As the first Primary classroom teacher to be awarded CSciTeach, Tony Cuthbert is determined to help raise teaching standards in Primary Science as well as raising the profile of teaching as a profession. "I think it will aid progress through one's career, and if we can get some Chartered Science Teachers as Heads and Deputies, it will give a massive boost to primary science." His school, Uplands Junior in Wolverhampton, was very supportive of him - they paid for his application - and his colleagues gave him a big round of applause in the staff room when they heard he had been successful. Slightly embarrassed, he explained to me why he felt it was important for the school: "It's a good indication for parents that we're on the right track, and it will help to raise our profile and reputation in the area. And it's great if it serves as an aspirational thing for other teachers too."
Tony sees the benefit of CSciTeach to all involved in Science Teaching, particularly in Secondary Education and also for those really passionate about Primary Science, such as anyone aspiring to be a Coordinator of Science. "I was surprised how many ordinary teachers held my award in such high esteem. We have been crying out for a professional body in teaching for many years – to raise the status of the profession at all levels, and to convince parents that we do our jobs to the best of our ability – and this is a significant step towards it." It would be all the better if the competencies of CSciTeach in understanding and pedagogy can be held up as a standard for other subjects, some of which are now starting to look seriously at equivalent awards to promote professionalism in their own area of teaching.
Tony's concern for professionalism in education led him to become involved in the GTC, where he has been pressing for the introduction of compulsory revalidation every 5 years for its members, in order to demonstrate adequate professional development over that time. He is also passionate that this development should be at postgraduate level, and so the requirements of the CSciTeach designation fit well with his own personal ethos. "It's very important, especially for Primary Teachers, that CSciTeach has genuine parity with CSci and that it isn't just a token gesture to teachers. The competency standards have been set very high and I would like to see them remain like that." He was also very clear on the importance of charteredship to the science world as a whole: "Scientists need to realise that being Chartered will help raise the status and reputation of Science as a whole, which is vital in convincing the public that they are acting responsibly."
"I would advise any young science teachers that CSciTeach is something they should all aspire to and that you should do a further degree while you can." As part of his own postgraduate development, Tony has been part of some fascinating research into children's perspectives of scientists, which not surprisingly consisted of mostly white men with frizzy hair and glasses. Many of Tony's pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, and to ensure that the appeal of science is not lost on them, he told me the importance of trying to counter that image by "bringing more women into schools as role models, by informing children that much of the science in countries like America is conducted by people from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds, and that Western Science itself was born out of the major contribution of Middle and Far Eastern Civilisations 1500 years ago, while we were stuck in the Dark Ages."
I have been impressed by the enthusiasm and innovation that all the new Chartered Science Teachers are showing towards their profession – and Tony Cuthbert is no exception. As well as giving me a guided tour round his workplace, Uplands Junior School in Wolverhampton, he showed me his website, threetimesitsscience.com, which provides an extensive lesson and experiment resource base for other primary teachers.
Tony is well aware of the need to keep on top of developments in primary education, and does this by reviewing articles in journals such as Primary Science Review. Meanwhile, he is working on building the foundations of what he hopes will be the first ever Science Journal for Primary school children. “We will be publishing all the experiments that the children do in class onto my website.” Slightly tongue in cheek, I asked if he had thought about peer review. “Absolutely! The idea is that pupils in other schools around the country could look at the experiments we have done and see if they can produce corroborating data, but the peer review has to come from the children themselves.”
One thing that struck me, being back in a classroom for the first time in 15 years, was the extent to which new technology was opening doors to teachers, and it is clear that Tony is embracing that in promoting experimentation in lessons. "I think the importance of learning how to interpret data properly has been lost somewhat under all the facts children need to learn; I hope that through my award and my website I can help to redress this balance."
Ali Orr
October 2006
