A St Joseph’s School teacher has been announced as the winner of a prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Education Prize.

Mrs Caroline Skerry has been named the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Excellence in Primary Education Prize.

Nominated by her peers, Mrs Skerry was chosen by the RSC’s prestigious panel of judges as one of the most inspirational, innovative and dedicated people in education.

Based at St Joseph’s School, Mrs Skerry has now become a winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Excellence in Primary Education Prize, for outstanding contributions to delivering primary science teaching and supporting others to provide excellent teaching through establishing and leading the Cornwall Primary Science Share.

After receiving the prize, Mrs Skerry said: “It is a real honour to receive this prize for promoting good practice in primary science through the Cornwall Primary Science Share. CPSS is definitely greater than the sum of its parts, it is a real privilege to work with all the stakeholders involved and something I am very proud of being part of.”

She continued: “My day-to-day job is that of Junior Head at St Joseph’s School in Launceston. This role includes ensuring the teachers and pupils in my care have every opportunity to reach their potential.”

Dr Helen Pain, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “It’s of vital importance that we recognise the crucial role that educators play in the advancement of the sciences. And that we commend their ability to inspire and nurture the next generation of bright young minds, so that they can go on to make new discoveries and innovations.

“Society faces many challenges, and educators give us the tools we need to advance our understanding of the world around us and solve many of the problems we encounter. Mrs Skerry’s work demonstrates an outstanding commitment to chemistry education, and it is our honour to celebrate their considerable contribution.”

Gill Reid, president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “For many of us as chemists our teachers were our inspiration — their influence in driving the next generation of amazing scientists cannot be underestimated. That’s why I’m so proud of the winners of the Education Horizon Prizes, each of whom demonstrates an infectious passion for learning that sparks young minds to do amazing things.

“This year’s winners set exemplary examples of the impact this can make; it’s no exaggeration to say their successes will be felt for generations to come.”

The Excellence in Education Prizes celebrate inspirational, innovative, and dedicated people working in primary, secondary, further education and higher education — including teachers, technicians and more. These prizes recognise a wide range of skills — from curriculum design to effective teaching, and from personal development to working culture. This category includes specific prizes for teams and for those in the early stages of their career.

The Royal Society of Chemistry’s prizes have recognised excellence in the chemical sciences for more than 150 years. In 2019, the organisation announced the biggest overhaul of this portfolio in its history, designed to better reflect modern scientific work and culture.

For more information about the RSC’s prizes portfolio, visit rsc.li/prizes