Anthony Hoskyns, Teacher 'Utterly Devoted' To His Pupils

TRIBUTES have been paid to a pioneering physics teacher described as "utterly determined" to help his pupils and credited with giving disadvantaged students more confidence to succeed.

Anthony was born in Cambridge, the son of two academics, Sir Edwyn Hoskyns, a theologian, and Mary Budden, a mathematician. He left King's College Choir School and Marlborough College, with a natural talent for music and becoming a skilled piano player. He trained as a teacher in 1958 and married Katharine Kaldor, a primary and special needs teacher. Their generosity and kindness created a hub of support and fun from which many benefited.

From 1961 Anthony taught physics at Holland Park School in West London and in 1967 he became head of Physics at Sir William Collins School in North London, where he adopted the Nuffield Physics curriculum and enhanced this with practical activities.

In the early 1980s, he founded the Notting Dale Technology Centre, which provided innovative courses on information technology for disadvantaged young adults in Inner London. The centre was so successful that the government provided money to create 80 similar centre's across the country, which Anthony Hoskyns and his colleagues were involved in setting up and then a similar venture, the London New Technology Network. When that succumbed to funding cuts he returned to work at Notting Dale until he retired in 2002.

He established a national group of Information Technology Centres, helping to give people with few qualifications a way into careers in Electronics and IT. He also helped to launch the first women's microelectronics course at a time when most involved in IT and Electronics were male, and the first black technology organisation, Minorities Information Technology Awareness Group.

Anthony Hoskyns, who died from cancer aged 88 was a lifelong supporter of Arsenal, and of the Labour Party, and he regularly went to Nicaragua, where his son, Nicky, worked in the Co-operative movement. Something of a natural rebel, he worked throughout his life to improve opportunities for the underprivileged.