This issue of EiS includes the usual roundup of news from ASE groups and committees and the world of science education, as well as a very exciting feature on the topical issue of practical science in schools.  We have published a pullout section containing a wealth of advice from different sources on how adopting simple routines, and working in partnership with technicians, can make time spent in the classroom on practical work more effective (and less stressful!). There is also a report on a small-scale study by OCR on how the recent changes to the assessment of practical science at GCSE and A-level have impacted on undergraduate STEM students.