The Ogden Trust

The Physics Factory aims to increase the appeal and take-up of physics in schools and help vulnerable physics departments. The project has drawn support from schools, local authorities and professional bodies such as the Institute of Physics and The Royal Society.

The core idea is to concentrate resources in one place, the ‘Factory’, rather than having them spread too thinly over all schools. The siting of the ‘Factory’ must be close to a sufficient number of schools where there exists a clear demand for improved physics teaching and a readiness to cooperate. Teachers will form mutually supportive teams and participating schools will not be deprived of their teachers and departments.

Two pilot projects will be launched with a time frame of three years. One will focus on GCSE in King Edward VI Five Ways School in Birmingham where the Local Authority will use the Factory as a state-of-the-art teacher training facility. In The Graveney School in Wandsworth, South London, the Factory will concentrate on the transfer to physics at A-level.

Both pilot projects hope to lead to an increased uptake of physics at GCSE and A-level with improved grades, and a higher percentage of students opting for physics at university level.

Contact details: Jim Whittell, jimwhittell@interstate.org.uk, Tel: 020 8788 5422