Space Advocates
Space to Learn: Space Advocates
We are looking for outstanding secondary science teachers for our unique secondment opportunity
What we're looking for
The National Space Academy, with funding from the UK Space Agency, is expanding its provision of high-quality, curriculum-focused secondary school interventions to remove barriers to opportunity and deliver programmes to schools with a high number of disadvantaged students free-of-charge.
To do this, we are recruiting 30 current outstanding teachers of science from across the UK to become ‘Space Advocates’. Successful applicants will be seconded to the project to and deliver half-day and full-day masterclasses, with a heavy focus on physics, to schools in their regions. Masterclasses highlight the science, scope and possibilities within the UK space industry. In return they will receive high quality CPD and a fantastic package of kit. The school will be paid for their time.
Space Advocates (and their schools/colleges) will be representing the National Space Academy, UK Space Agency and UK Space Sector at a regional and national level.
How it will work
The project will run from September 2023 to March 2025, with training given at the end of June 2023 (after exams). Space Advocates will be seconded for a total of 30 days over this period with renumeration paid termly to schools to pay for cover costs or to go towards funding an additional science teacher within your school to build capacity. Become a leading school for the promotion of space science, careers and opportunity This is a unique opportunity for your school to become a leading school for the promotion of space science, careers and opportunity; to upskill its staff on the exciting developments within the thriving UK space industry.
We are subsidising Space Advocate time to allow for the training up of the whole department on the classroom activities, kit and background information to allow you to bring these exciting activities to your own students at no cost, with access to one-of-a-kind artefacts to enhance the experience.
Pay for the school and Role-Share potential
We understand that releasing an outstanding teacher will be difficult for some schools, and so we are offering a competitive payment for schools to make this as easy as possible for you. Your school will receive £15 000, paid in termly instalments over 6 terms to facilitate cover or perhaps to go towards a new science teaching role at the school. In addition, we shall consider a ‘role-share’ scenario where a physics specialist and a non-physics specialist share the role, reducing the impact on any one particular subject and building physics knowledge for the non-specialist teacher.
A core part of the UK’s National Skills Strategy
This project is being developed to implement a core part of the UK’s National Space Skills Strategy, which aligns closely to the current OFSTED skills foci. Involvement in this project is an excellent opportunity for publicity for your institution, and a strong highlight for your OFSTED preparations.
Project Timeline
In addition
Approximately 50% of students within your own school to participate in a half day (approx. 2 hours) masterclass delivered by the Space Advocate and their science teaching colleagues at your institution. This can be split over 2 lessons and customised to fit in with your existing scheme of work as you see fit.