Schools in Science Development Programme - Early Engagement Event

The purpose of this Prior Information Notice (PIN) is to notify the market of a forthcoming opportunity to bid for a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme for those teaching the sciences in primary and secondary schools and further education institutions in England. Interested parties are invited to a market engagement event to be held week commencing 13th May 2024, to hear further details about this opportunity and share thoughts and questions about the future programme.

The contract is due to commence in April 2025.The term of the contract will be between 3-5 years.

The Government has set out its ambition for Britain to be a science and technology superpower by 2030. To support this, and to increase the flow of people into STEM-related careers, it is vital to increase the number of students achieving good grades in the sciences whilst at school or college.

CPD has a key role to play in the development of a world class education system. Evidence shows that CPD can lead to improved student outcomes by helping teachers to improve and refine their practice and subject knowledge. CPD can also contribute to improved teacher retention, which is vital for maintaining a high-quality workforce.

In recent years, science-specific CPD funded by the Department for Education has been delivered to thousands of teachers and technicians, including those teaching at schools in Education Investment Areas (EIAs). This has supported participating schools to increase the number of students achieving the science component of EBacc.

The new contract is for the procurement of science CPD in England targeting priority areas. It will offer a specific physics network, a primary science leaders network and subject knowledge training for non-specialist physics teachers. We expect there to be a single oversight body to present a clear and easily navigable offer for teachers to access science-specific CPD.

The scope of this procurement may be flexed up to include digital components for a teacher/pupil facing online platform.

The Department is seeking a lead provider, consortium or similar entity, to deliver the programme according to the following primary objective:

To provide high quality science CPD to science subject leaders in primary schools, and focused support for physics in secondary schools and FE colleges in order to improve the number of students studying science subjects at GCSE and A level and achieving good results. The CPD should support the teaching of a knowledge-rich curriculum at primary, secondary and post-16 level.

Additional information: In addition, the programme will have the following related strategic objectives:

- To carry out targeted action to address the disadvantage gap in GCSE and A level science by targeting support towards schools with a high percentage of students with free school meals in order to improve outcomes. - To carry out targeted action to improve participation from under-represented groups progressing to A level physics. In particular, this should include action to increase the number of female students studying A level physics. - To deliver targeted support to primary science leaders in delivering a knowledge-rich curriculum in order to improve engagement in primary science and to maximise the quality of training that science leaders deliver in turn to their colleagues. - To improve teacher retention by supporting teachers to confidently deliver a knowledge-rich curriculum in physics at secondary level.

The Department for Education is seeking a lead provider or consortia or similar entity to deliver a Science CPD programme from 1 April 2025. Potential suppliers are invited to attend our market engagement event.

The purpose of the event is to discuss the requirements of the Science in Schools Development programme only.

Description of the procurement:

In order to deliver the pipeline of students performing well in science that the economy needs, the Government wants to: improve exam performance, particularly amongst disadvantaged students; increase the number of students studying science subjects post-16, particularly the number of students from under-represented groups; and increase the confidence of teachers teaching primary science.

The Department is looking to make progress against these challenges through the provision of a targeted CPD programme that delivers support to those areas which need it most. In particular, the Department is looking for CPD that supports a knowledge-rich curriculum in primary science and secondary physics.

For information: attendance at the market engagement events is not a pre-requisite for being able to submit a tender against this opportunity. If you are unable to attend the market engagement event, the slides and Q&A outcomes will be made available.

This notice is a zero value PIN notice for early market engagement. It is for information only and is not a call for competition. The Department reserves the right not to enter a formal procurement process and not proceed with contract award. Accordingly, the Department will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work or effort incurred by any organisation in acting on the basis of this Prior Information Notice.