School partnership: Leeds Harrogate
Published: 14 August 2020
The Leeds Harrogate Partnership is about to start its fifth year of activity. Its dynamism relies on a superb team of highly motivated physics teachers who understand and value the exchange taking place in our cluster of schools.
The partnership hit the ground running in its fourth year (19/20), with the organisation of a Faraday competition for Year 8 students; an exceptional day of discovery of geophysics for 30 AS physics students (in collaboration with the School of Earth & Environment, Leeds University); and our third annual trip to Daresbury Laboratories for 80 A-level students. The partnership also took part in Leeds University Connect Physics workshops and several Institute of Physics events. Feedback from Leeds University events and from the Daresbury Lab visit was recorded as very positive and suggested these events encourage students to consider or pursue a physics degree.
Thanks to the support of the Ogden Trust, this year we have installed a scale model of the solar system at Fulneck School. During the opening event, 130 primary school students were involved in an afternoon of space physics. A space conference with Tim Peake as keynote speaker and a Physics Olympics event were sadly cancelled due to the pandemic.
Having taught for over 12 years, I look forward to organising events with the Leeds Harrogate partners and anticipate our partnership meetings as a motivational moment in my teaching year. The partnership schools and The Ogden Trust are definitely sources of inspiration to bring sparks in the routine teaching days.
Looking into the future, I’m hoping that the bond formed during this partnership will remain strong. As partnership co-ordinator, I have met some hard working, dedicated and passionate physics teachers, who generously share exciting ideas. By sharing, we all benefit – being part of the Ogden partnership has definitely made me a better teacher.
Dr Caroline Neuberg
Partnership Co-ordinator, Leeds Harrogate Partnership (2014–)
Head of Science and Assistant Principal, Fulneck School
(May 2020)
In 2019, Caroline was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s Patrick Moore Medal in recognition of her achievement in teaching geophysics. Caroline received a Teacher Fellowship from the Trust (18/19) which she used to develop a network of seismometers in schools. This work was recognised in the awarding of the Medal.