Leadership course for heads in schools 

In the autumn the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) will be running its Leading people and improvement  course on 22-24 September and 3-5 and 24-26 November in London, Leeds and Glasgow respectively. Designed for recently appointed and aspiring heads of chemistry departments in schools and colleges, the three-day residential course aims to provide ideas, frameworks and strategies to create an effective department. The programme will include sessions on harnessing lesson observations to coach and develop colleagues, encouraging curriculum innovations such as using cooperative learning to teach How Science Works, leading effective meetings, and creating and implementing a departmental improvement plan.  

The course costs £141 for RSC members, £282 for non-members, including accommodation and meals. For further information, and to register for a course, contact Lorraine Hart a the RSC.

Symposium for science teachers 

Readers are invited to attend the ninth autumn symposium for science teachers, Current issues in school science education: an update, at the University of Birmingham on Wednesday 17 October 2007. Organised by the Curriculum Assessment Group (formerly the Assessment Subject Group) of the Education Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the West Midlands Chemistry Teachers' Centre, the meeting is an opportunity for teachers to come together and discuss developments in science teaching. 

The programme will include talks on the changes to the KS3 Science National Curriculum to be introduced in schools from September 2008, how assessment methods can be used to improve teaching and learning of chemistry, and issues identified by CLEAPSS relating to practical work in the new science GCSE courses. 

There is no registration fee for the event and participants will receive a certificate of attendance for their CPD portfolios. Teachers must register for the event before 8 October 2007 by contacting either David Jones (e-mail: d.j.jones@wm-rsc.co.uk) or Trevor Birt (e-mail: trevorjbirt@aol.com).