Dr Wesleigh Dawsmith

Winner: 2022 Early Career Prize for Excellence in Secondary and Further Education

Jewish Community Secondary School

For going above and beyond to support the delivery of high-quality practical work, and championing ways to make practical work inclusive to all students.

Dr Wesleigh Dawsmith

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Wesleigh is a secondary school science technician. He typically prepares practicals for students to carry out, and takes the initative to improve the way an experiment works and tailors aspects so that each class gets the most out of their experiment on that day.

Wesleigh is also responsible for cleaning and maintaining equipment, making and storing chemicals and ensuring that health and safety is at the heart of everything. He fixes broken equipment, and has the talent to make the most temperamental pieces of kit work! He also helps to organise and run a wide range of STEM activities for students.

Serving a community of children who often distanced themselves from science, viewing it as out of their reach, was heartbreaking. It became a mission for Wesleigh to break down these perceived barriers and for children to view themselves within the field of science, become excited by discovery and confident to question, by globalising the curriculum so all children could see themselves as scientists.

His work has helped all staff that teach chemistry at the Jewish Community Secondary School become more knowledgeable. Teachers have such confidence in Wesleigh to deliver experiments that work that they increasingly include practical work in lesson planning, enabling pupils to gain more practical experience.

Seeing the students' enthusiasm and commitment to STEM, along with the wows you get during a thermite reaction, has only made me want to try harder to offer more outreach opportunities and a wider variety of extracurricular activities to inspire them further.

Q&A

How did you first become interested in chemistry or science?

As a young child, I spent much of my time being taken to the science and natural history museums in London and loved seeing all the different exhibits (my favourite was the space exhibit), hands-on activities and shows (who doesn't love a methane bubble fire ball as a child?). For me, science (and STEM) became synonymous with fun and exciting.

Who or what inspired you to have a role in education?

My mum. She was a science teacher in further education (and now secondary). I spent a lot of time growing up around a lab/classroom and always remember seeing how much joy the students got from being taught to find thing out for themselves through practical experimentation.

Later on at university, I was lucky enough to become a SEMS ambassador at Queen Mary University of London. It was during the many outreach events that I came to realise I really enjoyed inspiring the next generation of students to follow STEM subjects as a career. So following the completion of my PhD, I decided to become a secondary school science technician which gave me the chance to continue to inspire the students through STEM clubs and practicals.

What motivates you?

Having fun and inspiring young people to engage with STEM.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Try and get some work experience in a lab or at a chemical plant (or at least with the technicians at school). It's not until you have seen how the real world works that you know if something is right for you or not.

Also, if you are planning on going straight from school into the workplace, do some light reading about H&S at work and COSSH forms. Having an idea about this can really set you up well for the first weeks of your training.

How have your students inspired you?

What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?

Being able to work with such an amazing team who have supported me with all my escapades (outreach work and developing practicals), which has not only helped me grow as an individual but has also led to the achievements for which I was given this award.

What has been a challenge for you (either personally or in your career)?

I grew up with a diagnosis of dyslexia and dyspraxia and received an amazing amount of support, which really helped me excel as an individual and achieve my full potential. However, it was later in adult life following some personal difficulties that I finally got my diagnosis for autism. While coming to terms with this is taking a while (not having the personal freedom to change who you are as quickly as you like), it has enabled me to re-evaluate what I find important in life and led me to find a role where I could inspire the next generation.

For a bit of fun....What is your favourite element?

Hydrogen. It fuelled early stars which upon going supernova gave way to the larger elements that make up the galaxy today.