On in three state secondary schools in Wales say they don't have enough chemistry specialist teachers and more than half report a shortage of physics specialists. The "worrying" shortage is revealed in a UK-wide science teacher survey by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
There is heavy criticism in the report of the use of non specialist teachers who are described as being just "one lesson ahead of students" in science subjects they don't have degrees in. And one in five of the specialist science teachers that are in schools plan to leave within the next five years - citing workload and pay rather than planned retirement. Teachers are striking on pay an conditions and you can read more about that here
The society said there is no data on how many teachers have a degree in the specific science subject they teach, even at A level - so "specialists" are considered those with a degree in the science they are teaching, or with another science degree but long experience of teaching that subject.
Read more: The dates teachers are going on strike in Wales next month
The survey, co-written with the Institute for Physics, reveals that in Wales:
- A third of secondary schools (33%) report being understaffed in chemistry specialists
- 58% of secondary schools report a shortage of physics specialists
- Many science lessons are being taught by ‘out of field’ teachers
- The "majority" of science teachers teaching in Welsh said they do not feel supported - issues with translated resources were cited as the main barrier.
- 44% of schools said they had too few science technicians helping with lessons
One in five specialist science teachers plan to leave in the next few years not due to retirement and age, the highest proportion in the UK nations.
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Professor Gill Reid, President of the Royal Society of Chemistry said: "It is deeply disappointing to learn of the stark science understaffing problem that faces many schools in Wales."
The report carried out by the Society of Chemistry, was co-written with the Institute for Physics with teachers from around 200 schools responding. It highlights Wales' new curriculum "as an area of concern for science teachers". Although more than eight in 10 had done at least some preparation, half (47%) say they’re not ready to teach the new curriculum, which was launched in around half of high schools last September and will roll out in all from next autumn.
Similar findings were reported in England and Scotland - but science specialist shortages in those nations were slightly less bad. The Royal Society of Chemistry warned that understaffing in science education "is a direct threat to the UK’s position as a global leader in science" and described the situation in Wales as "worrying".
Delwen McCallum, the society's manager for education, said there was a bigger problem with recruitment and retention of science teachers in Wales - an issue highlighted by unions during the ongoing strike action. She said workload and pay were among issues seeing people leave.
"The survey also points to poor job satisfaction among science teachers that could impact on retention levels. Workload, lack of work/life balance and lack of progression opportunities cited as the main reasons for considering leaving."
If the situation carries on the lack of specialist scientists will hit the UK's economy and ability to tackle issues like climate change sustainability and future pandemics, as well as affecting numbers qualified to go on to study medicine, the society warned.
The report shows one in five science teachers in Wales plan to leave in the next few years not due to retirement and age, the highest proportion in the UK nations. In Wales 21% said they plan to leave by 2027, compared to 19% in England, 12% in Scotland.
"The shortages of specialist science teachers in Wales and elsewhere is really worrying," said Ms McCallum, "The impact on students is that teachers are lacking confidence in the subject. Sometimes they are learning content before the lesson and don't have the breadth and knowledge," said Ms McCallum.
"Teachers are struggling with workload and are sometimes only a lesson ahead of their students at GCSE and A level. I am aware of some schools in Wales offering GCSE and A level chemistry who have no teachers with chemistry degrees and we have teachers telling us they are having to learn content they aren't comfortable with."
Ms McCallum said that as teachers are not required to have a degree in the subject they teach, even at A level, there is no government data, or data from anywhere, on how many do have degrees in the subject they teach.
"By "specialist" we mean an expert person, not necessarily someone with a chemistry degree who teaches chemistry. They might have a degree in another science or did chemistry teacher training, or have taught chemistry for many years - there are many competent scientists teaching chemistry whose degrees are in another science, but there's no data showing the qualifications of people teaching chemistry."
The lack of specialist chemists and other science teachers risks a direct threat to the economy, she warned: "If we don't have more scientists in the pipeline we won't thrive as an economy or a country. We are struggling to get specialist science undergraduates - the Bangor University chemistry degree closed down because there were not enough people wanting to study it.
"We need more chemists to tackle things like the climate crisis, sustainability and any risk of future pandemics."
Professor Gill Reid, President of the Royal Society of Chemistry said: “We have a responsibility to educate and inspire young people. It is completely necessary to ensure a healthy pipeline of scientists in the decades to come, who can continue our discipline’s work to innovate in the face of global challenges such as climate change, health crises, and so much more.
“Teachers are telling us that concerns are not just about pay, but a wide range of issues including understaffing, burnout and access to professional development. It is therefore deeply disappointing to learn of the stark science understaffing problem that faces many schools in Wales and might prevent young people from reaching their full potential in the sciences. "
Read next:
- Teaching recruitment struggles continue as schools are forced to use non-specialists
- Wales will grade next summer's GCSEs and A-levels more generously than England
- Welsh school put in special measures as inspectors find children speaking too much English
- Teachers and scientists have serious concerns about Wales' plans to change GCSEs
- Bid to cancel gender, ability and race words to make science more inclusive
