High winds and heavy rain are regular features of the British weather, and forecasting these events accurately is a major priority for the Met Office and other forecast providers. This is the challenge facing DIAMET, a project involving university groups from Manchester, Leeds, Reading, and East Anglia, together with the Met Office. DIAMET is part…

The Apollo missions brought back 382kg of Moon rock. The financial cost of getting these rocks was historically eye-watering so, understandably, NASA is choosy about who gets to play with them. Many go to scientists for laboratory investigation, but some have been set aside for loan to schools and the public. Luckily, the UK was allowed some,…

Good assessment practice is a fundamental part of good teaching and learning. It puts learners at the heart of the process, helping them to recognise achievement and make progress, and enables teachers to shape and adapt their teaching to individual needs and aspirations. Over the past year, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has…

Examines reasons for the declining use of cassette film loops in British classrooms in recent years. (JR)

Presents some of the preliminary results of a survey study about the use of both the revised publications and GCE O-Level examinations for Nuffield Chemistry in 495 British schools and colleges in 1979. (HM)

Advocates the development of a "resource directory" of local industries by a school district. The directory could list the names of industries which would provide: (1) tours; (2) speakers; (3) the use of specialist equipment and laboratory facilities; (4) the use of libraries; and (5) personal links for teachers. (CP)

Presents an alternative series of investigations replacing the propanone-trichloromethane system (Topic 10) in the Nuffield A-Level course. A trichloromethane-ethyl ethanoate (acetate) system presented in four experiments give good results and removed the dangers arising from the other system. Topic 10 need not be re-written, just the replacement…

Discusses a proposed information service designed to provide British science teachers with an easy access to relevant literature, films, examinations, apparatus, and other science teaching resource materials. (JR)