Findings 5: CPD for science

Several issues seemed to affect scientists particularly. For instance, secondary science teachers were particularly keen to update their subject knowledge – 72 per cent wanted more CPD in that area, as against 60 per cent for other subject teachers – while only 35 per cent were satisfied with subject-related courses compared with 48 per cent for secondary-school teachers as a whole.

Secondary heads of science were less likely than classroom teachers to feel that CPD was encouraged by senior management – only 52 per cent felt it was (compared with 67 per cent of other heads of department). Even more striking, half of all secondary science teachers had had no subject-related professional development in the past five years. This might explain why secondary heads of science were generally less confident in their skills and performance than heads of other departments.