Join us for a day of physics workshops and an anniversary keynote at the Winchester College Festival of Physics on Saturday 4th July, 9.30am – 3.30pm. Generously hosted by Winchester College (SO23 9PG), this full day of training and workshops will include sessions for all secondary teachers of physics, including ECTs and trainees. Technicians are also welcome. Lunch and refreshments are included, as you will leave with plenty of festival resources!
Sessions will include hands-on practical activities and ideas for making your teaching even more engaging, all delivered by expert physics teacher trainers. There will also be a chance to network with colleagues from across the region and browse exhibition stands showcasing nationally and locally available resources, as well as physics equipment and suppliers.
We are delighted to be welcoming Laura Nuttall, from the Institute of Cosmology & Gravitation (ICG) as the keynote speaker and are looking forward to her fascinating talk ‘The First Decade of Gravitational Wave Astronomy.’
Booking for this event is now live and will close on Thursday 25th June. Please make your workshop preferences when you book and we will do our best to accommodate your choices. Please find full programme details below, followed by the booking form.
Early Bird – discounted ticket £10 per person (available until 5th June 2026).
Standard ticket price £15 per person.
No charge for Initial Teacher Trainees.
Please note all ticket prices are subsidised by Physics Partners. There is the option to request an invoice upon booking. You may find this letter template useful for asking your school to pay the fee.
Checkout issues? Book here.Keynote Speaker: Laura Nuttall ‘The First Decade of Gravitational Wave Astronomy’
It’s ten years since the first long-awaited detection of gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes. Since this Nobel Prize winning discovery, we have detected a total of 218 signals from the merger of black holes and neutron stars. One of these signals, from a galaxy 140 million light years away, was also observed across most parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Laura Nuttall will describe the significance of this exciting field of astronomy, how gravitational wave detectors work and what we hope to learn in the near future.
Laura Nuttall received an MPhys in Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology from Lancaster University in 2009, along with the Chancellor’s Medal. She moved to Cardiff University to study gravitational waves, graduating with a PhD in 2013. After this, she worked in the USA as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and Syracuse University.
In 2017, Laura returned to Cardiff University as a Sêr Cymru MSCA COFUND Fellow before joining the ICG at the University of Portsmouth in 2018 as a Senior Lecturer, where she established a gravitational-wave research group. Laura was awarded a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship in 2020 and became a Reader in Astrophysics in 2021. She was promoted to Professor in 2024.
Laura’s research covers the characterisation of the LIGO detectors, the extraction of transient gravitational wave signals from LIGO and LISA, and the electromagnetic follow-up of gravitational wave events.
Workshop choices – attend three throughout the day.
| Coils and Capacitors | Steve Hearn | KS5 | This session will allow teachers to try novel A-level practical work connected to basic specifications. Oscillators, paper-clip launchers and super capacitor discharge provide new experimental puzzles that pupils can solve using A-level physics. | Steve Hearn is an experienced physics teacher and physics teacher educator/mentor. Currently working with ITT with SCITTS and Universities but most importantly mentoring teachers who teach physics out of specialism. Steve is also Coach for two Physics Partners hubs in the South East. |
| Maths in GCSE Physics | Liz Nourshargh | KS3 -KS4 | This session will explore the reasons why some students experience difficulties with maths in GCSE physics. It will introduce tried-and-tested approaches to supporting students with rearranging equations, using alternatives to the traditional “triangle” method, including proportional reasoning and balancing techniques. The session will also highlight resources that help students develop and practise their maths skills within a science context. | Dr Liz Nourshargh taught Physics for 18 years in schools across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. After leading the local IOP Physics Teacher Network, she joined the IOP as a Professional Support Coach and now supports Physics education and teacher development for organisations including Cambridge OCR and the IOP. Liz joined Physics Partners in 2025 and is the Coach for Leighton Buzzard hub. Her interest in the maths content of GCSE Science led to work with Dr Caroline Neuberg and Ally Davies on research into trainee science teachers’ maths skills and confidence, published as The Elephant in the Science Staff Room in 2025. |
| Inclusive teaching – a practical workshop | Eleanor Wylie | KS3 – KS4 – KS5 | In this workshop we’ll be bringing to life the IOP’s Top Tips for Inclusive Science Teaching through simple, engaging, low tech experiments. We’ll be linking the physics to students lives and to jobs, and be discovering how baked beans can help to introduce specific heat capacity. | Eleanor Wylie is a former Physics teacher who now works as a coach for Physics Partners and for other organisations supporting physics teaching. She is passionate about making physics accessible to all and supporting teachers to achieve this. Eleanor is also the Coach for the Physics Partners Norwich hub. |
| GCSE and A-level Demonstrations and Hands-on Practical | Richard Patterson | KS4 – KS5 | IPC Irwin is expert in the OEM design and manufacture of innovative custom-designed school laboratory equipment. This hands-on workshop is for Physics Teachers of Key Stage 4 and 5. Sets of demonstration equipment will be grouped in these areas – Electrostatics, Radioactivity, Electromagnetism, Electricity, Optics, Kinetic Theory, Waves. | Richard Patterson is Director of Training for IPC Irwin, presenting their YouTube channel. He is a UK and UNICEF physics teacher trainer and previously worked as an OFSTED Inspector and Government Educational Advisor. He currently teaches in Tower Hamlets and Camden and is the Physics Partners Coach at the Greenwich Hub. |
| Exciting and safe physics practicals and ideas with CLEAPSS | Samir Moezzi | KS4 | This session will showcase a range of innovative and engaging ideas for physics practicals, many using low-cost or DIY equipment. Topics will include measuring the speed of light using lasers, the use of microcontrollers in practical physics, and how 3D printing and laser cutting can support effective classroom experiments. Alongside practical ideas, the session will also explore how to carry out these activities safely and confidently in the school laboratory. | Samir Moezzi (MSc, PGCE) has nearly 20 years’ combined experience in education and radiation protection. He’s delivered 300+ RPS training courses nationwide and spoken for the Institute of Physics, ASE, and the Ogden Trust — including an international collaboration in China. Through his work with CLEAPSS, he has developed a range of physics practical ideas involving microcontrollers, 3D printing, and laser cutting. |
| Teaching Electric Circuits through Models (KS3-4 Science) | Christina Astin | KS3 – KS4 | Many physics topics involve concepts that cannot be directly experienced, so we rely on models and analogies to help students address misconceptions and build secure understanding. Electricity is a key example, and with the added challenge of practical circuit work—particularly for non-specialists—effective models become even more important. In this session, we will share a range of visual and hands-on models, alongside online simulations, to support understanding of current, potential difference, and resistance in KS3 and KS4 science. | Christina Astin has had over 25 years’ experience as a physics teacher and head of science. She now devotes her time and expertise offering leadership and partnerships advice through Astin Consulting. She also enjoys training teachers in physics and is a qualified Executive Coach. She is in demand as a writer, speaker and presenter and co-founded Young Scientists Journal. Christina graduated from Cambridge University and is a Fellow of both the Institute of Physics and the Chartered College of Teaching. Christina is also the Coach for the Physics Partners Kent online and Maidstone hubs. |
Programme
9:30 – 10:00 Registration, refreshments and exhibition stands
10.00 – 10.10 Welcome
10:20 – 11:20 Workshop session one
11:25 – 12:25 Workshop session two
12:30 – 13:20 Lunch and exhibition stands
13:30 – 14:30 Workshop session three
14:35 – 15:15 Keynote,
15:15 – 15:30 Raffle and close
Please contact info@physicspartners.com if you have any questions about your booking.
There will be exhibition stands available to browse from AQA, Breckland Scientific, CLEAPSS, Data Harvest, IDS Education, Nickel-Electro Ltd, Physics & Astronomy at University of Southampton, SEPnet, IPC Irwin and Scientific Laboratory Supplies. Information about The Ogden Trust will also be available along with Physics Partners.
THE FESTIVAL OF PHYSICS AT WINCHESTER COLLEGE IS SUPPORTED BY:
