UK Scientists Get Tough on Teaching Creationism in Schools. (September 21, 2011)

Thirty of Britain's top scientists have signed a statement saying it is "unacceptable" to teach creationism and intelligent design, whether or not it happens specifically in designated science lessons.

Click here to access the full statement and list of signatories

According to the signatories, Truth in Science and Creation Ministries International are:

 ...touring the UK and presenting themselves as scientists and their creationist views as science... Creationism and intelligent design are not scientific theories, but they are portrayed as scientific theories by some religious fundamentalists who attempt to have their views promoted in publicly funded schools; there should be enforceable statutory guidance that they may not be presented as scientific theories in any publicly funded school of whatever type.

Truth in Science has sent free resources to all secondary heads of science and to school librarians around the country that seek to undermine the theory of evolution and have intelligent design ideas portrayed as credible scientific viewpoints. Speakers from Creation Ministries International are touring the UK, presenting themselves as scientists and their creationist views as science at a number of schools.

The Guardian reports the Department of Education said: "The education secretary was crystal clear in opposition and now in government that teaching creationism as scientific fact is wrong. He will not accept any academy or free school proposal which plans to teach creationism in the science curriculum or as an alternative to accepted scientific theories. Academies and free schools must have a broad and balanced curriculum. Ofsted [Office for Standards in Education] takes a strict line with inspecting this. We expect to see evolution and its foundation topics fully included in any science curriculum."

Michael Reiss, professor of education at the Institute of Science Education and an Anglican priest, told the Guardian that while it was "important" for organisations that did not accept the theory of evolution to be "allowed to exist and to proclaim their message" in a free society, the arguments against the theory of evolution were invalid. In his view: "In a school setting this means that while teachers of science are perfectly at liberty to address creationist and ID issues, should they so wish, students must not be given the impression that there is a scientific controversy over whether the Earth is very old (about 4.6bn years old) or whether all species descend from very simple common ancestors."

Below is a partial list of the individuals who signed the statement.

David Attenborough

Professor Colin Blakemore

Professor Tom Blundell

Dr Helena Cronin

Professor Richard Dawkins

Professor Steve Jones

Professor John Krebs

Professor Harold Kroto

Professor Paul Nurse

Revd Professor Michael Reiss

Professor Steven Rose

Professor John Sulston

Professor Lewis Wolpert