Gifted & Talented/Enrichment

G&T/Enrichment Statement

In Physics we currently identify pupils as gifted taking into consideration input from teachers, students, parents and the scholars group. We host a number of enrichment events and these students are encouraged to attend. The events are also open to students who are particularly inspired by the subject of Physics. As academic staff we have differing areas of expertise and prepare enrichment activities within the laboratories accordingly, to help inspire and broaden students’ horizons. All schemes of work include differentiation for mixed abilities so that the most able students can be stretched and challenged within normal lessons. The following page details just a small taste of the enrichment we carry out here at Blundell’s in Physics.

Physics Awards

We award the Coles Memorial in Physics to the U6th student for outstanding performance throughout the two years of the A level course. In 2011, the winner was Laura MacBean who has gone one to study natural sciences at Cambridge. She gained over 90% at A Level, which is a very impressive achievement on such a demanding specification.

In Year 11 we award a Physics prize to the student who shows particular aptitude and enthusiasm for the subject. The winner in 2011 was Emily Nash who gained 400/400UMS in the Physics GCSE and is now studying Physics at A level. We hope their success inspires others to achieve in a technically demanding subject but one which is especially relevant in the modern world.

Scholarship

All scholarship applicants must be registered prior to sitting the relevant examinations (see Non-Assisted Entry for more details). Scholarship application forms can be found contained within the Scholarship Booklet, which is available by request from the Registrars.

Activities

One of the ways we provide stretch and challenge at A’level through synoptic assessment. This requires students to make and use connections within and between different areas of Physics, for example, by:

  • applying knowledge and understanding of more than one area to a particular situation or context
  • using knowledge and understanding of principles and concepts in experimental and investigative work and in the analysis and evaluation of data
  • bringing together scientific knowledge and understanding from different areas of the subject and applying them.

There is a requirement to formally assess synopticity at A2. Synoptic assessment in Physics is assessed in all the A2 units through both the written papers (Unit 4 and Unit 5) and the Investigative and Practical skills unit (Unit 6). Throughout the GCSE and A’level teaching we look to extend the gifted student, below are just a sample of activities we utilise:

  • a variety of stems in questions to avoid a formulaic approach through the use of such words as: analyse, evaluate, compare, discuss
  • encouraging students to take the role as teacher and explain solutions, investigations or topics to their peers,
  • having some requirement for extended writing
  • using a range of question types to address different skills i.e. not just short answer/structured questions
  • asking candidates to bring to bear knowledge and the other prescribed skills in answering questions rather than simply demonstrating a range of content coverage.

Advanced Extension Award in Physics (AEA)

AEA physics is something students take in addition to an A level. It is for the most able students, and assesses students' ability to:

  • apply the fundamental principles and concepts of physics
  • use knowledge of the ways different aspects of physics relate to each other
  • communicate ideas effectively, construct arguments and solve problems
  • critically evaluate information and evidence in new contexts.

Evening lectures

We invite lecturers in to talk with the students and present their area of expertise. These lectures are always of interest to the students and are often directly relevant to the Physics syllabus. For example Dr Anne Martyn from IOM³ gives an annual lecture on SMART Materials which allows the students to explore some of the new high tech materials such as memory metals. We were also joined in 2011 by Dr Jonathan Allday of the Royal Hospital School in Ipswich who gave pupils a very informative insight into what is right and wrong about the physics of science fiction. Pupils were impressed by the amount of thought and consideration that had been put into the scripts of some of Dr Allday's favourite series.

Journals

We continue to promote to our gifted students the following journals to help them to extend their reading around the subject of Physics:

  • Catalyst for GCSE level students
  • Physics Review for A’level students
  • Physics World
  • Materials World
  • New Scientist

Physics Olympiad

For students, participation in a British Physics Olympiad Competition offers stimulating questions which show the real-world problem-solving potential of Physics. It is a challenge for the most able students. The British Physics Olympiad aims to encourage the study of physical sciences in the United Kingdom. This is achieved by setting annually a stimulating physics competition. This competition is designed to test a student's basic understanding of the principles of physics taught at A2 level and enable them to compare their attainment with those of students from all over the UK. The British Physics Olympiad is used to select the UK Physics Team for the International Physics Olympiad. Each year, five talented young physicists are selected to represent their country at international level.

Physics Clubs

Rocket Club

Students have built rockets from kits, but have also designed and flown their own rockets using specialist software to test the predicted stability of their designs. We encourage students to enter the National Rocket Launch Competition. We invite guest speakers to come and show the students larger scale rockets.

Astronomy Society

Blundell’s Astronomy Network is a group of staff and students of all ages at the School who share an interest in Astronomy. Local observing sessions are run using our 10-inch reflecting telescope in the school grounds. The Physics Department also has a smaller, more portable reflecting telescope for pupils to use.

For ‘deep sky’ Astronomy we have access to the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT). At present this consists of the two 2m Faulkes Telescopes, one in Hawaii (FTN) and the other at Coonabarra in Australia (FTS). These are accessed via the Internet and can be used in the daytime in the UK. Students are also welcomed at meetings of the Tiverton and Mid Devon Astronomy Society who hold their monthly meetings at Blundell's.