The Ogden Trust’s partnership with The MTPT Project builds community for parent-teachers working as Physics and Science teachers.
The Ogden Trust have committed to funding eight further 1:1 coaching places for Physics teachers, Physics specialists and Science teachers with KS4 or KS5 Physics on their timetable.
Our three-year partnership with The Ogden Trust responds to the worrying attrition that sees 40% of each maternity cohort leave the profession in the four years following their return from maternity leave. In a shortage subject like Physics, where a quarter of secondary schools have no specialist Physics teachers (NFER, 2026), we cannot afford to lose experienced colleagues when coaching can provide such positive support.
The Ogden Trust has committed to another round of funding for The MTPT Project community, offering eight 1:1 coaching places to Physics teachers working in state schools on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave, or back at work with a child aged five or younger. Participants will benefit from four sessions of 1:1 coaching with a qualified and experienced MTPT Project coach during their leave or extended return to work period, which they can combine with the other group coaching and workshop opportunities included in our Cradle to Classroom programme of transition support. Further subject-specific mentoring is available from The Ogden Trust for participants on request.
As our community know well, the early years of parenting, and combining teaching and family life can present all sorts of challenges. Many Physics-teacher mothers face the additional isolation of being a significant minority in a male-dominated subject. We estimate that just 17% of Physics teachers (around 440 women) are likely to be mothers (DfE FOI, 2024) – significantly fewer than the wider profession where 67% of female teachers aged 30-39 are known to be mothers.
Not only has our 1:1 coaching provided the space for these mother-teachers to navigate their leave and extended return to work period, it has also helped to build the Physics community within The MTPT Project. Since 2023, we have supported 6 Physics specialists with 1:1 coaching, and a further 18 through our group coaching and return to work workshops.
One Science Teacher benefiting from 1:1 coaching said, “The coaching came at a time when I really needed it. Returning to work, I found it hard to balance everything and often felt unsupported and unsure. Now I feel strong and confident. My coach was incredibly supportive and helpful, showing me that I already had the resources to solve the challenges I faced. The Ogden Trust has helped me in many ways: as I am not a Physics specialist, their resources have been extremely valuable in the classroom. I am very grateful to them for supporting teachers.”
Empowering this community means increasing the likelihood of experienced specialists remaining in our schools, providing mentoring to trainees, sharing subject knowledge, and acting as role models for colleagues become parents after them. What’s more, retaining our mother-Physics teachers within the profession demonstrates to our students that women have a place in a subject that remains male-dominated at A Level, at university, and in the world of work.
Upon completing her coaching, one Head of Science said, “I am a much happier person. I have more time than I have ever had with my loved ones. I work less at home than I have ever done. Professionally, I am more confident than I was six months ago, and I’m not considering leaving the profession, which is a huge thing.”
If you’re a female Physics teacher currently on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave, or balancing teaching with a young family, you can take advantage of one of our eight Ogden-sponsored 1:1 coaching places by completing this simple Google Form, indicating that you are a Physics teacher in a state school. We’ll be in touch to match you with your coach and support you through your parental leave or extended return to work!
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