Last night the Science Council hosted its annual Celebration of Science event. Every year a sample of registrants* are asked to complete a CPD return showing that they have taken part in a variety of different types of CPD, and that the CPD is relevant to their role. Entrants have to demonstrate how the CPD has improved their own practice and how users of their service (teachers and students) have benefited from what they have learned.

We are delighted that Pete Robinson and Timothy Ross, both CSciTeach through ASE and ASE Members, have been awarded CPD Awards for 2024 for excellence in CPD practice. 

Pete Robinson is an Independent Teaching and Learning Consultant. Pete worked for nearly twenty years as a science teacher and head of science before becoming a local authority teaching and learning consultant and adviser from 2002 to 2010. Pete has worked as an independent teaching and learning consultant since 2010 in a wide range of contexts and settings at home and abroad. More recently, he has become an initial teacher education tutor for a SCITT based in NW England. In 2012, Pete was elected Chair of the Association for Science Education for 2013-4, supporting the Association's restructure and reform.

Pete said about winning the award, ‘It was a very pleasant surprise to find I had been nominated for an award as I didn't think my CPD return recorded anything special. Surprise changed to delight when I heard I was a CPD Award Winner!’ 

Timothy Ross is Headteacher at Papa Westray Community School. He wasn’t able to attend the awards ceremony, given the distance from his school in Orkney and that he was busy filming the school’s Christmas film, featuring some astronauts and the class library as a spaceship! 

Timothy’s background is in Nuclear Physics, then in 2015 he retrained at the University of the Highlands and Islands for, in his words ‘career number 2’ in Primary Education. 

He said about his work and winning the award:

‘I now work in one of Scotland’s smallest schools, in Orkney, where we have 5 pupils. It’s an extremely rewarding place to teach, allowing quality and relevant learning for every pupil. Our small island identity always plays a key role in learning and in recent years we’ve spent time on projects related to the extinction of the Great Auk, AI supported delivery of school lunches, sustainable growing of vegetables, the impact of humans on our local environment and how we might look after it. 

I’m very happy to receive this award on behalf of my school and pupils. The highlight of my professional learning in recent years has been in seeing projects that take a lot of planning and preparation resulting in strong, relevant learning in class. It’s been exciting to see long term open ended learning projects develop and result in a high quality outcome.’ 

Find out more about professional registration with the ASE 

*The Association for Science Education, as a licensed body of the Science Council, is empowered under the terms of its Royal Charter to administer Professional Registration awards to individuals who meet the application requirements. Applicants must be active in science teaching and learning in the UK or overseas; this includes teachers and technicians in all state and independent schools, colleges and universities, as well as advisers, inspectors, consultants and researchers.