Championing and supporting teachers

Applications for our 2025/26 Early Career programme are now open.

The ongoing challenges in teacher recruitment and retention are well-documented with recruitment targets missed again this past year and the national roll-out of the Early Career Framework having little impact on retention of early career teachers. To support early career teachers who are teaching physics in English state schools, the Ogden Trust offers free physics mentoring and support. 

Science teachers, like Giovanna, increasingly find themselves teaching physics out of specialism, and physics specialists may find themselves isolated as the only physics teacher. Coaching, mentoring and support from an experience physics practitioner can help early career teachers build their subject knowledge, pedagogy and teaching confidence – helping to bring physics to life in the classroom and inspire the next generation.

Giovanna Maalouf is head of physics at Enfield County School for Girls, but her teaching specialism is chemistry. This year is her second year teaching Year 12, and her first with a Year 13 cohort.

“We finally finished the A-level content, and I can honestly say that without the support of my mentor I wouldn’t have managed to do this!

“I originally applied for the Ogden programme as I was a bit lost with how to confidently run the A-level physics and felt that my knowledge just wasn’t up to scratch. Being the only physics teacher at my school also meant that I didn’t have anyone I could turn to for advice or tips on how to teach different things in the course. I spent a lot of time last year prepping the curriculum as we had only just launched physics A-level at my school, and we had no resources for it.

“My mentor has been so wonderful and really helpful. She has helped with so many things but especially with learning the content, helping me understand how to teach physics better and giving me tips and ideas on how to get some tricky concepts through to my students. She has been invaluable with exam technique tips and has taught me a lot about my professional development as a teacher.

“Most importantly perhaps, my mentor has been so kind and a real teacher champion. I feel like being a teacher is a job with not much praise or acknowledgement so having someone who is always rooting for you and praising you for the things you do goes a long way.

“Teaching physics A-level for the first time is quite scary especially considering I did not do an A-level in physics and did not study it at university, but with my mentor support I have felt much more confident. I actually feel like I now enjoy teaching A-level physics more than teaching A-level chemistry (which is crazy).

“The great thing about the Ogden programme is that you can tailor it to your needs as well as your time. I meet with my mentor every other week to go over anything I need – whether it’s content, teaching something tricky, adapting my lessons to suit the needs of my students or to have a general catch up.

“The meetings are always very helpful and valuable – I would say much more valuable than any other CPD we have to do as teachers. This programme has made me develop a deep passion for physics and now I can’t go a day without thinking about how physics explains all the little things we experience.”

Expand your physics knowledge, confidence and support network 

Applications for our 2025/26 Early Career programme are now open.

Teaching core physics 

Teaching core physics offers half termly coaching sessions in a local peer group. Each session focuses on a different area of physics, relevant teaching approaches and resources, and can be used to provide additional subject-specific support to the Early Career Framework provision.  

The local peer group enables teachers to build a support network and share ideas across schools; the sessions provide time for reflection and discussion, and consider pedagogy and student misconceptions, and support early career teachers to build their physics content knowledge for KS3/KS4 classroom teaching.  

Developing Physics Specialism 

For those teaching a significant physics timetable (usually including some triple science or A-level classes) in their second to fifth year of teaching, developing physics specialism provides bespoke individual mentoring. Teachers will agree goals with their mentor at the start of the year and will be supported as they work towards them, enhancing professional development and teaching practice. Participants will also get a funded place for a conference of their choice and receive books relevant to their development.  

Visit our Early Career pages on this website to find out more and to make you application.

References 

• Initial teacher training census 

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2024-25 

• Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report 2025  

https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/teacher-labour-market-in-england-annual-report-2025/ 

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