The Breakthrough Science programme has been developed by science teachers from the Academies Enterprise Trust, in collaboration with the Careers and Enterprise Company and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The free resources and lessons plans have been designed for students aged 11-16 and seek to make scientific and technical concepts applicable to real life.
Based on the national curriculum, there are four standalone resources designed for different age ranges. Topics covered include the usefulness of salts, how medicines are used to fight infections and how chemical compounds are tested for purity.
Each partner has worked on areas most closely aligned to its expertise in order that students get real, practical examples of how science is used in the real world. More than three-quarters (78%) of nearly 100 students surveyed following the pilot phase felt the resources used made their lessons more relatable. The resources have been developed by Pfizer and its partners over the last two years and were officially launched at the start of this school term.
For more information on Breakthrough Science, visit click here.
To build on the UK’s position as a science superpower, we need to foster a passion for science within the next generation. Alongside this, we need to get young people excited about some of the incredible careers that a background in science can unlock.
Managing Director and Country President, Pfizer UK, Susan Rienow
The Breakthrough Science resources linked in with everyday life, with a range of different people in different jobs, and that made the students really engaged.
Ms Turner, Head of Science at Four Dwellings Academy in Birmingham