On 13 May 2025, Dr Sophie Bartlett, an ADR Wales research associate based at WISERD, at Cardiff University, presented education research at ‘Science and the Senedd’, the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 20th annual event held at the Senedd and the Pierhead in Cardiff Bay.
The event was sponsored by the Deputy Presiding Officer of the Senedd, David Rees MS, together with Mark Isherwood MS, Joel James MS and Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, and the theme was Education and the Future Workforce.
As scientific advancements accelerate, science literacy is increasingly necessitated across all vocations. While efforts to address persistent recruitment gaps have expanded research into science pathways, much of our understanding is derived from data specific to England, and much of the research drawing on administrative data is outdated.
Dr Bartlett’s talk highlighted the importance of population-level administrative data, specifically in Wales, in providing broader contextual insights into who pursues science beyond the age of 16.
This data allows researchers to examine pupil- and school-level factors that both maximise and threaten the likelihood of pupils’ post-16 science uptake, including aspects such as the role of language medium and rurality. These findings can valuably inform where interventions are best targeted to enhance educational equity, improve career prospects, and strengthen the future science workforce.
Dr Bartlett said:
It was a great opportunity to share the work we’re doing and the meaningful research that can be done with administrative data. Engaging with industry, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers meant we can better prioritise what data and evidence we need to inform science education and workforce recruitment in the future.
Designed to foster close relations with policymakers and key stakeholders, Science and the Senedd is organised on behalf of, and in cooperation with, the Welsh science and engineering community. You can read more about the event on the RSC website.
Image credit: The Royal Society of Chemistry/Huw John Photography