School Leadership in Environmental Education
Science Coordinator Role and Responsibilities
In the UK primary school education system, science coordinators, also known as science subject leaders, play a crucial role in promoting and developing science education. Their primary responsibility is to lead and coordinate the teaching and learning of science across the school. Here are some of the key roles and responsibilities of science coordinators:
- Curriculum Development: Science coordinators work closely with teachers to develop and review the science curriculum, ensuring it aligns with the national curriculum guidelines and the school's own curriculum policies. They may research and select appropriate resources, textbooks, and materials to support science teaching.
- Planning and Organization: They collaborate with teachers to plan and organize science lessons, schemes of work, and assessments. They may provide guidance on the progression and continuity of scientific concepts throughout the school, ensuring a well-structured and coherent science curriculum.
- Training and Professional Development: Science coordinators facilitate training sessions and workshops to enhance teachers' subject knowledge and pedagogical skills in science. They keep themselves updated with the latest developments in science education and share relevant information and resources with the teaching staff.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: They monitor the quality of science teaching and learning across the school, observing lessons, providing feedback, and conducting regular assessments. They analyze data and use it to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to enhance science attainment.
- Resources and Equipment: Science coordinators manage the science resources, equipment, and materials available in the school. They ensure the resources are well-maintained, organized, and accessible to teachers and students. They may also coordinate with the school administration to procure new resources as needed.
- Cross-Curricular Links: They promote the integration of science with other subjects, facilitating cross-curricular learning opportunities. Science coordinators collaborate with other subject leaders to plan interdisciplinary projects and activities that help students make connections between science and other areas of the curriculum.
- External Partnerships: They may establish links with external organizations, such as science museums, universities, or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiatives. These partnerships can provide additional resources, expertise, and enrichment opportunities for students.
- Communication and Engagement: Science coordinators engage with parents, carers, and the wider school community to promote the importance of science education. They may organize science events, such as science fairs or parent workshops, to showcase students' work and involve families in scientific activities.
Science coordinators play a vital role in fostering a positive learning environment for science education, supporting teachers in delivering high-quality science lessons, and inspiring students' curiosity and interest in the subject.
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How to write a Climate Action Plan
There are a number of useful tools to help you write an effective Climate Action Plan. Firstly the Friend's of the Earth Climate Action plan booklet is excellent in that it gives lots of ideas and you can use it as a base to start writing your own plan.
Secondly, the Schools Climate Action Planner from the website www.transform-our-world.org is very useful in the way that it allows you to answer a sequence of questions and then it generates a plan from your input. A great idea!
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How to be an effective Sustainability Lead
The Sustainability Lead has got a big role! But the role itself is not compulsory until 2025. The role will require the chosen individual to develop a climate action plan which will include actions within the curriculum and those beyond. Other roles are procurement, decarbonisation plans and outlining adaptation to climate change itself. I'm sure more information will be shared soon on how the Sustainability Lead will receive training. It may be that the role could be taken on by two people - one focusing on the education side and the other on the business side. The DfE document 'Top Tips for Sustainability in Schools' is very useful in that it has numerous ideas for developing sustainability within the school.
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Ofsted Deep Dives
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How to deliver effective training on Eco themes for staff
Leadership in Environmental Education, whether it is the Sustainability Lead or the Senior Leadership Team need to think about how to give staff the training they need to deliver the ambitious programmes of study. Carbon Literacy Training is expected to be rolled out to all teachers at some point in the near future. It my be that this covers enough, or it may be that the Lead may decide to organise further training for teachers regarding the specifics of their action plan.
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How to carry out an energy audit and reduce energy consumption
Carrying out an energy audit within your school may seem like a daunting task, and if you are feeling overwhelmed, there is practical help ready to lend a hand. Energy Sparks will carry out an energy audit for you, and even help with implementation of whatever your action steps are after the audit. There is a fee to join and you pay more for more work. The DfE site has lots of information about how you can carry out an audit and also guidance on implementation.
Another useful resource is Eco Driver. This organisation helps schools to understand their energy consumption and emissions, and take action to reduce both. They developed the first version of ecoDriver in 2007 (and won a Microsoft award for this).
They employ CIBSE qualified Low Carbon Consultants who can competently guide clients in their decarbonization journey and who can implement and deliver their Collaborative Energy Efficiency Programme (CEEP).
As a result of their work in energy efficiency, over the last decade plus, they have developed specific expertise in meters, metering technology, and meter data capture. They have also developed partnerships with several organizations which can provide additional services including design, installation and maintenance of building controls and low carbon technologies.
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