Opinion

Crystal ball gazing: what do Ofsted really want from chemistry teaching?

By 2014-10-06T21:10:00

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There are a huge number of myths surrounding the perfect Ofsted lesson. It's simpler than you would think but could also be difficult to achieve....

At the end of August we welcomed the new intake of RSC initial teacher trainee scholars to Burlington House. It was a superb way to welcome these fresh faced and optimistic new recruits into the profession, networking with other trainees, meeting their mentors and finding their way around the numerous resources and support that the RSC offers them. I was there as the mentor for the North West region. Every time I go to a meeting or a conference I find something that sticks with me and fires me up a little and this was no exception.

As part of the day the trainees were lucky enough to listen to a presentation by Brian Cartwright, the science lead for Ofsted. You may think it’s a little early in their careers to dampen the spirits of these excited would-be teachers with discussion of the ‘O word’ but as I’ll explain, it turned out to be the perfect presentation at exactly the right time. 

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