A TEACHER’S quest to inspire South Lakeland pupils to get passionate about physics has been boosted by a £5,000 grant.

Ashley Watson, 28, who teaches at Dallam School, Milnthorpe, applied for funding from the Ogden Trust, set up by billionaire Peter Ogden to encourage and promote the science.

The money is funding twice-weekly after-school clubs, new text books and equipment, and lectures.

Dr Melanie Windridge, of the BBC’s Bang Goes The Theory, recently visited Dallam to talk to pupils from different schools.

South Lakes Federation of Schools will be able to use the money for physics-related learning, such as trips, but Ms Watson will oversee how the cash is spent.

She said she was keen to encourage more girls to take up what she described as an ‘abundantly male’ subject, both in industry and in the classroom.

“My aim is to get more girls interested and enthuse them in physics by saying: ‘Come on, let’s go and build some rockets!’” said Ms Watson.

“Physics is a challenging and rewarding subject. I’ve been really impressed by the enthusiasm of the students who attend my after school club.

“I’m hoping these year ten pupils will be able to sit their AS level in physics next January, just seven months after taking their GCSE.”

The grant will also be used to launch a competition to find the best young physicist and send pupils to ‘extreme physics’ bootcamps involving star-watching, sky-diving and rocket making.

Next year Ms Watson hopes Dallam will start its own bootcamp for young physi-cists in conjunction with the University of Cumbria and using the observatory at Grange-over-Sands.

Ms Watson added: “I want to open the eyes of the world to the fact that physics is more than the old-fashioned teacher standing there droning on about electricity. It’s a beautiful subject and I want to promote that.”

Tim Simmons, director of funding at the Ogden Trust, who recently visited Dallam, said: “Having not visited before, I met a number of students and teaching staff and I think they are a model of how a state school should recruit bright, young physics graduates.”

The Ogden Trust said it hoped the initiative would have a ‘significant impact’ on the teaching of science in schools and halt the decline in physics graduates.

Around 900 physics teachers leave the education sector each year.