• General Information
• Admissions
• Exam Results
• Subject Departments
• Letters Home
• Pastoral
• Boarding
• Sport
• Sixth Form
• Extra-curricular
• Specialist Engineering Status
• Parents' Association
• Old Riponians' Association
• Contact Details
• News

Physics

"To do successful research, you don't need to know everything, you just need to know of one thing that isn't known."
(Arthur Schawlow)

Aims of the department

Physics is taught by 3 specialist teachers, one of whom also delivers GCSE Astronomy. The department also has the excellent support of a designated technician. We promote physics as an interesting and relevant course to modern society with a strong practical element.

The department is well equipped and has 3 data projectors and interactive white boards, 15 laptops and a class set of data loggers with a range of sensors.

Course Details

In years 7, 8 and 9 each of the four forms has one double lesson a week rising to one double and one single in year 10.

Lower School Details

The Physics KS3 curriculum is based upon a spiral curriculum model that re-visits each topic at least once over the three year cycle. Due to time constraints only three topics are studied in Year 9, but these will have links to the others.

Two of the topics, Astronomy in Year 7 and Sound Technology in Year 8, are delivered partly as library projects. These are both peer and teacher assessed, and include some formal teaching as well as a test. The Astronomy and Light tests are combined.

Topics are 6 lessons in length (7 if they include an SC1 assessment), including a test of prior knowledge at the start each topic and an end of module test to level them to the nearest 1/3 of a level. Each topic will have a list of learning objectives that students assess their understanding against. All end of topic test percentages and levels will be recorded centrally on the departmental spreadsheet.

Year 7 is designed to go up to level 6, but covers the levels 4-6
Year 8 is designed to go up to level 7, but covers the levels 5-7
Year 9 is designed to go up to level 8 but covers the levels 6-8

How Science Works (HSW) is delivered through these topics and assessed throughout the course, but at least one formal investigation is carried out each year using the common marking criteria.

The last half of the summer term is given over to preparation for examinations and the CASE lessons to be delivered by Physics. In Year 9, students start the GCSE course as soon as they have taken the end of Key Stage 3 exams.

For current Year 7 & 8 students, the Year 8 and 9 curriculum continues to be taught using a modified version of the current scheme of work to allow for the reduction in time allocation.

Upper School Details

In years 10 and 11 the majority of pupils (4 sets) study the separate AQA Physics GCSE for three periods per week, one set follows the AQA Core and Additional Applied course.

GCSE Astronomy 

GCSE astronomy is offered as an additional option. Click here for course outline.

There is a lower school astronomy club. We also have an observatory that can be booked up by external groups as well as being used by the school.

AS and A2 Details

Click here for course outline.

Year 12 are following the Edexcel specification, using the context approach developed by the Salters Horners group at York University. They have seven lessons  per week, split between two members of staff and take both modules in June. The coursework is carried out throughout the course and is assessed internally.

Year 13 are following the OCR Advancing Physics course, as we only moved over to Edexcel in 2008. They have eight lessons per week, mainly taught as doubles and take their modules in both January and June. Coursework is delivered through two main projects and assessed internally. We also offer Advanced Extension Physics for those students whose ability goes beyond the A grade maximum offered by the board.

Physics is a popular choice in the sixth form and we currently run 4 A level groups. There is a strong tradition of high academic achievement at A level with several pupils going on to study Physics or Engineering each year.

Encouraging a positive atmosphere of co-operation is vital to maintaining the good results we enjoy. We run a physics clinic at lunchtimes and work individually with pupils on areas where they are having difficulties.

An additional strength of the department is its promotion of study and research skills. To support cross-curricular links there are two library-based projects (one each for Years 7 and 8) run in conjunction with the expertise of our librarian. In Year 7 students produce a presentation on the way astronomy has changed our ideas about the Universe and Year 8 give a talk on the way a musical instrument produces different sounds. Each time the degree of complexity of the task increases and the pupils are expected to use a wider range of resources (including some specially written intranet pages) and are given the opportunity to work with greater independence. This allows us to develop pupils as independent learners and prepare them for the research elements of the AS and A2 course.

Physics Careers

Why Physics?

Physics is at the heart of everything and is a highly rewarding discipline to study at school, university and beyond. Above all physics opens doors to a wide variety of careers.  Physics explores questions like how did the universe begin? How will it end? What is a black hole? Is time travel possible? If you have an enquiring mind, always asking why things happen, then physics will help you find the answers. It forms the basis of most modern technologies and holds the future to global well being.

The career opportunities available are as vast as the subject itself due, in part, to the transferable skills gained whilst studying physics. It is these transferable skills that make the difference between an employee who is merely satisfactory and one who will significantly improve the performance of the organisation concerned. Employers see a physics qualification as an indication of someone who will immediately be an asset to the organisation.

This is because:

• Physics requires a logical and numerate mind.
• The ability to solve problems, gained through studying physics, is of paramount importance to the future of technology.
• Communication skills are developed through report-writing and presentations.
• Computing and practical skills are second nature to those trained in physics.
• Teamwork and flexibility are essential in lab work and projects.