Solutions not Sides

Year 10 – Solutions Not Sides (SNS)

As part of the Year 10 RE enrichment offer and Core Religious Education, the school invited an organisation called ‘Solutions Not Sides’ to deliver a session to students on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Whilst our guest speakers were not able to join us due to the escalation in violence in Israel and Palestine, the girls enjoyed learning about the history of the conflict and gaining empathy for all those involved through the ‘Solutions Not Sides’ resources.

The day ties into the school’s core values of ambition for a better, more united society and social responsibility. Students had the opportunity to develop their compassion for others. This event also builds on previous events we have taken part in as a school, such as Empathy Week and the UNITEE competition.

Who are Solutions Not Sides?

Solutions Not Sides aim to tackle Antisemitism, Islamophobia and the polarisation around the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the U.K. The non-partisan programme has been formulated with the input of both Israelis and Palestinians, as well as senior members of Jewish and Muslim communities and is designed to prepare students to make a positive, solutions-focused contribution to debates on Israel-Palestine. The sessions form a critical approach to education on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. SNS use critical thinking tools and open respectful discussion with the aim of shifting attitudes away from supporting one side against the other and towards seeking a solution for the human beings involved.

For more information, please view https://solutionsnotsides.co.uk/

Whilst we understand that the topics covered are sensitive, we believe studying the Israel-Palestine conflict is a crucial part of the worldwide education and character development. I would just like to emphasise and reassure you that SNS are a completely neutral organisation. They do not promote either side of the conflict and, instead, will be promoting the idea of peace and harmony for all.

This is what some of the Year 10s had to say after the day:

“It is important to be curious about the news stories because some things we may see on social media or in the news may be biased. It is our social responsibility to ensure we don’t believe everything we see on social media because it might not be the whole story and we should try to understand the full story.” Rosie Y

“We can show compassion and dignity for all those affected by conflict by learning more about it, like we did today, and empathising with those in need.” Sophie S

“We should be ambitious and resilient in the hope for a solution for all because war shouldn’t be going on for so long because everyone deserves a peaceful life.” Nusaibah B & Alisha A-M

Miss Hollier

RE Department

Posted in RE

The Periodic Timetable

The Periodic table has recently been used by Year 9 in their Science lessons and Year 10 in their Chemistry lessons. The early periodic table was developed in 1869 by the Russian scientist, Dmitri Mendeleev, who devised the table with the 60 known elements at the time. The periodic table has evolved over the last 150 years and the modern periodic table is arranged in rows in order of the atomic proton number. Currently, there are 118 known elements.

The elements in the Periodic table can be named after mythical characters or concepts (including astronomical objects), minerals, places, property of the element or a scientist. In this article we are going to look at some of the elements named after places.

The chemical symbol for copper is Cu, which derives from the metal’s Latin name, cuprum. In turn, cuprum is descended from Kyprios, the Ancient Greek name for the island of Cyprus, which was well known in antiquity for its production of copper. Some more obvious places are in the names of the elements: germanium (Germany), americium (America), californium (California) and one of the most recent elements added to the table, tennessine (Tennessee). Some less obvious elements names are ruthenium, holmium, lutetium, hafnium and polonium, which take their names from the Latin names for Russia (Ruthenia), Stockholm (Holmia), Paris (Lutetia), Copenhagen (Hafnia) and Poland (Polonia).

Can you spot anymore elements named after places?

Mrs Goodwill

Science Department

Science Club

Science club has also got off to a great start this year with sessions for KS3 students. It has been a popular choice. So far, students in Year 7 have made bouncy ball eggs and Year 8 and 9 have made chromatography butterflies and extracted DNA from strawberries.

Heads breakfast shout outs to Isobelle J and Lois F in Year 11 who have proved invaluable helpers, as have been Katie K and Lucy W in Year 9.

Mrs Cahill, Science Teacher

Motion in KS3 and KS4

Year 9 have been studying motion during their Forces 2 topic, learning how to calculate speed, draw distance time graphs and then moving on to relative motion. This is a great example of powerful knowledge from Key Stage 3 providing the building blocks for GCSE. The year 11 students are currently taking this knowledge a step further, learning about velocity time graphs and understanding how the changing forces on a falling object cause it to reach terminal velocity.  

Below are some examples of work on relative motion by Poppy M in year 9 and a piece on terminal velocity by Millie S in year 11. 

Mr Coogan

Science Department

Organic Chemistry

Year 11 have been embarking on an exciting journey into the world of organic chemistry. I know what you might be thinking, “Organic chemistry? Isn’t that something only for lab-coated scientists?” Well, not quite! Organic chemistry is all around us and understanding it can unlock the secrets behind everything, from your favourite snacks to the fragrances you wear. So, let’s roll up our sleeves (figuratively, of course) and explore this fascinating branch of science!

What is Organic Chemistry?

First things first, what is organic chemistry and why is it so cool? Organic chemistry is the study of carbon-containing compounds. Carbon, the superstar of this show, has the amazing ability to form a wide variety of molecules, making it the cornerstone of life as we know it. It’s in your DNA, the food you eat, the clothes you wear and even the device you’re reading this on!

In the world of organic chemistry, it’s all about the bonds. Carbon forms four strong bonds, allowing it to connect to other atoms in unique ways. These bonds can be single, double, or even triple, leading to a vast array of different molecules with diverse properties. Ever wondered why diamonds are hard and shiny, while pencil lead (also carbon) is soft and dark? It’s all about the bonds!

Functional Groups: The Superheroes of Organic Chemistry

Meet the functional groups! These are the special parts of organic molecules that give them their distinctive properties and functions. Think of them as the superheroes in the organic chemistry universe. For example, the hydroxyl group (OH) makes alcohols, the carbonyl group (C=O) is present in carboxylic acids and the amino group (NH2) is found in amino acids. Each of these functional groups adds a unique twist to the molecule’s behaviour.

Now that we’ve got a grasp on the basics, you might be wondering, “Why does organic chemistry matter in my life?” Well, it’s everywhere! From understanding the ingredients in your favourite snacks to the development of life-saving drugs, organic chemistry plays a critical role. It even helps solve environmental challenges by developing sustainable materials and fuels.

Year 11 have been drawing these molecules and using moly mods to visualise all the different types of organic molecules that we have. We even spent some time making ethyl ethanoate – and ester which gives pear drops their distinctive smell! Can anybody name the following organic molecules? 

Mr Dean

Science Department

Year 8 Rock Cycle

Year 8 have been learning about Earth, one of the ten big powerful ideas in Science. This unit includes the structure of the Earth, weathering, the different types of rocks and how they are formed. To understand how they are linked together, students studied the rock cycle in a variety of ways from video, to focusing on keywords to completing diagrams. They also researched some uses of the types of rocks, as well as the rock cycle itself. The students enjoyed this topic and a display of all their excellent work was made . 

Mrs Cahill, Science Teacher

Year 7 Students “Cell-a-brate”!

Our Year 7 students have been demonstrating their creative flair by taking part in our “Cell-a-Bration” competition. After studying the structure and function of animal, plant, fungal, protist and bacterial cells, the year7s have been building 3D models of the cells that they have learned. Many have been baking and decorating cakes, as well as crafting with a variety of modelling materials. Well done to all the students who have taken part. We hope everyone has enjoyed making their fabulous creations.

Class and overall winners will be announced after half term.

Mr Knee

Science Department

Harry Potter Science

During the Festival of Literature and Language, all of our Year 8 students investigated how we can recreate the magic of Harry Potter in the Science laboratory.

Year 8 stepped into the world of Harry Potter and… Alohomora!…unlocked their magical powers. We created ‘Lumos!’ wands by burning magnesium, which produces a bright white light when burned it in oxygen. ‘Lumos’ is a charm in Harry Potter that illuminates the tip of the caster’s wand, allowing the caster to see in the dark.

We practiced the art of ‘potion-making’ by creating a colour changing redox reaction. This exploited the dramatic colour changes associated with the various oxidation states of manganese. In Hogwarts, potions lessons took place in one of the dungeons. “It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.”

We also explored the science of ‘Incendio!’ (flame tests) and discovered that different metal ions created different coloured flames. ‘Avada Kedavra’ is a curse used in Harry Potter which causes instantaneous death. It is accompanied by a flash of green light and a rushing noise.

Year 8 were then given the opportunity to create a newsletter article for the ‘Daily Prophet’ outlining all of the magical science experiments that they had carried out.

Miss Forrest

Science Department

Cheerdance Club

On Wednesday 18th October, we are launching the start of a new Cheer Dance Club which is open to Year 7 and Year 8 students on a Wednesday lunch time in the Dance Studio. The club will be run by our GCSE Dance students where they will be working on a cheer dance for our Christmas show. Don’t miss out! Please ensure you collect an early lunch pass from the PE office on Wednesday at break time so you can get your lunch before the club starts at 12:45pm. We can’t wait to see you there. 

Mrs Naylor

Curriculum Leader for Sports, Performance and Health

Posted in PE
  • Artsmark Platinum Award - Awards by Arts Council England
  • Lancashire Socio-economic Equality Badge
  • SMART
  • UNICEF
  • School Mental Health Award
  • Ofsted - Outstanding Provider
  • International School Award
  • Artsmark Platinum Award - Awards by Arts Council England
  • Lancashire Socio-economic Equality Badge
  • SMART
  • UNICEF
  • School Mental Health Award
  • Ofsted - Outstanding Provider
  • International School Award