “champion and support school science technicians”, who it believes “play an important role in supporting the delivery of creative and inspiring science education.”

RSC’s action plan is based on the pillars of the Science Council’s Technician’s Commitment: visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability.