Within the last ten years, there have been international concerns about school science education, in particular in many rich, highly developed countries where there is a decline in the recruitment of students to science and technology. These concerns relate particularly to the uptake of physical sciences, gender differences and students' motivation for pursuing science. Students' views about the relevance of science to their everyday lives have been the subject of a number of surveys that indicate science is seen to be useful. Despite the positive views, this has not transferred to the uptake of post-16 courses in science compared to other subjects. Furthermore, attitudes to science decrease across the period of compulsory secondary schooling, especially between ages 11 to 14. Studies of students' views about teaching and learning school science indicate that, although they see science as important in the world, many have negative attitudes to studying science themselves. Although students dislike some aspects of their science learning, there are positive messages from surveys that highlight ways in which teaching could be adapted to provide more interactive and enjoyable science lessons.