Mr Huw Smith, a teacher at Ysgol Friars in Bangor, has won the 2017 ‘Teachers of Physics Award’ for outstanding contributions to the teaching of physics.
The Teachers of Physics awards, celebrate the success of secondary school physics teachers who, by their outstanding practice in the classroom have raised the state of physics and science in schools.
Individuals are honoured alongside distinguished research scientists and industrialists. In this way recognising that without dedicated teachers there would be no physics research community or technological base in our society.
Mr. Smith who is described as having an ‘unwaveringly cheerful disposition’ and his interest in and commitment to developing his pupils is exemplary. Full of energy and enthusiasm, he knows his pupils well and his classroom is open every lunchtime to pupils who need help.
He is always encouraging and reassuring, inspiring his pupils to believe that they can succeed in physics and pushing them to achieve more. He takes every opportunity to enable pupils to experience the applications of physics, encouraging them to enter competitions in which they have achieved success.
Mr Smith has worked with Bangor University to engage sixth-form and Key Stage 4 students. As head of physics, he has grown an already-successful department, so that the uptake of AS and A-level physics has almost doubled and around a quarter of sixth-formers now take physics, including this year 16 girls.
