With year 9 option decisions fast approaching, I’m going to highlight the numerous advantages of opting for separate sciences at the GCSE level. As our students navigate their academic journeys, we believe that informed decisions lead to success, and choosing separate sciences is a pathway that opens doors to a world of possibilities.

1. In-Depth Exploration: One of the primary benefits of selecting separate sciences, biology, chemistry and physics, is the opportunity for a more profound exploration of each subject. Students delve into the intricacies of living organisms, chemical reactions, and the fundamental principles governing the physical world. This depth of understanding not only enhances knowledge but also cultivates a passion for the respective sciences.

2. Comprehensive Skill Development: Each science subject imparts unique skills to students. Biology encourages critical thinking and problem-solving through the study of living organisms. Chemistry hones analytical skills, precision and the ability to understand complex reactions. Physics develops logical reasoning and mathematical abilities. By choosing separate sciences, students not only acquire subject-specific knowledge but also a diverse set of skills crucial for future academic and professional pursuits.

3. Enhanced Career Opportunities: In an era where STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields are driving innovation and progress, a strong foundation in separate sciences opens doors to a myriad of career opportunities. From medicine and research to engineering and environmental science, the possibilities are vast. Employers value the analytical and problem-solving skills instilled by separate sciences, making our students stand out in the job market.

4. College Preparation: For students considering further studies in science-related disciplines at the college level, choosing separate sciences is an excellent preparation. Whilst colleges don’t require separates sciences, it shows a keen interest in the subject and a background in separate sciences ensures that students are well-prepared for the academic rigors of higher education.

Mr Coogan

Science Department

Greetings,

Chemistry is an incredible world full of discoveries waiting to be unravelled. Today, let’s delve into the fascinating realm of chemical analysis, particularly focusing on testing for metal ions.

You’ve probably seen a colourful fireworks display or marvelled at the vibrant hues of a gemstone. Did you know that these dazzling colours are often the result of different metal ions present within those substances? Metal ions play a significant role, not only in adding colour, but also in shaping the properties of various materials around us.

But how do scientists identify and analyse these metal ions? It’s all about chemical analysis!

What is Chemical Analysis?

Chemical analysis is the process of determining the composition and properties of substances. When it comes to metal ions, scientists use various methods to identify and quantify these elements in a sample. These methods are crucial in fields like environmental science, medicine and material science. For their GCSE exams, year 11 need to be able to use 2 of these methods and explain the results.

Testing for Metal Ions

Flame Test:  Have you ever seen a flame change colour when certain substances are introduced? That’s the principle behind the flame test. When a metal ion is heated, it emits characteristic colours (for instance, sodium produces a yellow flame, while copper gives a green flame). This is caused by electrons getting excited and moving energy levels.

Precipitation Reactions: Mixing sodium hydroxide can lead to the formation of solid particles called precipitates. Specific ions cause distinct precipitates to form. By observing these reactions, scientists can deduce the presence of particular metal ions. For example, Iron (II) produces a green precipitate and Iron (III) a broken precipitate.

To bring all these methods together, Year 11 were given 2 different unknown solutions and they had to use a combination of different tests to identify the solutions, with very minimal guidance. Everybody was able to work safely and correctly identify the unknown solutions. Great work, Year 11! 

Mr Dean

Science Department

Many chemical elements are named after people, often in recognition of their contributions to Science.

Here are a few examples:

Curium (Cm) – named after Marie and Pierre Curie, pioneers in the study of radioactivity; their work with radium and polonium earned them a Nobel Prize in Physics.

Einsteinium (Es) – named after Albert Einstein, known for his theory of relativity.

Mendelevium (Md) – named after Dmitri Mendeleev, the Russian chemist who created the periodic table.

Nobelium (No) – named after Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite and the founder of the Nobel Prizes.

Roentgenium (Rg) – named after Wilhelm Röntgen, the German physicist who discovered X-rays.

Oganesson (Og) – this element was only recently discovered and is named after the Russian physicist Yuri Oganessian, who has made significant contributions to the discovery of super heavy elements.

Can you spot any more elements named after people?

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 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

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