The exam board at the centre of a storm surrounding the teaching of creationism has committed to re-visit its guidance to avoid the threat to science teaching that many feared, and to issue strict guidance to trainee teachers on their exam programme.
The ‘Gateway Science’ specification had caused controversy because teachers were asked to ‘explain that the fossil record has been interpreted differently over time (e.g. creationist interpretation)’.
But now, in a letter to the British Humanist Association, OCR said they were ‘happy to commit to reviewing the wording of this part of the Gateway Science (Biology) specification for the next edition’ .
They continue that ‘ more immediately, we shall be issuing guidance in the many In-Service Teacher training (INSETs) and Network meetings we carry out during the year for the specification. ‘
OCR envisage the guidance to teachers being ‘ along the following lines ‘:
‘Only a creationist interpretation of the fossil record prior to, or contemporary, to Darwin needs to be explained in this context