ASE (London Region) Newsletter
June 2017
Upcoming ASE (National) and ASE (London) Events Round-up
Event Description
Date/Time/Location
Booking instructions
Preparing for Inspections in
Science
Thursday 15th June 2017
5.00pm to 7.00pm
St Pauls Church, Harold Wood RM3
0QA
http://prepinsci.eventbrite.co.uk
Saturday 1st July 2017
9:15 am to 3:30 pm
STEM Education Centre London,
UCL Institute of Education, WC1H
0AL
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/aseucl-institute-ofeducation-london-science-teachersconference-2017-tickets-32593969440
Wednesday 12th July 2017
Timings TBC
Buxton School, E11 3NT
Annie Jand, Senior Science Technician
0208 534 3425 EXT 231
[email protected]
ASE London Teachers
Conference
Technicians network group
meeting
Other Events Round-up
Event Description
GCSE Physics workshops - :
Magnetism and
electromagnetism
Date/Time/Location
Booking instructions
Wednesday 21st June 2017
5:00pm – 6:30pm
Burlington Danes Academy (BDA),
W12 0HR
[email protected]
Wednesday 28th June 2017
Times TBC
Wetherby Senior School, W1U 2QU
[email protected]
Annual SPN Conference at
Charterhouse School
Sunday 9 July 2017
9:15 am - 4:30 pm
Charterhouse School, GU7 2DX
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/annual-spnconference-at-charterhouse-tickets25244545114
Capital Physics Fourth Annual
Conference
Wednesday 12 July
09.15am –4.15pm
University College London Faculty of
Engineering Sciences
WC1E 7JE
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/capitalphysics-fourth-annual-conference-tickets33304451511
Physics Enrichment Day (PED)
ASE (London Region) Newsletter
June 2017
Other news/articles
Registrations for the Institute of Physics SPN Summer Schools are now open - visit
www.stimulatingphysics.org/summer-schools for more information.
The summer schools are residential CPDs fully funded by the IoP and are aimed at non-specialist teachers
of physics
Justify a STEM Proposal to SLT - including ASE memberships for teachers
It turns out that most ASE (London) members that I asked, are paying ASE membership fees out of their
own pockets. We have heard stories too, about teachers and technicians buying teaching resources with
their own money, such as lab apparatus. Clearly this is not fair!
The point of ASE membership is to become better
supported within the profession, and in doing so become
stronger at supporting, teaching, and leading science in
schools. It is my view that schools should be paying for
their science teachers and technicians to become
members of the ASE and to attend ASE-run CPD
activities. This is because it is ultimately in the students’
interests that schools ensure this. However, the grim
reality is that, with schools suffering ever bigger
cutbacks, justifying such costs is becoming increasingly
difficult. Or is it? It may be argued that in the current
climate, only the most cost-efficient and high-quality
professional development opportunities are worth
investing in. The good news is that ASE-membership
brings exactly that!
[email protected] has written a useful article on ‘The art of submitting proposals to senior leaders’
here: https://www.stem.org.uk/blog/art-submitting-proposals-senior-leaders . It’s a good read. The article
mentions impact, cost and benefit, improved recruitment and retention, research-led practice, and also
includes a template for your proposal.
Yeasmin Mortuza (ASE London Chair)
ASE (London Region) Newsletter
June 2017
Recruitment and Retention of Teachers
House of Commons Education Committee - February 2017
https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmeduc/199/199.pdf
This report makes for interesting reading and in particular calling for investment in the retention of existing
teachers as well as the recruitment and training of new teachers.
The report has two main findings:
1. One of the main drivers for teachers leaving the profession is un-manageable workload.
2. The importance of professional development for all teachers
“In order to raise the status of the teaching profession, and improve retention, teachers must be entitled to
high-quality, relevant continuing professional development throughout their careers. This must include a
focus on subject-specific knowledge and skills to allow teachers to continually develop their practice and to
create future leaders”
ASE continues to work on giving teachers access to professional development and supporting Science
teachers and Technicians to access new ideas throughout their careers.
If you have any ideas of CPD that we could provide to support you in London why not let one of the
committee know?
Primary Science Assessment
Have you seen the new assessment resources on the ASE website? Many primary teachers are looking for
help understanding National Curriculum (England) expectations for meeting the knowledge standard in
science.
The PLAN resources are annotated collections of children’s work providing examples of what working at
the expected standard for primary science might look like for the knowledge and conceptual understanding
statements. They are similar to the old Standards Files, produced by the Department for Education, and will
in time cover each topic in the English programme of study.
Each collection of work shows one example of how a pupil has met National Curriculum statements for a
particular area of content but these are not intended to be the definitive way of teaching these statements;
that is for teacher’s professional judgement. The resources are quality assured and moderated through the
network - so teachers and subject leaders can use them with confidence.
Alongside the excellent Teacher Assessment in Primary Science Resource (TAPS project) https://pstt.org.uk/resources/curriculum-materials/assessment , they provide support and guidance for all
primary teachers struggling with assessment. Show these resources to your Head and suggest you get a
school subscription to the ASE, so that all teachers can access the resources.
ASE (London Region) Newsletter
June 2017
Science Survey
Take part in the Practical Work in Science Survey. This is a three-year study monitoring changes to science
practical work in schools and colleges. Those who complete the survey will be entered into a prize draw to
win one of five £100 Amazon vouchers.
Complete the survey here: www.cem.org/practicalworkinscience
ASE (London Region) Newsletter
June 2017
Sponsorship Scheme for Early Career Teachers (2017-2018)
Are you an NQT or in your first five years of teaching?
Would you like a FREE place to attend the ASE Annual Conference (2018) for one day? London
Region ASE will sponsor THREE new science teachers to attend the annual conference for one day.
This major conference runs on 3-6 January 2018, and will be held at the University of Liverpool.
Successful applicants shall receive:
 reimbursement for a one day
conference ticket
 reimbursement for reasonable travel
expenses (e.g. a day return train ticket
from London, or petrol costs at 25p per
mile)
The conditions for application are:
 You must be in your first five years of
teaching as a qualified teacher
 You must be a member of ASE
To apply, just write a couple of paragraphs to us, explaining how attending the conference will be
beneficial to your teaching practice, and beneficial to others in your school. Send your letter to any of the
email addresses shown below by the extended deadline of Monday 17th July 2017.
Successful applicants would agree to:
 become active members of London Region ASE (i.e. attend local events)
 write a short article for EiS and our regional newsletter about their professional learning from
having attended the conference
 help us devise sessions and activities that would support other early career teachers
Conference details may be found here: http://www.ase.org.uk/conferences/annual-conference/ .
Region and Section Contacts
Field Officer: Frances Evans [email protected]
Region Secretary: Sheila Curtis [email protected]