A leading boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 12-18 in Perthshire, Scotland
'most of the fundamental ideas of physics are essentially simple and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language comprehensible to everyone' (Albert Einstein)
Of all the experimental sciences none is more fundamental than Physics. It is the subject which describes the nature of the physical world and even how it came into being - there are now physical models for the first millisecond of creation. A study of Physics ranges from the sub-nuclear worlds of quarks and gluons through the properties of the everyday world of solids and liquids to stars, galaxies and the universe as a whole. In addition to these deep philosophical ideas, Physics has an immense impact on our life-style, and is quite incredibly useful. The understanding Physics gives of physical reality underpins much of modern life - electricity and electronics, communications, transport, energy resources, textiles, food production and medicine are strongly influenced by developments in Physics.
I hope that by navigating your way through this section of our website you will gain an insight into Glenalmond's Physics Department and get a flavour of how we approach this fascinating subject. A visit will give you an even better idea of what we do, so please come and see us sometime!
We aim to: -
Roger Benson - Head of Physics and O/C Glenalmond CCF
Dr Stephen Kinge - Deputy Head Academic
Nicola Henderson - Teacher of Physics and Learning Support
David Young - Physics Technician.
Physics is taught as part of a Co-ordinated Science programme. Pupils are taught by one teacher and have 4 lessons per week.
3rd , 4th and 5th Year pupils are divisioned for the Sciences. Each division is taught by specialist teachers towards either G.C.S.E.s in Physics, Chemistry and Biology as three separate G.C.S.E. subjects or towards Science and Additional Science G.C.S.E.s (formally known as Double Award Co-ordinated).
All divisions have 3 lessons of Physics every week taught by a specialist Physics teacher.
We follow the AQA syllabus in both Physics and Co-ordinated Sciences.
In 3rd year the pupils work through the Physics Section of Nelson Thornes Science textbook, in the 4th they work through the Physics section in Nelson Thornes Additional Science textbook and in the 5th Year we use the Nelson Thornes GCSE Physics textbook by Jim Breithaupt which contains the entire G.C.S.E. Physics syllabus.
Practical Skills and Investigative Skills are assessed internally throughout the three year course.
A copy of the AQA G.C.S.E. Physics syllabus can be .
The course is taught in 5 periods per week in both Lower and Upper Sixth and we are now teaching the new AQA Physics B: Physics in Context syllabus.
This course is a new and stimulating approach to Physics with an emphasis on up to date contexts and applications of Physics. We feel that this reflects our individual approach to Physics and the image of the department we have been developing since our move to Glenalmond's new Science Centre. For assessment and teaching purposes the course is divided into 6 units as shown below:
| UNIT | AS/A2 UNIT | Topics covered | % of final grade |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 Harmony and structure of the universe (assessed by examination) |
AS |
|
40% of AS and 20% of A level |
| 2 Physics keeping us going (assessed by examination) | AS |
|
40% of AS and 20% of A level |
| 3 Investigative and practical skills in AS Physics (assessed internally) | AS |
Coursework assessment comprising:
|
20% of AS and 10% of A level |
| 4 Physics inside and out (assessed by examination) | A2 |
|
20% of A level |
| 5 Energy under the microscope (assessed by examination) | A2 |
|
20% of A level |
| 6 Investigative and practical skills in A2 Physics (assessed internally) | A2 |
|
10% of A level |
The mathematical content of our course is kept to a minimum, making it suitable both for those who intend to study the Physical Sciences or Mathematics at a higher level and for those who intend to pursue a career in the Biological Sciences, Medicine or Veterinary Science.
The course places just as much emphasis on the correct use and comprehension of scientific language and ideas as it does on analytical and numerical skills.
Students follow a practical programme which includes both experimental work designed to support their understanding of the principles of Physics and experiments which develop specific laboratory skills. We do not run a traditional practical session at one time during the week. Practical work can be carried out during any of the timetabled lessons.
We would normally expect students taking A Level Physics to have either gained an A grade in GCSE Physics or A grades in both Science and Additional Science in addition to a grade B in GCSE Mathematics.
A full copy of the AQA Physics B: Physics in Context syllabus is available as a PDF file.
This is an examination that can be sat by the most talented A level Physicists. It is particularly appropriate for those wishing to apply to read either Physics or Engineering at Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester or Imperial College, London. Preparation for this examination is done through tutorial sessions run outside of the normal timetable.
Entry requirements: a love of Physics and a desire to know more!
Below are details of some of the trips and activities that have taken place in the department over the past year or so:
At the start of the Michaelmas term in L6th Year we study the Generation of Electricity both by conventional and alternative methods. As part of this work we take the L6th Physicists to Cruachan Power station near Oban. The power station cannot be seen from the road because it is inside the mountain! Cruachan is a pumped storage power station.
This is the only full time public Observatory in the U.K. During the course of the evening the Lower 6th Physicists were able to observe the Moon and Saturn through the Observatory's refracting telescope; they also had a presentation on the Solar System seeing many pictures taken with the various telescopes at the Observatory and also had the opportunity to talk to the resident Astronomer and to look round the Observatory's exhibition of refracting and reflecting telescopes. The new AQA course covers this work in the U6th.
Recently the whole of the 3rd Form participated in a day long activity organised jointly with the Technology Department and run by a charitable organisation, The Smallpeice Trust. In teams of 5 they had to design and build a wind turbine to be judged on certain criteria including the cost per volt generated and a presentation on the team's reasoning during the design process. They all had a fantastic day and 2 later went on week-long courses run by the Trust during the summer holiday.
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