Early career coaching from The Ogden Trust
Raji Gaydhani is a teacher of science at Ashton on Mersey School. She has a physics specialism and a degree in physics and is currently in her third year of teaching having retrained as a teacher.
As the sole physics teacher in a large comprehensive secondary school, the early career programme has been a lifeline. It’s provided invaluable subject-specific and pedagogical support—particularly vital when the school made the exciting decision to offer A-level physics for the first time. I was responsible for designing our KS5 physics scheme of work and now deliver the A-level course to a cohort of 22 students, over 1/4 who are female.
When I first joined Ashton, I had no one within the school to bounce around ideas or share subject-specific challenges with. Having an Ogden mentor to talk through gaps in my knowledge, decide what equipment to invest in for the new course, and explore ways of making complex content more accessible has helped lighten what initially felt like an overwhelming workload.
The Ogden summer conferences have been a real highlight. Whether visiting the National Space Centre in Leicester or the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, hearing inspiring talks and connecting with other physics educators has reignited my passion for the subject each year. These experiences have sparked new ideas for the classroom and reminded me that I’m part of a wider, supportive physics community; helping to ease the isolation that can come with being the only physics specialist in a school.
The programme has played a crucial role in building my confidence and resilience and has undoubtedly helped keep me in the profession. My mentor has been consistently positive, empathetic, and encouraging, especially with resolving issues. Beyond personal growth, the impact has been tangible in the classroom: two of my triple science classes showed the most improvement in physics GCSE outcomes on the school’s SPI (schedule performance index) in our school’s history.
Raji Gaydhani
Teacher of Science, Ashton on Mersey School
(April 2025)