The activities on the left are examples of good practice. They provide effective learning opportunities for pupils to value diversity and challenge racism. They focus on helping pupils understand and appreciate aspects of cultural difference, context and change, while challenging and extending their perceptions of themselves and other people.

What is the potential in the science curriculum for valuing diversity and challenging racism?

The national curriculum programme of study and the QCA/DCFS schemes of work for science provide starting points for valuing diversity and challenging racism in the classroom. The national curriculum statutory inclusion statement sets out schools' responsibilities for meeting the needs of all pupils and provides examples of how this can be achieved.

The programme of study for key stages 1 to 4 science excites pupils' curiosity by engaging them in practical experience and with ideas. Scientific methodology is a spur to original and creative thought, making a significant contribution to global culture. Pupils study the contribution of science to technological change and learn to address science-based issues that may affect their own lives, their society and the future of the world. The following programme of study requirements may provide opportunities to value diversity and/or challenge racism.

Key stage 1

Scientific enquiry

Children should be taught to:

2a ask questions and decide how they might find answers to them

Life processes and living things

Children should be taught to:

4a recognise similarities and differences between themselves and other people, and to treat others with sensitivity

5c care for the environment

Key stage 2

Scientific enquiry

Children should be taught:

1a that science is about thinking creatively to try to explain how living and non-living things work, and to establish links between causes and effects

Life processes and living things

Children should be taught:

5a about ways in which living things and the environment need protection

Key stage 3

Scientific enquiry

Pupils should be taught:

1c about the ways in which scientists work today and how they worked in the past, including the roles of experimentation, evidence and creative thought in the development of scientific ideas

Life processes and living things

Pupils should be taught:

4a about environmental and inherited causes of variation within a species

5a about ways in which living things and the environment can be protected, and the importance of sustainable development

Key stage 4

Scientific enquiry

Pupils should be taught:

1c ways in which scientific work may be affected by the contexts in which it takes place and how these contexts may affect whether or not ideas are accepted

Life processes and living things

Pupils should be taught:

3a how variation arises from genetic causes, environmental causes, and a combination of both

4c about the importance of sustainable development

What are the implications for teaching and learning?

The national curriculum statutory inclusion statement describes schools' responsibility to provide a curriculum that meets the specific needs of individuals and groups of pupils. The statement sets out three principles that are essential to developing an inclusive curriculum:

• setting suitable learning challenges;
• responding to pupils' diverse learning needs;
• overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.

The statement also provides examples of how this responsibility can be met.

Effective teaching in science can help pupils' to value diversity and challenge racism by:

creating effective learning environments, in which:

• the contribution of all pupils is valued
• all pupils can feel secure enough to contribute appropriately
• stereotypical views are challenged and pupils learn to appreciate and view positive differences in others, whether arising from race, gender, ability, disability, age, religion/belief or sexual orientation

securing motivation and concentration, by:

• using materials that reflect social and cultural diversity and provide positive images of race, gender, disability, age, religion/belief and sexual orientation

providing equality of opportunity, by:

• taking account of pupils' specific religious or cultural beliefs relating to the representation of ideas and experiences and/or to the use of particular types of equipment

using appropriate assessment approaches that:

• use materials that are free from discrimination and stereotyping in any form

setting targets for learning that:

• are attainable and yet challenging, to help pupils to develop their self-esteem and confidence in their ability to learn.