Q: What sparked your initial interest in STEM, and why physics?

Tom: It was my favourite subject at school. I’ve written a blog about Mr King, my favourite teacher, who taught physics. It wasn’t unrelated — he was my favourite teacher because he was a physics teacher. I always felt drawn to the purity of physics. I kind of wanted to study it at university from reasonably early on.

The subject had this amazing range from subatomic particles to the universe. That big-picture thinking really spoke to me. I liked that mix of maths and scale. It felt like physics could explain everything, and I found that fascinating.

You can read Tom’s blog about Mr King here: My favourite teacher, Mr King.

Q: What inspired you to move from studying physics to teaching it?

Tom: The truth is, in 1986 they introduced a bursary for PGCE courses in maths and physics, the first time they’d done that. I saw a leaflet in the university library and thought, “That’ll let me carry on being a student a bit longer!” I’d considered doing a master's, but that felt too narrow.

So, I thought, “I'll try teaching and see what it’s like.” I wasn’t committed to it as a career straight away, I just wanted to try it out. But when I started, I found I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed explaining physics to people. That’s what sustained it in the early years — the act of explaining, of helping students grasp concepts.

Q: Your first teaching job was in a sixth-form college. What was that transition like?

Tom: Oh yeah, I went straight from university into teaching A-level physics and maths. I was only 21. Later, I moved to London and started teaching science more generally, which was a different type of teaching altogether. I learned a lot through that shift, but my first love was definitely A-level physics. I thought it would be the easiest to start with because it felt closest to what I had just been studying myself.

Q: STEM Learning has a growing IB teacher community globally. Tell us about your time teaching IB Physics in Jakarta.

Tom: That was a fantastic chapter. My wife and I were both approaching 40 and asked ourselves, “Do we really want to do another 20 years in London schools?” So, when an advert came up for a job in Jakarta, we jumped at it. They offered a good package to move with the kids.

I initially applied to be a physics teacher, but I also got the job as deputy head. The school followed the British curriculum up to Year 11, then switched to the IB for sixth form. So, I taught IB Physics for three years.

It was a rich experience. The Group 4 project stood out — a collaborative investigation between science disciplines. I also loved teaching the unit on particle physics. Compared to A-level, the IB had some really interesting topic selections that pushed my own understanding too.

Q: Can you share a classroom moment where everything just clicked for you and your students?

Tom: One that always sticks with me was during my first teaching placement in a comprehensive school. We were doing a practical on measuring the speed of sound, and I was determined to do it properly. So, I took the class outside.

We used the “bang–echo” method, making a sharp sound and timing how long it took to hear the echo bounce back from the gym wall. We measured the distance with trundle wheels, and it actually worked. We got a really good result.

My university tutor was with me, and he said afterward, “That was amazing, those kids had never been outside for a physics lesson before.” They really got it. Maybe not the full equation, but the concept: using a method to stretch out time so it could be measured. It was hands-on, memorable, and just clicked for them. That was a triumph for me.

Q: At STEM Learning we work with ECTs and a range of STEM teachers. What would you say to potential physics graduates considering teaching?

Tom: I’d say teaching is incredibly rewarding — intellectually, emotionally, socially. You get to keep exploring your subject while explaining it to young people. That process deepens your own understanding.

You also get to see the joy students feel when they understand something, which is really special. There’s the subject, the students, and the intellectual challenge of teaching itself — from how learning works to cognitive science and curriculum design.

And then there’s the wider school life: leadership, assessment, school culture. Teaching can take you all over the world too. I’ve been on school trips to CERN, Iceland, even geography trips, despite being a physicist! You can choose your path. It’s a job with variety and meaning.

Q: What led you to move from headship to full-time consultancy?

Tom: To be honest, it followed a tough Ofsted inspection. I was leading a challenging school, and it made me question whether I was the right person to take it forward. I decided I wasn’t, and that was hard to admit.

After I left, I got asked to do some training days. I found I really enjoyed it — running CPD had always been my favourite part of headship. It snowballed from there. Like with physics teaching, I didn’t plan it. But I was getting demand and thought, “Why not just keep going?”

Having already started blogging through Teacherhead helped. It gave me a profile, and Twitter amplified that. If I hadn’t done that, becoming a consultant would’ve been much harder; people wouldn’t have known who I was.

Q: The WalkThrus have had huge global impact. For readers unfamiliar with them, what are they?

Tom: WalkThrus are five-step guides to key teaching techniques. Each one is laid out across a two-page spread, combining visuals and concise text. The idea is to give teachers a common framework — not rigid instructions, but a shared language to talk about what good practice looks like.

They’re useful in lesson observation, coaching, PD sessions — all sorts. We cover everything from questioning to curriculum planning to feedback. It’s about curating the best ideas and making sure they’re not forgotten — something teachers, new or experienced, can go back to and use again and again.

Footnote: The Learning WalkThrus has sold over 250k copies, making it one of the most popular educational books of recent years.

Q: What’s one thing we still haven’t cracked in classrooms?

Tom: That’s easy — getting every student actively involved, all the time. How do you check for understanding from 25 students simultaneously? How do you ensure even the least confident are engaged, while still pitching high?

Too often, teachers hear one student give a correct answer and assume the class is fine. But half the room might not have a clue. I think we need to think more deeply about this and use strategies that genuinely involve everyone. It’s the biggest challenge in teaching, in my view.

Q: You’re joining the AI Sprints event in September. What about AI inspires you, or concerns you?

Tom: It inspires and scares me in equal measure. My biggest worry is that it might replace our thinking. If we stop planning lessons ourselves or students stop doing their own homework, we risk understanding things less deeply.

That said, the potential is enormous. We’re launching an AI assistant on the WalkThrus site that’s like a smart search tool. You ask it something like, “What strategies help with behaviour management?” and it suggests spot-on answers. It’s like I’m there, but I’m not.

The key will be using AI to support thinking, not replace it. We must rethink how we assess learning too. If AI is writing the homework, how do we ensure students really understand? That’s what I’ll be talking about in the AI Sprints session.

Final Reflections

Tom Sherrington’s journey from a student inspired by Mr King to an educator shaping global teaching culture offers deep insight for anyone in STEM education. His passion for pedagogy, clarity of thought, and candour about the ups and downs of leadership remind us that great teaching is as much about curiosity and courage as it is about content.

You can hear more from Tom at the AI Sprints season opener with Joe Jackson-Taylor on 24 September, where we will explore how AI is transforming teaching and learning. This episode kicks off Season 2 of the popular AI Sprints, where we bring you the most reliable voices and the big conversations. To secure your seat at the starting line, sign up below. Did we mention it’s free too!