Tonbridge is first school to receive ‘Employer Champion’ status from Science Council
Tonbridge School has been made an ‘Employer Champion’ by the Science Council in recognition of its outstanding commitment to the training and professional development of staff, in particular its team of science technicians.
By demonstrating the high quality of its technicians’ skills and knowledge, and by investing in their ongoing learning and development, Tonbridge has become the first school in the UK to receive this accolade.
The award was made to the School on Thursday 23 March by Helen Gordon, CEO of the Science Council, during the inaugural Tonbridge Science Technician Convention. In her opening talk she praised the School’s approach, saying: “If the UK is to become a global superpower in academic research, education and innovation across science, engineering and the creative industries, then investment in technician professionals is vital.” The Science Council provides the system of quality assurance for those working in this field.
Having met the criteria of the Employer Champion programme, Tonbridge now sits alongside prestigious institutions such as Imperial College London, The Francis Crick Institute, University College London and the universities of Bristol, Nottingham and Exeter.
A total of 55 technicians, representing more than 20 independent and state schools across Kent, Surrey and London, attended the convention, which gave them an opportunity to network, share good practice and to learn new skills. The event took place in the School’s Barton Science Centre, a state-of-the-art, RIBA Award-winning building, and featured demonstrations from Tonbridge technicians in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, as well as talks and exhibitor stands.
James Priory, Tonbridge’s Headmaster, added: “A great deal of work and creativity has gone into supporting the professional development of our staff. We are very fortunate to have such a well-qualified and committed technician team.”
The Science Technician Convention, an event sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry, welcomed three keynote speakers: Jane Banks, External Relationships Manager for the Science Council, Jane Oldham, Chair of the ASE National Science Technicians Committee, and Hellen Ward, Director of STEMHubs.
Three Tonbridge School technicians, Laxmi Gharti Magar, Joanne Seymour and Romana Szalczinger, received their personal certificates during the event, which confirmed their status as Registered Science Technicians.
The awarding of Champion status followed a successful application to the Science Council by the School’s Science Coordinator, Lisa Alford. She said: “This award highlights the key roles played by our talented team of technicians, without whom the vast amount of practical science work undertaken by Tonbridge boys would not be possible.
“The sense of enthusiasm, and devotion to science teaching, was very evident during the highly successful convention. I have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback and planning has already started for next year’s event.”
The School gives its warm congratulations to all its Science Technicians:
Lisa Alford (Science Coordinator)
Matthew Newlands (Senior Physics Technician)
Ramona Szalczinger (Senior Biology Technician)
Stephanie Chan
Alison Christou
Laxmi Gharti Magar
Rod McInnerney
Joanne Seymour
