Leading for Excellence in Science

Develop your leadership and management skills to develop a constantly improving faculty or department.

Scheduled for 16th - 19th March 2009 at
Crieff Hydro Hotel with a two-day follow up in June 2009

Rationale    Audience   Course Description    Commitment   Application forms   This info (Word,  244 Kb or pdf, 182 Kb)

Rationale

Science is at the heart of Scotland’s ambitions for Curriculum for Excellence which aims to bring about transformational change and ensure the best possible education for our children and young people. Management structures in schools are now more diverse resulting in posts of responsibility for science faculties and combinations of science subjects as well as principal teachers of biology, chemistry and physics. As a result of both of these factors and the increasing emphasis on teachers taking responsibility for what they teach and their self evaluation, the role of leading for excellence in science has never been more important.

Audience

The course is aimed at all of those who have or aspire to have responsibility for leading science education in their establishments. Although some leadership skills are generic, there are aspects of science education which require specific leadership skills and have particular management responsibilities. These particular responsibilities as well as wider leadership issues will be considered in science specific contexts.

Previous delegates to this course said:

“A very enjoyable and practical course”

“This is how to ensure you are up to date”

“A lot of courses talk to you about what you should be doing.  This one actually showed you”

Course Description

The course will be delivered by nationally recognised experts in their field coordinated and organised by staff from SSERC.  Participants will be provided with supporting publications and access to advice and support post course.

Coverage will include:

• Curriculum and course development issues with particular reference to the 3-18 review of science as part of Curriculum for Excellence.

• Areas for development identified in the HMIe report Science: A portrait of current practice in Scottish Schools

• Improving learning and teaching through self evaluation

• Approaches to managing science health and safety issues

• Science departmental/faculty issues and policies

• Leading teams and managing change

Commitment

Admission to the course is dependent on nomination by your school or local authority and on submission of a satisfactory application. Participants will be expected to carry out an action research, management or similar task in school between March 2009 and the recall days in June 2009. On completion of the course participants will be able to access follow up opportunities designed to further develop their skills.

Application forms are available to download (Word, 158 Kb or pdf, 104 Kb) from www.sserc.org.uk or email sheila.maclellan@sserc.org.uk

Limited to twenty places.

The Scottish Government has agreed grant funding for the Support for Scottish Science Education through CPD partnership which intends to provide a range of CPD opportunities for teachers of science, technicians and support staff.  As the lead partner SSERC engages with other Scottish and UK organisations, local authorities, professional institutes, associations, centres and agencies active in establishing systematic and sustainable CPD for Scottish science educators. As a result there will be no charge for the course fee or accommodation.