The Ogden Trust continue their support for Physics teachers during their parental leave and as they return to work.
We are celebrating this month the continuation of our wonderful partnership with The Ogden Trust, which has enabled us to support Physics teachers with empowering coaching during and following their parental leave since September 2023.
The Ogden Trust has committed to another round of funding for The MTPT Project community, offering five 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 Career programme of transition support. Further subject-specific mentoring is available for participants on request.
Our partnership with The Ogden Trust began with two sponsored Accreditation places and MTPT membership for Physics teachers interested in developing their subject knowledge during their parental leave, and extended to places on our Return to Work workshops and Sustain and Grow group coaching places before these were available fully-funded across England. As a result of this partnership, 11 Physics teachers have benefited from MTPT membership, coaching and workshop support since 2023.
The Ogden Trust have also acted as sponsors at our annual Missing Mothers conference, promoting this opportunity to a Physics teacher audience and ensuring that the voices of Physics teachers are profiled as part of our speaker and panel line up. Indeed, in 2025, one of the panellists on our Maternity Coaching: a magic retention solution? was a Physics teacher who had benefited from group and 1:1 coaching having been introduced to The MTPT Project by Ogden-sponsored membership.
Building a relationship with the Physics teachers in our community, and hearing their feedback has enabled us to delve further into the statistics around the mother demographic in this male dominated subject specialism. It’s a well-known fact that for state school workforces, Physics is a shortage subject, and one that consistently misses its recruitment targets.
A freedom of information request submitted in 2024 revealed that just 32% of Physics teachers are women, and just 17% of these are likely to be mothers – an estimated 440 colleagues. This is in stark comparison to the 67-77% of mothers in the wider workforce.
It’s no surprise then, that being a Physics teacher and a mother might feel like a lonely place to be, and this sense of isolation can exacerbate the challenges colleagues face when returning to work after parental leave.
In a subject already dominated by women, The Ogden Trust know that we can’t afford to lose female role models when empowering support is available through The MTPT Project’s coaching programmes.
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 five 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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