A plea from the trenches

The Royal Society of Chemistry has a new report out calling for action on the training of chemistry teachers. It highlights the importance of chemistry to the economy, the need for a highly qualified workforce, and promotes chemistry as a problem solving subject with a wide variety of global opportunities. Teachers will be delighted, but not surprised, to read ‘the paths to careers in chemistry ... starts at school’.

In line with findings from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) international surveys, the RSC reports a depressing reality of how much more successful our international counterparts are at providing high quality science teaching. I don’t go much by these reports, but I am not complacent. We do need to keep challenging ourselves and lifting our game. But teaching, learning and attainment is quite complex, it depends on so many aspects: teachers, schools, pupils, families, cultures, employment prospects, media and even political decisions.