Nuffield Curriculum Centre

Revising the O-level science courses

Co-ordinators
Biology: Grace Monger
Chemistry: Richard Ingle
Physics: Eric Rogers and EJ Wenham

Supporting students as well as teachers
The Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses were revised in the 1970s, and this time there was pupil material too.

This was a major change in Nuffield thinking in response to research which revealed widespread demand for pupils’ books. As before the courses covered the age range 11 to 16.

Long term influence
In the very long run the Nuffield A-level courses turned out to be more successful than the O-level ones, although these are the courses with which the Nuffield brand name continues to be associated.

The O-level projects were developed in academic grammar and independent schools. For most young people the courses were too abstract. The developers introduced concepts at O-level which are now seen as being much more appropriate for post-16 courses.

For many young people the O-level courses failed the ‘significance test’ of Nuffield Secondary Science.

However, the Nuffield O-level science courses ran for over 20 years until the coming of the National Curriculum and Nuffield Co-ordinated Sciences.