Experts call for chemistry teacher CPD revamp

Royal Society of Chemistry report says teachers need ‘up-to-date information’ to link their curriculum to careers in the field
30th January 2025, 4:47pm

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Experts call for chemistry teacher CPD revamp

https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/secondary/chemistry-teacher-cpd-revamp
Teacher showing pupil a chemistry experiment

The Royal Society of Chemistry is calling for an overhaul of teacher CPD and the school science and chemistry curricula to meet a projected surge in demand for jobs in the sector.

In a report out today, the RSC makes a series of recommendations to “empower teachers to deliver a modern and relevant chemistry curriculum by improving access to funded, high-quality, subject-specific CPD”.

The RSC’s head of education, Mark Jordan, told Tes: “Teachers across the UK are struggling to provide enough hands-on practical chemistry experiences due to an overloaded curriculum, a lack of technician support and significant resource challenges, mainly stemming from a lack of funding.

“This means young people are not fully experiencing a core aspect of chemistry education and are not building up the skills that our report identifies as crucial for the future chemistry-using workforce.”

The Future Workforce and Education Pathways report says teachers need to have access to “up-to-date information about the skills employers are looking for so that they can link the chemistry curriculum they teach to careers in chemistry”.

It adds that school science and chemistry curricula should be designed so that they are “equipping young people with the skills and knowledge needed for the future”.

Mr Jordan said teachers who have taken part in RSC surveys say that they’re not getting enough subject-specific CPD, “often due to time constraints and a lack of funding including a recent Department for Education funding cut for CPD in the sciences”.

He continued: “Investment is needed in subject-specific CPD, which is proven to improve teachers’ confidence and effectiveness to teach key chemistry knowledge and skills.

“Ensuring that teachers have access to up-to-date information about the skills employers are looking for can help them link the chemistry curriculum they teach to a wide range of impactful, rewarding careers in chemistry and beyond.”

Research conducted for the report shows that chemistry-related jobs are eight times more likely to ask for green skills than the national average.

The report calls for employers to be more involved in public outreach around the variety of chemistry careers and the skills required to succeed in them, through schools’ outreach, work experience and other placements.

The RSC says more chemical scientists are needed “if the multibillion-pound sector is to fulfil its potential to outpace the UK’s wider economic growth and meet national sustainability ambitions”.

Accessible routes

The RSC says changes are needed to ensure there are enough chemists to fill a growing sector. It says the chemistry-related job market is expected to grow by 6.5 per cent over the next decade, 30 per cent more than the wider UK labour market.

The government is undertaking a curriculum review, the results of which will be published this year. Professor Becky Francis, who is undertaking the review, describes it as “crucial” if the country is to prepare all pupils for the future.

Tom Middlehurst, deputy director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said that while it’s important that learning reflects the needs of employers and industry, “it is not individual teachers’ jobs to navigate this”.

“This should be determined by a regular process of review of the subject content within the national curriculum”, he added.

Mr Middlehurst said that any changes to curriculum content must come with a commitment to investing in high-quality professional development.

The Department for Education has been approached for comment.

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