MULTI-millionaire entrepreneur Peter Ogden has pledged to fund two sixth form science scholarships at Yarm School.

The Ogden Trust provides specialist school sponsorship in technology, science, maths, computing and engineering.

Dr Ogden, who is also director of Computacenter, a company he co-founded, and chairman of Computasoft and Omnia Asset Management, wants to provide places at Yarm School for two pupils a year who would not otherwise be able to afford them.

Gross parental income must be under £30,000 a year and applicants must come from state schools and intend to study science at university.

Yarm School's headmaster, David Dunn, said: "I think it's absolutely brilliant, particularly in this day and age, that somebody can be a true philanthropist.

"Peter Ogden is putting his money forward to support children who he does not know and will never meet, simply because he believes people from a more modest background deserve to have the opportunities that other children are able to benefit from in a school such as this."

The Ogden Trust scholarships are being created to encourage the take up of maths and science in top schools around the country.

The new scholarships will be offered this year for entry in September next year, together with existing sixth form scholarships, for which there is an examination in January.

Further details are available from the school on 01642 786023 or at its open morning on Saturday, October 11.

* Young engineers' success: page 3