SCIENCE

WAKEFIELD

WHERE GIRLS HAVE BIG FUTURES

RSC’s Schools’ Analytical Chemistry Competition 2021

Each year the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Analytical Division holds the Schools’ Analyst Competition. The North East regional heats are usually held at Huddersfield University in May, however due to Covid restrictions this was not possible. Instead, after applying, WGHS was selected to host this competition for our Year 12 students.

Our A Level chemists (three per team) put their analytical skills to the test and were required to undertake various practical techniques to solve problems relevant to industrial and social needs. They were also required to carry out some background research followed by a three hour lab session in which they carried out their analyses.

The students carried out thin layer chromatography, flame tests and test tube reactions to identify the contents of three damaged chemical barrels found washed up beside a river in the rural town of Allvale. They also answered a series of challenging analytical chemistry questions. Congratulations to team 3 composed of Mabel Hepplestone, Sophie Russell and Mollie Shone who were the WGHS winners. This was a fantastic opportunity for the students to put into practice their analysing skills and an enjoyable afternoon was had by all.

UK Chemistry Olympiad

Designed to challenge and inspire, the UK Chemistry Olympiad is the leading chemistry competition for students in secondary education across the British Isles. Each year the Royal Society of Chemistry offers a two hour exam paper asking students to apply their subject knowledge and understanding to a range of complex novel applications; and once again students from WGHS were keen to push themselves further to show how they can excel in the chemistry field.

Open to Sixth Form students, and covering concepts from across the curriculum and beyond, we were impressed to see a number of students challenging themselves by taking part. With a range of topical applications, from questions covering social distancing (in molecules), and the potential for life on Venus, to the infamy of hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19 relief. Despite the high degree of challenge, particularly for Year 12 students, the quality of chemistry on display was striking. There were fantastic approaches to each of the complex problems from all of the participants, including some extraordinarily confident diagrams of molecules formed by the larger Noble Gases.

Congratulations to Year 12 students Emily Pridham, Hannah Poulton-Haselier, Lucy Harding and Sarah Ng for their excellent participatory efforts; alongside Ella Shaw, Faith Budge, Mollie Shone and Sophie Russell who all achieved a bronze award for their work.

Mr Murtland

DNA models

During lockdown Miss Dollive’s Year 11 students enjoyed the challenge of making their own DNA model from whatever they could find at home. Students then voted for their favourite model.

1st: Charlotte McKinlay Joint 2nd: Erin Bates and Esther Raw Joint 3rd: Lucy Blanchard, Manya Dhingra

and Ananya Ganjam

Charlotte McKinlay Erin Bates Esther Raw

Physics 2020-21

It’s been a busy year for the Physics Department, despite all the disruption.

Our students and staff alike have shown great resilience and flexibility during our Remote Learning, getting to grips with online technologies and demonstrations from the spare bedroom. We’ve made sure that we haven't missed out on practical work this year, even when working from home: our students have taken part in many “Do Try This At Home” practical activities, such as measuring the melting rate of ice cubes, making their own spectroscopes out of old CDs (remember them?) and even measuring the strength of Earth’s gravitational field!

Our A Level students have been pitting themselves against the very best Physicists in the UK by taking part in the British Physics Olympiad, gaining a selection of Bronze Awards and Commendations for their efforts.

Students from Years 8, 9 and 10 have been reaching for the skies, having taken up the opportunity to build and launch their own rockets during EDGE this year. We started with simple paper rockets before progressing to solid-fuel powered rockets, launched from the Games Field. We now have a team of students hoping to take part in next year’s UKROC National Rocketry competition.

In early June, Year 8 and 12 students had a rare opportunity to observe a partial solar eclipse: although the day was mostly cloudy, we did manage to get a few glimpses of this stunning celestial event.

Mr Hannard

Spectroscope

GCSE Astronomy

In September 2020, the Physics Department started offering Astronomy as an extra GCSE and a number of Year 9 students have been studying the subject over two lunchtimes per week since the start of the academic year. At the time of writing, the students are approximately half way through the course.

So far, we have studied how the Earth, Moon and Sun interact with each other and how this leads to phenomena such as the phases of the Moon and the lengthening and shortening of daylight over the course of a year. The students have also learned how to navigate the night sky, recognising some prominent constellations and how groups of stars can be used as pointers to other night sky objects. We have seen how different cultures have been influenced by the night sky, how they have interpreted it differently and also the subtle changes which have occurred over the centuries. Most recently, we have looked at how our ideas of the Solar System have developed over the years and some of the scientists responsible for this.

So far the focus has been on so-called “naked eye” Astronomy and next year students will be learning how telescopes and space missions have expanded our knowledge of the Universe. By the end of the course the students will understand how different types of telescope work and how they can be used to observe astronomical objects in a safe manner as well as constructing simple ones of their own. They will also learn about distant galaxies and what these tell us about the origins of the Universe.

As well as the theory, the students have engaged in practical work. They have learnt how to determine their location using the Sun and how the appearance of the Moon changes over time. When weather conditions have permitted it, some have been able to observe some of the constellations and deep sky objects they have learned about in lessons. Even a small telescope will allow you to see Saturn’s rings and Mars’ ice caps. If you don’t have a telescope, a pair of binoculars will enable you to spot Jupiter’s moons, the Coathanger cluster and craters and mountains on the Moon. Even your eyes, away from city lights and with a little time allowing for dark adjustment will enable you to spot the Pleiades, the Orion nebula and for a real challenge, the Andromeda Galaxy. Sitting in a comfortable deck chair, you can also just enjoy the sight of the Milky Way arcing over your head.

It is hoped that with the easing of restrictions, we will be able to broaden what we can offer to both students and parents and that maybe WGHS may be responsible for producing the next Caroline Herschel, Maggie Aderin-Pocock or Jocylen Bell-Burnell.

Dr Durell

The Make Space for Nature Challenges have been aimed at Year 6 and 7 to allow them to learn more about the environment around us and contribute to wildlife in a number of ways “ ”

Year 12 Biology Student Leaders

Year 9 study group

Founding our Biology study group has been an enjoyable experience for us and we hope that it has helped Year 9 at the beginning of their GCSE studies! After meeting fortnightly over this past academic year, we have revised many topics with Year 9. We have really enjoyed working with them as they are all very enthusiastic and love taking part in our quizzes. We were able to make useful resources for the girls to use when revising as well as hosting google meets for the girls to attend if they needed more individual help. We received some good responses to the tasks that were set and hope that the feedback given will help them improve their understanding of the topic. We are currently working on a new presentation on ‘Adaptations’ for the girls to use and are planning to host some more google meets as it comes nearer to exam season. We hope this club has helped them feel more confident in their studies. This role has helped us develop skills that will help us in the future and we as students continue to enjoy Biology at A Level.

Emily Pridham, Sarah Ng, Mollie Shone - Year 12

Year 10 Kahoot and Make Space for Nature Challenges

Over the school Christmas period, I made a Biology and Christmas themed Kahoot - quite the mashup! Various year groups across the school enjoyed taking part as a nice conclusion to the year in time for the holidays. The Make Space for Nature Challenges have been aimed at Year 6 and 7 to allow them to learn more about the environment around us and contribute to wildlife in a number of ways. Miss Dollive and I collaborated to provide information to students on how to feed birds in the winter, and plant their own sunflowers in the summer. This has hopefully allowed the younger students to become more aware of nature and given them a fascination for Biology out of the classroom. I would always love to be able to inspire younger students in the future as I myself enjoy Biology A Level.

Lucy Harding - Year 12

Science Reading Challenge 2021

Key Stage 3 Evaluation award winner: Alice Simmons - Year 7

I decided to take part in the Science Reading Challenge because I have loved to read ever since I learnt to. I also really enjoy Science, so if you put the two things together, it was a perfect result for me. I loved all the books that I decided to read, but my absolute favourite one had to be ‘Northern Lights’. I had really enjoyed the TV series during lockdown, and when I saw that the book was on the list, I had to read it. I really enjoyed it, yet my favourite part was that your soul took the shape of an animal. I just thought that that was amazing! I really enjoyed the Science Reading Challenge, as it gave me the opportunity to read more books, which is an opportunity that personally I shall always grab at, and it gave me ideas about different worlds that work in a similar yet different way to ours, which is really interesting. If anybody was wondering whether to do the Science Reading Challenge, I would certainly recommend it to them.” Key Stage 4 Evaluations award winner: Ifra Fathima - Year 11

Key Stage 5 Evaluations award winner: Sarah Ng - Year 12

I chose to take part in the Science Reading Challenge as, like many others, I rediscovered my love of reading during lockdown. I was eager to learn more about the subjects that I am studying at A Level and the SRC seemed like a perfect combination of my interests! Every one of the books that I have read during the challenge was educational and entertaining. They each introduced concepts that had never occurred to me before and I have enjoyed every single one. However, I would have to say that my favourite book that I have read is ‘A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived’ by Adam Rutherford - a book about genetics that is full of facts, humour and engaging stories. I have really benefited from the SRC as I have learnt so much about the scientific world from my further reading. I can use my newfound knowledge in my studies, personal statement and future interviews. I would definitely recommend taking part in the Science Reading Challenge!” The Science Reading Challenge was a good opportunity for me to expand my knowledge in my areas of interest, which for me is physics (particularly astrophysics and quantum physics) hence I chose the gold physics section. Most of the books I read were five star reads; I really enjoyed ‘The Martian’ as a science fiction which padded out its intriguing story line with explanations of real scientific principles, for example radioactive isotopes and processes of making water from the resources available. I also liked Bill Bryson’s ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ which sparked my interest in the natural sciences, especially paleontology, genetics, and geology through the scientists the author interviewed. But I would have to say my favourite was ‘The Universe in Your Hand’ by Christophe Galfard, which explained concepts I hadn't previously understood which encouraged my love for science even more through its immersive narrative style. The SRC as a whole had a huge impact on me - I am now considering natural sciences or physics at University and plan to participate in the biology reading challenge this summer.”

British Science Week

As part of the Year 8 Chemistry lessons during British Science week, the students were asked to create a poster with the theme of ‘Innovating for the future’. Their inspiration could come from anywhere – innovation in technology or health care, or even innovation that is used in STEM careers. The posters were judged by the Chemistry Department and then the top seventeen posters from the year group were presented on G slides. The whole school was given the opportunity to vote for their favourite poster via a G form. The top five posters were then entered into the national competition.

Mrs Baldwin

Congratulations... the winners were Anna Umoh, Holly Coughlan, Annabelle Apperley, Ishani Kundu and Suha Rashid, with the overall school winner being Annabelle Apperley.