Public Lectures at Whickham School
Lecture Series 2026-27: Astronomy & Astrophysics
Our inaugural public lecture series is led by Phil Dennis, a highly experienced astronomer and expert educator, delivered in partnership with Grizedale and Grassholme Observatories. Beginning in November this series of free public lectures is open to all but may be particularly useful for for Y11-13 students seeking to gain valuable experience and deepen their knowledge to support Personal Statements.
The series will consist of 8 lectures, one per month across the year and will be held in-person in our Main Hall. The intention is to provide enrichment and super-curricular learning to stretch and inspire minds using real scientific data and images collected at observatories in the UK. We invite you to Whickham School to hear from our expert speaker and be inspired by the wonders of the universe.
Our lectures last for approximately 90 minutes including time for Q&A, they are free and open to everyone, but pre-booking is required. Bookings for lectures open 2 weeks before each event.
Any views expressed by speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Whickham School.
Upcoming Lectures
About the speaker
Phil Dennis is a highly experienced astronomer and expert educator. He holds an MPHYS in Theoretical Physics and a PGCE both from Durham University. He has 15 years experience teaching physics, mathematics, and astronomy, specialising in A-level physics. Phil has been repeatedly recognised for his outstanding teaching, academic expertise, and sustained impact improving teaching and learning in physics. Phil’s astronomical interests include deep sky imaging, binary star systems, and spectroscopy. Much of the breathtaking imagery and data which will be presented in the lectures was collected personally by him in the North East.
In 2025, Phil worked with a team under founder Gary Fildes to build the UK’s newest public outreach observatory: Grizedale Observatory in the Lake District. He and colleagues designed and installed research-grade instrumentation in a purpose-built robotic observatory dome. He now serves as Education Manager, leading the observatory’s work with schools and teachers. He is passionate about raising the profile of astronomy across KS2-5 and supporting educators to increase their offer of astronomy both within and beyond the curriculum. Phil has a decade of experience coaching students for Oxbridge entry, as well as for the British Physics Olympiad and Computation Challenge.
During the week, Phil teaches physics and mathematics at Whickham School. He also serves as Lead Astronomer at Grassholme Observatory in Teesdale, where he runs weekly public astronomy outreach events as part of a team of professional and volunteer astronomers.
We hope you will take this opportunity to join us each month to inspire your students and offer them the opportunity to experience astrophysics and astronomy beyond the curriculum.