A TEACHER’S passion and hard work in teaching science has earned her a national award.

Holt Primary School’s Pauline Rodger, who lives in Wingfield, has received the Primary Science Teacher of the Year Award from the Primary Science Teaching Trust.

The competition attracted over 400 entrants, and involved a strict judging process. After being shortlisted for the award, two inspectors from the Primary Science Teaching Trust came to Holt and observed Mrs Rodger teaching for over two hours, before interviewing both Mrs Rodger and head-teacher Mrs Harnden for over an hour.

The award follows a string of science accolades for the school, which has won the silver and gold Primary Science Quality Mark.

“Science has a very high profile in the school,” said Mrs Rodger, “we all love it and have a lot of fun.”

“Our whole ethos is about engaging children with relevant and meaningful content. Every lesson is practical, not from textbooks.”

This wide-ranging, creative curriculum is designed to develop skills of “understanding, observation and fair testing,” she added.

Mrs Rodger teaches Year 6, but has spearheaded the development of science teaching across the school, organising a whole-school rocket science week, where children experimented with different rocket designs and propulsion methods.

She has also developed science teaching across the wider Trowbridge area, organising two science fairs at St Augustine’s which were attended by nine primary schools in the local area.

The award will provide her with an opportunity to enhance the role she already plays, as she becomes a fellow of the Primary Science Teaching Trust.

Mrs Rodger added “Although I got the award and put in a heck of a lot of hard work, I can only have an impact in our school with the help of other staff. They’ve also worked very hard.”