Meet Elisabeth Hazlewood, Head of Science
Elisabeth Hazlewood has always had a desire to teach, after completing her degree in Chemistry she trained to become a teacher – she’s now been teaching science for 24 years and has been Head of Science for 9 years!
Why did you decide to start teaching at the UTC?
I decided to start teaching at the UTC because I was excited by the prospect of teaching Post-16 students in a setting which has a real focus on STEM subjects.
What is it that interests you about your subject/area?
Chemistry is an amazing subject. Chemists are responsible for manufacturing such a wide range of substances – they invent new materials to improve our life, smart materials for better technology, and work with biologists to look at new ways of delivering medicines in the body, just to name a few!
How did you get into teaching?
For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a teacher. Before training to become a teacher, I completed a degree in Chemistry, which only highlighted my desire to teach. I wanted to inspire the next generation of scientists.
I’ve now been teaching science for 24 years and have been Head of Science for 9 years. I love being Head of Science as I get to work with Science teachers who are amazing!
What have you noticed since working at the UTC?
I’ve noticed that the students are engaged during science lessons as they can see the link between science and their engineering studies.
I’ve also noticed that the environment at the UTC is very calm and friendly – students can be successful without any peer pressure.
What are your ambitions for your department/subject?
I would like to see the number of students studying triple science at GCSE increase, as well as the number of students studying sciences at A level increase.
As a department, our vision is to help students understand science and give them the skills to look at evidence and come to their own conclusions about it – I think this is really important as ‘false news’ continues to surround us. I would like to think that students can leave us able to separate the fact from the fiction online.
What has been your highlight of working at the UTC?
My highlight is seeing students have their ‘lightbulb moment’ – it’s fantastic to see those students who may be struggling with science in the beginning improve over time as they gain confidence and realise that they are more than capable of doing it.
What do you think are the strengths of a UTC?
The facilities! Prior to working at the UTC, I worked at the same school for 23 years. As soon as I visited UTC Leeds, I was instantly impressed with the facilities that are available to the students.
Why should students come to the UTC?
Students, who have a particular interest in STEM, should come to the UTC because they can study with like-minded students and gain practical skills which will help them in their future careers.
The staff are also incredibly supportive, they want students to succeed and will go above and beyond to make that happen!