CLEAPSS®, The Gardiner Building, Brunel Science Park, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge UB8 3PQ
Tel: +44 (0)1895 251496 Fax/Answerphone: +44 (0)1895 814372 E-mail: science@cleapss.org.ukIf you find that the PDF documents display a blank page when accessed via this web site then please click here for further information.
Latest news 8th March 2010
Free electricity (meter) for your school - first come, first served - offer ends July 31st!
The Department for Children, Schools and Families in England, in association with British Gas, are offering to supply and install a free energy display meter in your school to allow staff and pupils to track electricity consumption on school computers. This could be an interesting science / technology project. There will be a supporting information pack on how to make the best use of the system. Schools should have received an 'official communication' from the DCSF, explaining the scheme and how to apply. You can read the message at the website below. It is essential to obtain the support and agreement of your Head Teacher and Site Manager before applying for a meter!
Apply for a free energy display meter for your school.
A response to the Times newspaper
The following letter was sent in response to articles on health & safety and the demise of practical science in schools, as printed in the Times newspaper on the 5th October 2009.
Dear sir,
School lab health and safety rules ‘could stop future scientists’
It’s disappointing to see myths and exaggerations being, once again, repeated in this article. Far from being prohibited, the practical activities described as “at risk” in the article are all permissible and commonplace in school science.
Professor Holman is correct, very few practicals are actually banned, provided sensible precautions are taken. A 2005 Royal Society of Chemistry report entitled Surely that’s banned, did identify that “there are significant misunderstandings on the part of teachers and technicians about chemicals and scientific activities which are banned in secondary schools” but confirmed the lack of actual prohibition.
Virtually every school has access to advice from CLEAPSS or, in Scotland, SSERC, so no teacher or technician need feel that they are unable to do a practical because of uncertainty about health and safety advice.
Yours faithfully,
Phil Bunyan, Director, CLEAPSS
A cluster of CLEAPSS courses for technicians (and/or teachers)
In response to a request from an overseas member, CLEAPSS is offering 4 one-day courses over consecutive days in January. The courses are mainly for technicians (some are also useful for teachers) and will be held at our premises in Uxbridge (near Heathrow Airport, London). Other members may also be interested in some or all of these.
The courses are:-
Please click here for details of the contents of these courses.
Individuals can enrol for single, multiple or all four courses with the following charges:-
Please note that evening meals and accommodation are not included in the course fee. High quality, relatively inexpensive accommodation can be booked on the Brunel University campus.
Sad news...
We would like to express our sincere condolences to all affected by the recent passing of Valery Chapman. Also to acknowledge her work at Caistor Grammar School and the great contribution that she has made supporting science technicians and the Scitech service.
New and revised Publications
CLEAPSS Bulletin 136 Autumn Term 2009
Copies of the new Bulletin have been dispatched.
Copies are sent to local authorities for them to forward via the internal mail to their own schools, but if your school has not received the Bulletin within a month of despatch, we suggest you contact your local authority to find out why you have not had it. If you are unsure who to contact in the local authority, contact us and we will tell you to whom we send the bulk mailings.
Associate members are sent copies directly by post.
Please click here to download Bulletin from the 'What's new?' section of the 'Secondary Resource'.
Publications for science
CLEAPSS Science Publications On-line resource
All the files on the Science Publications CD-ROM are also now available online from this web site under the title 'Secondary Resource' - Please click here or click the 'Secondary Resource' button on the left. The required password is given on the back page of the spring term Bulletin and is also given on the CD-ROM - scroll down to the 'Password' button toward the bottom left of the CD search page. We will update the online version throughout the year as and when new publications are produced or older publications are revised. Please click here for FAQs about our CD-ROM. You can also post any comments or questions from this page.
G30 Successful Science Practicals. This is a completely new short guide aimed at new science teachers. It brings together in one document a host of practical advice and tips which experienced teachers will know but which new teachers have to learn. We think this will be invaluable for a new science teacher during their first term of work and for student teachers on teaching practice.
G228 Technician and their jobs has been updated. It provides essential information for school leadership teams, heads of science, senior technicians and technicians for determining what and how much science technical support can be available.
G238 Health and safety induction and training of science teachers has been updated. It provides everything a head of science might need to identify for the successful induction of new teachers.
L258 Improving technicians' conditions This guide provides strategies that can be used by technicians, schools and/or local authority staff who wish to negotiate for improved conditions for technicians and to improve the technician provision in science departments. Please click here to download this guide.
Guidance leaflet PS 15 Ventilation and levels of carbon dioxide and other gases in the laboratory and prep room.
Supplementary Risk Assessment SRA 16 The Alcohol 'Gun' has been produced to cover this exciting demonstration. An alcohol and air mixture in a plastic pop bottle is ignited and then explodes which fires the cork across the room.
Please click here to download these leaflets from the 'What's new?' section of the 'Secondary Resource'.
L93 Managing Ionising Radiations and Radioactive Substances in Schools
CLEAPSS guide L93 Managing Ionising Radiations and Radioactive Substances in Schools has been revised to reflect changes to the relevant regulations in England. This 2008 edition supersedes the previous 2001 edition. It has been produced with financial support from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hence it is publicly available. To download a copy of L93, please click here. The advice in guidance leaflets PS46A and PS46B has also been updated to correspond to the new guide L93. Please click here for PS46A Radiation Protection in School Science: Guidance for Employers Information for local authorities and please click here for PS46B Radiation Protection in School Science: Guidance for Employers Information for independent schools & colleges (including foundation & voluntary-aided schools & academies).
G14 Designing and planning laboratories
Updated advice and help for those planning and designing school laboratories whether it’s a completely new science suite or a refurbishment of an individual lab or prep room. The guide includes the common pitfalls and good design principles to follow for a successful layout and build. Please click here to download G14.
PS67 Practical activities in the new science GCSEs
We have produced the leaflet, PS67 Practical activities in the new science GCSEs and various additional documents to help school overcome all sorts of problems with some of the newer practical activities. All but those revised or produced after October 2008 are on the 2009 CLEAPSS Science Publications CD-ROM. All these, and any newer revisions and additions, are in the Secondary Resource on our web site. Please click here: the username and password is given on the back page of the spring term Bulletin and is also given on the CD-ROM - scroll down to the 'Password' button toward the bottom left of the CD search page. We anticipate updating PS67 at frequent intervals and adding further additional documents as more problems come to light, so keep checking the web site.
Publications for design and technology
Model Risk Assessments for Technology (MRATs). These have been completely updated and expanded. The latest version is available for download from the D&T Resources section of the web site. You will need a username and password which is available on the 2009 science publications CD or contact us on science@cleapss.org.uk. Click here to find the new edition.
Auditing Health and Safety in a Secondary School Design and Technology Department is a completely new document which provide advice and checklists covering every aspect of health and safety in D&T including food. Essential reading for a head of department. Available in the D&T resources section of the CLEAPSS web site. You will need a username and password to access this (see above). Click here to find this document.
These other recent publications for design and technology: L235 Managing Risk Assessment for D&T, L254 Health and Safety Maintenance of D&T Workshop Equipment and PS68 D&T Class Sizes, Room sizes and Possible Effects on Safety are also available on the D&T Resource part of this web site.
Please click here: phone or e-mail us if you are unsure of the password to the D&T part of the members’ web site.
PS65 Immediate Remedial Measures for D&T This gives guidance for D&T departments about what they should do after an accident whilst waiting for a qualified first aider to arrive. The intention is that part of the leaflet can be copied and perhaps given to all D&T staff or posted on the walls of workrooms. There is of course equivalent guidance for science staff in section 5 of the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook but there are some differences between the science and D&T advice because the nature of likely accidents is different and facilities are different.
It can be downloaded from the D&T Resource part of this web site (please click here).
Tastrak - Detecting background radiation
Detecting background radiation (OUP Twenty First Century Science). The text book suggests a very nice activity to detect alpha radiation from radon and other background sources. It uses a sensitive plastic called Tastrak which is permanently damaged as charged particles pass through it. The damage tracks can be seen once the plastic is ‘developed’ by chemical etching. The supply of Tastrak has resumed thanks to suport from the Institute of Physics. Dr Geoff Camplin, one of the originators of the use of Tastrak in schools, has set up a service to order the plastic in bulk and then supply schools. For further information, see Geoff’s web site www.camplin.clara.co.uk/PRT/Tastrak/. Possible experiments are given in the Teachers Notes on the web site or the Teacher's Notes can be down loaded from the 21st Century Science web site. Queries about the use or ordering of Tastrak can be sent to Dr Geoff Camplin. At CLEAPSS, we have produced Supplementary Risk Assessment SRA 13 which describes how Tastrak can be developed safely, although the procedure uses very strong alkali. Note that Tastrak must be used within a year of purchase.
CLEAPSS Guidance for publishers and authors
Jointly with the ASE and SSERC, we have revised the document giving guidance for publishers, authors and readers on writing and checking the content of science text books so that important health and safety issues are addressed. To download a copy of Health and Safety Checks on Science Texts (227 kb), click here.
CLEAPSS Guidance freely available
As a result of joint initiatives with the DCSF and the ASE, three of our publications are available to non-members of CLEAPSS these are:
The DCSF has also commissioned CLEAPSS to produce guide L256 Design and Specification of Radioactive Sources for School Use. This guide has been written for employers, manufacturers and suppliers and is not intended for use by schools. Please click here to download L256. Those in school that are interested should look at guidance leaflet PS 78 Radioactive sources for school use. Please click here for PS 78.
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