The Royal Society of Biology (RSB) has called for targeted investment, robust data, and long-term planning to ensure the success of ongoing education reforms in Wales. Giving evidence at the Welsh Parliament’s Children, Young People and Education Committee on Wednesday 18 June 2025, the RSB joined the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and Institute of Physics (IOP) in urging action to tackle the challenges facing science teaching and recruitment.

Curriculum reform and subject-specific mentoring

Speaking on behalf of the RSB, Shabana Brightley (Senior Education Policy Officer) warned that without sufficient training, time, and resourcing, the ambitious curriculum reforms risk overburdening teachers. She highlighted the importance of a phased implementation approach, supported by high-quality Welsh-medium resources, such as the RSB’s newly translated Evolving 5–19 biology.

The Society also emphasised the need for subject-specific mentoring and development for early career teachers, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Shabana advocated for the expansion of science knowledge enhancement courses and more equitable access to professional development, both of which are known to reduce workload pressure and improve teacher confidence in delivering practical science.

Diversity in teaching and data-driven planning

The panel expressed deep concern over the lack of ethnic diversity in Wales’ teaching workforce, with the RSB calling for improved data collection on ethnicity by subject. This would enable more targeted interventions across the teaching pipeline and support efforts to improve representation in both classroom and leadership roles.

The RSB also pushed for more detailed workforce data, including how often biology specialists are required to teach physics or chemistry. Such information, the organisations argued, is essential for understanding deployment trends and informing effective teacher retention strategies.

Career guidance and perception of teaching

Alongside the RSC and IOP, the RSB called for stronger career guidance and a more positive narrative around teaching as a profession to attract both school leavers and career changers. The science organisations stressed that public perception continues to hamper recruitment and must be addressed at a national level.

This was the fifth evidence session in the Senedd’s inquiry into teacher recruitment and retention. The RSB’s contributions helped spotlight the unique challenges facing science educators, while offering practical solutions to improve support, diversity, and sustainability across the workforce.

Read the Royal Society of Biology’s full response to the Senedd Inquiry on Teacher Recruitment and Retention here.