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Triple science, covering physics, chemistry and biology, and worth three GCSEs, is currently taken by just 7% of 16-year-olds. The rest take the less comprehensive Double or Single-GCSE combined science.

The CBI wants many more young people to fulfill their science potential by taking Triple science. It provides a better preparation for science at A-level, opens doors to new and exciting future career opportunities, and will help Britain prosper.

The Government has promised that from September students getting Level 6 or above in their science SATs will be 'entitled' to study Triple science. But the CBI says extra steps must be taken.

Under the CBI’s proposal, 14-year-olds getting Level 6 or above would be automatically opted in for Triple science GCSE . Students would be encouraged to broaden their science education - but would not be forced to do so. The choice to opt out and take Double science would remain.

The policy would affect approximately 250,000 14-year-olds a year – the roughly 40% who get Level 6 or above in their key stage 3 SATs.

Richard Lambert, the CBI’s Director-General, said: "Young people are missing out. They are doing better than ever in science tests at 14, but hardly any are going on to study Triple science GCSE, despite the opportunities and learning it offers.

“We need to create an environment in schools that reflects the importance of science, and the value of studying it. We also need to send an unambiguous message to young people who are good at science that science as a career can be fascinating and worthwhile, and will reward you well.

"Parents want the best for their children and they need to understand that Triple science provides just that. Science skills gained today can be the pathway to a great career tomorrow. It is essential that all our children have the chance of the best possible science education, if they are to enjoy the employment opportunities of the future."

James Smith, Chairman of Shell UK Ltd, a leading CBI member company, said: "Application of advanced science and technology has never been more important to the energy industry. There are great careers available in making sure the world has the energy it needs and in tackling climate change. Incentives for more children to take science at school could help produce the next generations of scientists and engineers that our industry really needs."

Some schools lack the specialist physics and chemistry teachers to deliver triple science, so the Government would have to phase in the policy. But we hope that by 2013 all schools should have enough specialist teachers to operate it.

Triple science is a better preparation for science A-levels, and the Government acknowledges that Triple students get higher A-level grades.

Professor Roger Ainsworth, Master of St Catherine’s College and Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, said: "I strongly endorse the idea of encouraging more children to take Triple combined science, rather than the less comprehensive Single or Double science GCSE.

“Rewarding careers are to be found in science and engineering at all levels, and anything which encourages young people on paths in these directions is greatly to be encouraged.

“Triple science GCSE will give a better preparation for science A-levels, and therefore a better preparation for science degrees.”

The CBI says the policy of opting in students for Triple science requires more specialist science teachers and more money for equipment and labs. Specialist teachers raise attainment by bringing their subjects to life. The Government must also accelerate the pace of its £45 billion programme to improve school buildings and labs. Only 13 of the planned 100 schools by 2009 have been opened. We need effective and focused leadership to speed up this investment.

Research this year showed that 48% of head science teachers at schools that do not currently offer triple science felt “a more flexible timetable” was needed. Timetabling issues can be overcome if schools see triple science as a priority offer to their students.

The CBI's five-point proposal for science in schools:

1. Automatic opt in to Triple science. 40% of 14-year-olds automatically opted in to Triple science GCSE courses, which is the best preparation for further study. Just 7% of 16-year-olds currently take three science GCSEs.

2. Improve school buildings and science labs. Government has allocated £45 billion to improve school buildings including labs (Under Building Schools for Future - BSF) but must make the investment a reality. The programme is supposed to be over 20-25 years but the intial target of 100 BSF schools by 2009 is unlikely to be met as only 13 have opened so far.

3. Upgrade careers advice. £120m of new funding to pay for one-to-one careers advice at ages 14, 16 and 18, which will help challenge misperceptions about science and engineering degrees. The CBI says companies also need to take further steps to encourage young people into these careers.

4. Schools must prioritise science by timetabling specialist science teachers to deliver Triple science as soon as it is practical. Timetabling problems should not be difficult to overcome where schools have the necessary physics and chemistry specialists. The government's new £5,000 'golden hello' payments are also starting to increase the number of science graduates training as teachers.

5. Offer financial incentives. Give bursaries of £1,000 a year to STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) graduates to help pay tuition fees - at a total cost of around £200m a year - to reflect the importance of these skills to the UK economy.

Five facts about science and careers:

· Science pays. Over their lifetimes, chemistry and physics graduates can expect to earn at least £60,000 more than the average for a degree holder (Pricewaterhouse Coopers report The Economic Benefits of Higher Education Qualifications, 2005)

· People with science skills are in demand. 92% of firms (across all sectors) employ STEM skilled people, but 59% of firms were experiencing problems recruiting STEM skilled employees (CBI Education & Skills Survey 2008).

· The UK will need more science skills to prosper. There will be more than 2m extra jobs requiring people to have STEM skills by 2014 (CBI estimate based on Skills for Business’s report Working Futures 2004-2014).

· Science jobs give good starting salaries. Starting salaries for science sector jobs can be as much as £32,000 putting them in the top 20% of starting salaries. STEM graduates working in investment banking enjoy starting salaries of up to £37,000 (Association of Graduate Recruiters, Summer Review 2008).

· Science skills are valued. The Future Innovators Team at the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts recently reported that “the skills of problem solving, enquiry and independent thinking that science encourages are also key for young people to be better equipped for the future.”

Five facts about science in school:

· Students are doing well at science up to age 14. Those gaining a Level 6 or above in SATs has risen from 24% in 1999 to 41% in 2007 (Department for Children, Schools and Families).

· Few GCSE students study Triple science. Just 7% study Triple science, while 66% study double science (DCSF).

· Physics at A level is a particular problem. While maths and chemistry have shown a modest recovery in recent years, since 1984, there has been a 56% drop in entries for A level physics, and 27% for chemistry.

· More science teachers are needed. Numbers of specialist science teachers have halved over the last 20 years. Now just one in five (22%) of school science teachers are physics specialists and 22% are chemistry specialists. For biology the figure is 32%. Other science and non science degrees account for 16% and 8% of staff respectively. (The secondary school curriculum and staffing survey DCSF 2007 ).

· Poor science labs and poor attainment go together. In schools with poor labs, just 52% achieve results graded “good” or above by schools inspector Ofsted, compared with 81% where there is access to very good labs (Ofsted 2005).

Additional quotes:

Bob Taylor, Managing Director of Generation for energy company E.ON, said: “We’re facing a massive £160bn investment in the energy sector to rebuild and transform our ageing infrastructure. This will need a whole new generation of engineers and scientists to design, construct, operate and maintain new power stations and networks, and to drive innovation in low-carbon technologies. Finally we seem to have a policy initiative which gets right to the heart and addresses the difficult underlying issues of science and maths education in school and higher education.”

Iain Coucher, Chief Executive, Network Rail, said: “Getting more young people to opt for Triple science at GCSE level is absolutely crucial to increasing the number who go on to study it at A-level and at our universities. If they do, there is a huge range of career choices out there for them – helping to design and build a railway for 21st century Britain is just one of them.”

Commenting on the need for specialist teachers, Professor Michael Reiss, Director of Education at the Royal Society, said: “With all young people who obtain level 6 in their Key Stage 3 science tests being entitled to take Triple science GCSE from September, it will be crucial that we have enough good teachers to teach these subjects. All of our secondary schools should have a specialist teacher in each of the three main school sciences who are able to inspire their students about the dynamism and excitement of their subject. This will be an important part of encouraging students to continue their studies onto A-level and beyond. And those young people that do so will have the doors opened to a wide range of rewarding careers.“

The organisation is also the UK's official business representative in the European Union, which generates more than 50 per cent of regulation affecting British firms.
With offices across the UK as well as in Brussels, Washington and Beijing, the CBI coordinates British business representation around the world.