Chemistry

Chemistry in the Sixth Form allows students to delve into the subject in much greater depth and provides them with the skills and knowledge they need to take their understanding of Chemistry to undergraduate level.

Our Chemistry Department is made up of a team of dedicated and highly experienced teachers and a technician, who specialise in delivering a top quality education in Chemistry theory, principles and knowledge in a manner which engages and enthuses our girls.

Chemistry lessons for Sixth Form students take place in specialist labs, designed to facilitate theoretical and investigative work in small, dedicated classes. As with all our labs, these are well resourced with modern, innovative equipment, including a fume cupboard in each lab enabling the students to learn how to handle hazardous material safely.

At A Level, we follow the AQA syllabus, which combines the teaching of traditional elements with more modern chemical ideas, making it an ideal step forwards from the EdExcel IGCSE syllabus that is followed with our younger students. The study of Organic Chemistry is enhanced with applied experimentation and project work. For example, the girls are given the opportunity to use the state of the art instruments housed at The University of Bath to analyse samples of aspirin which have been synthesised and purified at school.

Their wider knowledge is further enhanced by the provision of the school MedSoc, where girls interested in moving into the fields of Medicine and Veterinary Science can learn more about their intended careers.

Each year a number of our Chemistry Students take part in the National Chemistry Olympiad and Cambridge Chemistry Challenge. These are national competitions, open to students within the Sixth Form which attract thousands of entries across the UK. We have been pleased to achieve a number of excellent results in these competitions in previous years.

The study of Chemistry underpins many undergraduate courses and many of our students have successfully gone on to study degrees including Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences and Chemical Engineering at a wide range of top Universities.