Category Archives: Education

Have We Had Enough of Experts?

Posted on December 21, 2025 by Athene Donald

Recently, my Cambridge colleagues Diane Coyle and Michael Kenny from the Bennett School of Public Policy took to the pages of Nature to write a cautionary Comment about the role of science and scientists in public policy. They are critical … Continue reading →

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Practice and Experience

Posted on December 14, 2025 by Athene Donald

It seems appropriate in this 250th anniversary year of Jane Austen’s birth to use a quote from Pride and Prejudice to kickstart this post. ‘If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient.’ says Lady Catherine de … Continue reading →

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Being Practical (Or Not)

Posted on November 9, 2025 by Athene Donald

Last week I attended a workshop on the future of practical science in schools at the Royal Society.  Driven in part by the findings of the 2023 Science Education Tracker, that students at secondary school were frustrated they had little … Continue reading →

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Science Education, Disadvantage and Teacher Burn-out

Posted on September 20, 2025 by Athene Donald

While we wait for the Schools White Paper and the report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, other bodies have been busy, reporting specifically on the state of science education in (predominantly) English schools. Over the last few months, both … Continue reading →

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Upping the Engineering Talent Pipeline

Posted on July 6, 2025 by Athene Donald

The Government’s recently published Modern Industrial Strategy has a lot to say about skills. For instance, it commits to ‘enhance skills and increase access to talent by reforming the skills and employment support system to create a strong pipeline into … Continue reading →

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