Chemistry I will try to avoid the clichés used to describe the academic year 2019-20, but it was clearly a year of two halves. Mr Chen joined us at the start of the Autumn Term and very quickly settled into the Department and established a reputation for inspiring the pupils; there was often an excited queue of First Year pupils waiting outside his lab waiting for their ‘Chenistry’ lesson! Dr Stratford left at the end of the academic year heading up to the Wirral to be close to her family and will be greatly missed by pupils and staff alike. Sadly, lockdown and the prior restriction of activities prevented us from doing some of our planned activities and events, with the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge for the Lower Sixth and the Chemistry of Art sessions for the Fifth Year being the most notable casualties.
84
Chemistry Olympiad
This is aimed at the most able Upper Sixth students and is used to select the best four students in the country to form the UK schools’ team which competes in the International Chemistry Olympiad. Just over 9,000 of the best A Level chemists entered round one this year, with the top 754 (8.2%) awarded a Gold certificate, the next 2,200 a silver and the next 3,284 a Bronze. About a third of those that enter do not achieve a Bronze. Nine students from Churcher’s College entered the Chemistry Olympiad this year. Their results were: Ollie Mutch George Whittle William Hipsey Thomas Parmenter Tim Orchard Peter Hindson Noel Shipley Callum Francis Katie Hutchinson
The Churcherian 2020
Gold Award Gold Award Gold Award Silver Award Silver Award Silver Award Silver Award Silver Award Silver Award
They are our best results in my 17 years here (and, I think, ever!). Sadly, due to the lockdown the Lower Sixth version that takes place in June was cancelled.
Cosmetics Club
Some enthusiastic Second Year pupils helped by Charlotte Evans and Ben Dakin, made soaps, lip balms, body butter and more under the expert eyes of Dr Stratford and Mrs Dannatt. I am very pleased that Mr Chen will take over the running of the Cosmetics Club; his enthusiasm and Mrs Dannatt’s expertise should be a perfect combination.
GCSE Science Live!
The Fourth Year enjoyed a variety of talks given by leading scientists on a range of topics. Highlights for the pupils were unsurprisingly Prof Robert Winston but also Prof Jim Al-Khalili, whose ability to explain complicated ideas in physics make
