Hi Ms Scale, tell us what you do at Sompting Abbotts Preparatory School

I'm the school's Head of Science, a Year 8 form tutor and I teach girls within the school's Games Department.

What are your qualifications?

I've a BSc (Hons) Biology and a PGCE Secondary specialising in Science.

How long have you taught at Sompting Abbotts?

I've now been at the school for eight years.

Tell us about your career experience (past schools etc and anything you did before teaching)?

Before teaching at Sompting Abbotts, I taught at St Bede’s in Eastbourne for over four years. I then spent a year travelling and diving coral reefs all over the world.

What was the appeal of teaching science for you?

I've always loved Science. I grew up the Pembrokeshire coast where I spent many hours rock-pooling as a child. I wanted to be a teacher so I can pass my enthusiasm onto others and inspire the next generation.

The thing I love most about teaching Science is its practical nature. Children learn from doing rather than just observing and listening. An investigation is different every time we do it and it’s a great way to get children to think for themselves.

Some of my favourite experiments to teach are part of the Chemistry I teach in year 6. It’s when the children are introduced to Bunsen burners for the first time and we look at separation techniques such as chromatography, distillation, filtration and evaporation. Most techniques they've never heard of before but they really get involved and are so capable by the end of the topic.

In the summer the children (and I!) love pond dipping and using keys to identify the organisms in the pond.

Is there anything you do that's extra-curricular at Sompting Abbotts and why you do it and enjoy it and any plans for school activities this year?

Yes lots! At Sompting Abbotts, I have been part of the Cornwall trip where we take the year 8’s on a post-exam surf residential week. It's always so enjoyable and well deserved after the children have worked so hard. I also run an annual Science Week in March that coincides with British Science Week. We enter the national poster competition and have fun challenges and competitions in school. I organise lots of other science-based trips too such as to the local planetarium, the Science Museum, pond dipping at Woods Mill, and Big Bang Science Fairs. I offer Science Club and Sport Stacking Club as a Friday afternoon club.

What you enjoy most about teaching at Sompting Abbotts?

At Sompting Abbotts, we're so lucky to teach such lovely children. They work hard, play hard and always try their best. It’s the children that make each day at the school a very special place to work. I love teaching Science here as it’s so rewarding to be able to inspire both boys and girls to potentially become future engineers, vets, doctors or even rocket scientists...

Finish this statement from your personal viewpoint of teaching: "A really good education at Sompting Abbotts means ..."

...a child will leave with an excellent education and the confidence really to be themselves.

Tell us something we don't know about you!

I speak some Welsh! In my spare time, I love doing anything outdoors. My favourite activities include paddle boarding, camping, fossil hunting on the Jurassic Coast, body-boarding and playing cricket and stoolball for local Sussex teams.