Inspiring teachers to enthuse next generation of bright sparks
08 July 2008
Recent reports published by Ofsted* and the Wellcome Trust** have highlighted the problem of pupils turning away from science because of the way it is taught. As well as the need for training more specialist science teachers, these teachers need Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to help them keep up to date with the best ideas for encouraging children to engage with science and pursue careers in science and technology.
Under the new scheme, called Project Enthuse, teachers will have hugely increased access to world-class CPD courses at the state-of-the-art National Science Learning Centre in York. Every maintained school in the UK can apply for funding, which provides generous bursaries to cover not only fees, travel and accommodation for individual teachers but also the cost to schools of providing teaching cover, and extra funds to help teachers share what they learn with colleagues.
Project Enthuse will receive £10m from the Government over the next five years, as well as £10m from the Wellcome Trust and a further £10m from its industrial partners, which include Vodafone, Rolls-Royce, GlaxoSmithKline, General Electric Foundation, BP, BAE Systems, AstraZeneca and the AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust.
Schools Minister Jim Knight says: "Britain has a great tradition for producing world class scientists and engineers and we want to build on that. Science, technology and maths lessons should be exciting and inspiring - Project Enthuse and the National Network of Science Learning Centres around the country are giving teachers the skills they need to make this happen."
John Holman, Director of the National Science Learning Centre, says: "Science is endlessly fascinating and opens new windows on the world. Science lessons should be full of amazing experiences and intriguing ideas to inspire a new generation of young scientists. At the National Science Learning Centre, we give science teachers a unique professional experience to boost their subject knowledge and teaching skills - and we do it in a superbly equipped training environment which other professionals take for granted but teachers rarely experience."
Sir William Castell, Chairman of the Wellcome Trust, says: "Project Enthuse is a remarkable partnership between the private sector, the Government and the Wellcome Trust with the single and united purpose of upgrading the content of science teaching in our primary and secondary schools. By uniting in this way, we can bring practical science and technology into the classroom at a scale and breadth of investment which has never been achieved before. We believe this new investment will succeed, and we will be able to measure our success and demonstrate its positive impact on science education."
Andrew Witty, CEO, GlaxoSmithKline, says: "Project Enthuse is a great example of partnership between the private, public and charitable sectors to resolve an issue of significance to us all. Together we will enable science teachers to participate in training to keep their skills current, allowing them to continue to inspire the next generation of scientists and science teachers. GSK is proud to support this excellent initiative."
Mike Turner, Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems, says: "The continuing decline in the number of science, engineering and technology graduates is a real threat to the future competitiveness of the UK's industrial sector. BAE Systems is proud to play its part in helping our science teachers inspire young people to be the engineers of the future."
John Patterson, Executive Director for Development at AstraZeneca, says: "Many of my colleagues at AstraZeneca were inspired to embark on a career in science by great teachers. We hope that the learning and development opportunities offered by Project Enthuse will help teachers to achieve their full potential and give them confidence to meet the challenge of inspiring tomorrow's scientists."
Prof Michael Walker FREng, Group Research and Development Director, Vodafone, says: "Those of us lucky enough to have been inspired by a good teacher have benefited from their influence throughout our lives. Project Enthuse supports teachers in their effort to equip young people with the knowledge and expertise necessary to succeed. We believe it is important for companies like Vodafone to support this initiative and help create the next generation of engineers and scientists who will shape the world we live in."
Bob Corcoran, President of the GE Foundation, says: "Much has changed since Thomas Edison created GE 130 years ago, but two things haven’t. The opportunities that a good education provides students are immeasurable, and a strong foundation in science and math is critical to innovation and invention. We’re proud that Project Enthuse enables both."
Peter Mather, BP Head of Country UK, comments: "BP is delighted to be a founding supporter of Project Enthuse. We believe that business has an important role to play in education by inspiring teachers and inspiring students, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We look forward to helping Project Enthuse make a significant impact on the teaching of science to young people across the nation."
Tom Brown, Director of Human Resources at Rolls-Royce plc, says: "It is vitally important to the future of the UK economy that the science and engineering skills base is strengthened. By supporting science teachers to foster enthusiasm for these subjects, we believe we can help encourage young people to take up careers in science and engineering."
Contact
Michael Regnier
Media Officer
The Wellcome Trust
T 020 7611 7262
E
m.regnier@wellcome.ac.uk
Notes for editors
* Success in Science, Ofsted, June 2008 [PDF 225KB]:
** The Effects of National Testing in Science at KS2 in England and Wales, Wellcome Trust, April 2008 [PDF 236KB]
The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.
The National Science Learning Centre provides innovative and inspirational professional development for science teachers and technicians from across the UK. The £11m purpose-built centre, situated at the University of York, is part of a network of ten Science Learning Centres, which is a joint initiative by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Wellcome Trust.
Vodafone is the world's largest mobile telecommunications group, with equity interests in 26 countries and Partner Networks in over 40 additional countries. As of 31 March, 2008, Vodafone had approximately 260m proportionate customers worldwide. For further information, please visit the Vodafone website.
Rolls-Royce, a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, has over the last ten years established a strong position in fast growing global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy. At the end of November 2007 Rolls-Royce employed around 39 500 people in 50 countries.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical and healthcare companies and is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.
In 2007, GlaxoSmithKline's community investments were valued at £282m (the equivalent to almost 4 per cent of pre-tax profits) and targeted health and education programmes in almost 100 countries. GSK has a long-standing commitment to supporting science education with programmes that aim to engage children in science, giving them the knowledge and understanding to become scientists and to make sound decisions about the science issues they meet in everyday life.
The GE Foundation, the philanthropic organisation of the General Electric Company, works to strengthen educational access, equity and quality for disadvantaged youth globally, and supports GE employee and retiree giving and involvement in GE communities around the world. In 2007, the GE family of businesses, employees, retirees and GE Foundation contributed more than $210m to community and educational programs, including $93m from the GE Foundation. For more information, visit the Foundation website.
BP is one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, serving millions of customers every day in more than 100 countries across six continents. BP's activities are Exploration and Production, Refining and Marketing, and Alternative Energy, its low-carbon energy business. Through these, BP provides fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services, and petrochemicals products for textiles and packaging.
BAE Systems is the premier global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 97 500 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £15.7 billion (US$ $31.4bn) in 2007.
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $29.55bn and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.