“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”Albert Einstein
The aims of the physics department are to encourage pupils to become confident, independent learners who embrace new physics challenges rather than shying away from it. We aim to do this through encouragement and nurturing pupils’ emerging scientific skills and their natural curiosity about their world, as well as by equipping pupils with problem solving skills and researching skills they can utilise across all three of the science disciplines.
A level
In the Sixth Form, A level Physics is studied via the OCR A specification, including:
- Development of practical skills in physics
- Foundations of physics
- Forces and motion
- Electrons, waves and photons
- Newtonian world and astrophysics
- Particles and medical physics
Physics provides an essential pathway into careers such as medicine, dentistry, architecture, astrophysics, product design and engineering as well as being a good analytical foundation for the financial services. However, many pupils who study physics at A level go on to read for a physics or related degree at university.
Ideas are built upon from GCSE and applications of physics in the scientific community are developed throughout the course. The course is split into six modules, all of which are examined via three written papers at the end of the course.
Practical skills are examined in the written papers but this also forms the “Practical Endorsement” that is reported separately from the A level and tests pupil’s practical ability via a series of core experiments.
A pupils’ performance in these experiments is reported and verified by the examination board but does not contribute towards the A level grade.
We do allow students to take A level Physics as a subject without A level Maths as long as their GCSE Maths grade is good.
Full details of the specification content can be found in the link to the curriculum handbook.
Co-Curricular
- Trip to CERN (Y12/13)
- Trip to Culham Science centre (Fusion research) (Years 12 and 13)
- Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition (for Year 12)
- Café Scientifique (for all Years)