Everything around us is made up of chemicals. We study Chemistry to make us aware of its influence on our everyday lives.
Chemistry develops a wide range of thinking and practical skills whilst introducing the key concepts of the subject. At all levels, there is extensive use of laboratory based practical work and ICT to promote ideas through excitement and discovery. The course is designed to develop the central theme of the particulate nature of matter and to use this concept to explain increasingly complex natural phenomena.
The importance of chemical terminology and chemical symbols is emphasised from the outset.
The Chemistry Department offers Investigators’ Club for girls in Year I as part of the afternoon activities programme.
Chemistry is taught as a separate subject from Year II.
Year II
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Autumn Term
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Spring Term
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Summer Term
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This is Chemistry!
Just add oxygen!
Metals League Table
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Let’s separate them!
Sharp and Fizzy!
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Let’s keep warm
Extended independent
project related to fuels
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Year III
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Autumn Term
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Spring Term
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Summer Term
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Chemical Building Blocks
Bubbles and Stuff
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Lots more fizz!
A Rocky End
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Limestone Enquiry
A Concrete Investigation
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Practical skills are assessed in school during class time.
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Core Chemistry
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Additional Chemistry
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Further Chemistry
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Products from Rocks
Rocks and Building
Rocks and Metals
Crude Oil
Oils Earth and Atmosphere
Products from Oil
Plant Oils
The Changing World
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Structures and Bonding
Structure and properties
- How much?
- Rates of Reaction
- Energy and Reactions
- Electrolysis
- Acids, Alkalis and Salts
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- Development of the Periodic Table
- Water
- Analysis
- More about acids and bases
- Energy calculations
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Girls can access the AS course from both the Double Award Science GCSE and GCSE Chemistry.
The AS and A2 courses are modular with examinations at the end of the year.
Practical skills are assessed in school.
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AS
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A2
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Atoms, Bonds and Groups
Chains, Rings and Resources
Practical Skills
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Rings, Polymers and Analysis
Equilibria, Energetics and Elements
Practical Skills
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Girls have achieved places to read Chemistry, Natural Sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy and Veterinary Science at all the top universities; Oxford, Imperial College, Bristol, Edinburgh, Durham, UCL and Liverpool to name but a few.
Sixth form chemists regularly enter the RSC Chemistry Olympiad Competition and have attended events organised by the RSC ChemNet.
Science Society meets regularly throughout the year and girls studying chemistry are expected to attend. We encourage girls to broaden their chemical knowledge by reading Chemistry Review and Chemistry World.