Dave has spent over 25 years working in primary schools as a teacher and a Deputy Head. These days, he’s an Associate Professor at The University of Hertfordshire, where he teaches science and art to new teachers.
He’s also a consultant at Creative Primary Science, where he gets to work directly with teachers and children on drama, science, and art projects all over the UK and internationally.
On top of all that, Dave is the Chair of the Association of Science Education.
He is also an award winning author, and you can check out some of his books:
- ‘Science Meets English’: This book shows you how to bring creative English ideas into your science lessons. Published by Millgate House.
- ‘Superhero Scientists’: This one is all about getting children to research and write about famous scientists and people who use science in their jobs. Published by Millgate House.
- ‘Snap Science – revised edition 2023’: A full-on science curriculum published by Harper Collins.
- ‘It’s Not Fair, or Is It? Second edition: A guide to the different types of science enquiry used in primary schools’: a book to support primary teachers in their planning and teaching and enable children to learn and consolidate their science skills and concepts, as well as to enable children to learn about how scientists work to establish scientific knowledge. Published by Millgate House.
Jules is a part-time primary Y6 teacher in her local school where she mostly teaches storywriting (with SPAG), maths and science. In 2015, Jules won an award from the Primary Science Teaching Trust – Primary Science Teacher of the Year for her work with teaching science through stories.
She also provides educational consultancy for companies such as DK, Pearson and the BBC and most recently, Harper Collins.
As director of Storytelling Schools, she trains teachers in using stories to teach oracy and writing as well as all the other curriculum areas, especially science. She teaches teachers across the world – sometimes online and sometimes in person.
Jules loves to be creative. She has written a variety of books – some for adults, some for children. Having started with oral stories and picture books which teach science through story, she is now exploring comics and graphic novels with her partner in crime, Rufus Cooper. Together, they produce books under the name ‘Artful Fox Creatives.’
It doesn’t stop at the day job – Jules is also a member of the local panto troupe and enjoys performing, directing and making props – oh yes she does!
Books by Jules
- ‘Science Through Stories’ (Hawthorn, 2015) with Chris Smith of Storytelling Schools
- ‘Science Fiction, Science Fact!’ (5-7) and (8-12) (Routledge, 2018) 2 books for teachers on how to use picture books and novels to teach primary science.
- ‘The Molliebird’ (PSTT, 2019) a picture book for Year 6 to inspire dialogic talk about natural selection. This book won ASE Book of the Year (2019)
- ‘1,000 STEM Words’ (DK, 2021)
- ‘The Really Incredible Science Book’ (DK, 2021),
- ‘1,000 Words Nature’ (DK, 2022)
- ‘1,000 Words Animals’ (DK, 2023)
- ‘Snap Science – revised edition 2023’: A full-on science curriculum published by Harper Collins.
Artful Fox Creatives
Some of the books were commissioned by the Great Science Share for Schools and formed part of their online resources for participating schools.
- ‘Jasper the Spider’ (2022) – the difference between insects and spiders
- ‘Doffa’s Reindeer’ (2021) – the effect of air pollution – written for GSSfS
- ‘Gary Vity’ (2023). – about gravity – also won ASE Book of the Year (2023)
- ‘Izzy Jones’s Quantum World’ – about controlling variables (2024) written for GSSfS
- ‘These Chips Can! Little chips that changed the world.’ – about the way that microchips have changed the way we live (2025) written for GSSfS
