During the unit of ‘Reactions’, our Year 8 students have been learning about combustion. After learning about the products of combustion and the efficiency of different fuels through practical investigation, the students could model the reactants and products of combustion using Molymod kits.

The girls’ model of the balanced equation for the complete combustion of Methane:

The students were also able to demonstrate the formation of the carbon deposits around poorly ventilated gas fires and boilers.

Mr Dean

The number of recorded cases of mumps is at its highest level in nearly a decade.  Mumps is a contagious infection that causes the glands on the side of the face to swell painfully.  A person’s risk of contracting mumps is reduced by having the MMR vaccine.  The steep rise in cases is being seen in students at universities and colleges.  These students were born in the late 1990s and early 2000s and did not have the MMR vaccine when they were children.  This was partly because Dr Andrew Wakefield, a doctor at the Royal Free Hospital in London, published a 1998 paper in The Lancet, claiming a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.  This led to a dramatic drop in children being vaccinated and as a result, the number of cases of mumps in the last decade has been on the rise. 

However, this is not the only outbreak of mumps that the UK has experienced. The graph below shows that after 2002, there was a big increase in confirmed mumps cases in the UK.  This peaked in 2005 and smaller peaks occurred in 2009 and 2013. Most of these cases have been in teenagers and young adults who were too old to be offered the MMR vaccine when it was introduced in 1988.  They also missed a second MMR dose when this was introduced in 1996. Again, as is being seen now, these outbreaks were mainly among students at universities and colleges.

Andrew Wakefield’s work has since been completely discredited and he has been struck off as a doctor in the UK.

Children up to the age of 18 who missed, or only partially completed, their earlier MMR vaccination can have a “catch-up” MMR vaccination on the NHS. 

Adults who missed out on the MMR vaccination as a baby and are therefore not immune, can also have the MMR vaccine on the NHS.

Mrs Goodwill, Science Department

Students may have noticed the many hand sanitisers around the school but they may not have stopped to think about how they actually kill the germs on our hands.

To understand this, we first need to think about the structure of the bacteria cells that we are trying to kill. The bacteria cell is a microscopic, prokaryotic cell.  It is smaller than the cells of our body and has an outer membrane made of fatty acids. One role of this membrane is to hold the cells important inner structures together. Within the cell, are proteins made up of amino acids in a specific shape that allows them to carry out their function.

The alcohol (often ethanol) does two important things. Firstly, it breaks down the protective layer of the cell membrane, exposing the proteins within. The alcohol then penetrates the bacteria and denatures the proteins, meaning it changes their shape so that they can no longer carry out their function. With their membrane broken down and their proteins denatured, the potentially harmful bacteria rapidly die.

The added benefit of ethanol being very volatile, results in rapid evaporation from your hands, making it an excellent chemical to use as hand sanitiser. So next time you are cleaning your hands around school, remember the amazing biochemistry that is helping to stop the spread of germs and keep you healthy.

Mr Coogan

The following students took part in the STEM Robotics Challenge on Wednesday 4th March at Preston’s College and are now through to the regional finals next week in Birmingham. Well done, girls! A fantastic achievement.

Abby L (Year 9)

Mya J (Year 9)

Dionne D (Year 8)

Amy B (Year 8)

Eliya D (Year 9)

Darcy G (Year 9)

Mia B (Year 9)

This term, Science club have taken part in a series of experiments in order to change the colour of copper pennies.  A copper penny can be coated with a layer of zinc, by heating in a solution of sodium hydroxide and zinc powder. The zinc gives the penny the silver colour.  The penny is then heated in the flame of a Bunsen burner. This causes the zinc to react with the original copper of the penny, creating a brass coating on the penny. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, which gives the penny the gold colour.

Science club is open to all year 7 and year 8 students.  Anyone wanting to attend can just turn up and get involved on Monday lunch times at 12:45 in room 46. We are currently investigating the growth of plants.

Miss Forrest, Science Department

Year 10 have recently been learning about diseases in the Biology unit of ‘Infection and Response’.  One particular class have taken an interest in Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The students were taught about viruses and how they affect the body, how to prevent the spread of disease, how the body tries to destroy the disease and the stages of drug development.  This gave them a real understanding into the reasons for quarantine and why a drug is not readily available to prevent further spread.

During their lessons, students have kept up with BBC news and there has been a regular discussion about the progress of the disease. They understand that the risk to individuals remains low, however the immune systems of vulnerable patients are weaker, therefore will be affected more.

They understand that because it’s a new illness, people do not know exactly how Coronavirus spreads from person to person.  However, we do know that similar viruses, such as flu and measles, can be spread by droplet infection.

As a whole school measure, students are encouraged to take preventative measures, such as using hand sanitiser and coughing into the crook of their arms to help prevent the spread of infection within school.  These are handy tips for everyone and is current NHS advice.

Mrs Cahill, Science Department