Overview

The Biology department is located on the first floor of a purpose built Science Centre which was constructed in 2001. There are three general laboratories capable of teaching classes of 20 pupils, a sixth form laboratory for project work, a departmental sixth form library, a foyer which houses two large aquaria, a vivarium, and a news and current affairs board. There is a large well equipped preparation room and a full time technician who works for both the Biology and the Chemistry departments. The Head of Department has an office within the preparation room. Biology is a popular subject and about 65 pupils take the subject in the sixth form.

The department organises a number of trips and expeditions each year. Over the past few years these have included visits to the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, The Roslin Institute, Edinburgh, The Scottish Crops Research Institute, Dundee, The Forensic Science Laboratories, Dundee, The Science Centre in Glasgow, Tennants Brewery, Glasgow; The Biology Department, Dundee University and The Psychology Department Abertay University. As an annual event, the sixth form undertake a 6 day residential field course to Cumbria in the summer term after their exams. Lectures are also organised annually and recent topics have included 'Natural disasters'; 'The importance of fungi'; 'Human parasites'; 'Genetic engineering'; 'Human identification'; 'Antibiotic resistance'; 'The role of a forensic scientist'. Biennial expeditions are also organised. In 2003 to Borneo, in 2005 to Namibia and Botswana and in 2007 to Madagascar.

The department has had consistently good A level results over the past few years and sixth formers have left Glenalmond to continue their education in medicine, veterinary science, dentistry, biochemistry, microbiology and applied biology.

Syllabus/Specification

GCSE

All pupils are required to take the three sciences through to the fifth form year. Candidates are streamed according to academic ability. Some flexibility exists as to the type of final exams sat by pupils but it is anticipated that all pupils with either sit exams leading towards a qualification in Science and Additional Science or move towards the Separate Sciences. Parents receive advice from the school at the appropriate time as to which options are best for their child and a period of consultation then occurs before the final entries to the Exam Board are made. For details for the GCSE science courses see separate drawdown.

Sixth Form Course

The new AQA AS/A2 syllabus begins in September 2008 for the L6 while the U6 continue with the legacy syllabus for one more year. The new AS syllabus will be first examined in January 2009 and comprises the following units:

Staff

Dr. Keith Lallyett (Head of Biology and Head of Lower School Science)
Dr. Craig Henderson
Dr. Susan Colby
Mrs. Nichola Henderson
Mr. Kevin Devaney
Dr Andrew Collins
Mrs. Sandy McDougall (Technician)

News and Events

The department continues to flourish with over a third of fifth form pupils electing to take the subject to sixth form study. The academic results were outstanding as the department achieved the second best results in the school at A2 with 55% of candidates achieving Grade A. This was a record year for the department and sets a precedent which will difficult to emulate. At GCSE we also highly successful as 48% of our fifth form cohort achieved an A*, another record result for the department and the best performance in the school.

During the course of the year a number of departmental trips were organised.

In December, the lower sixth form visited Dundee University for a series of Christmas lectures including some practical work in the Forensics Department.

In May, the upper sixth visited Edinburgh Zoo to study natural selection and evolution. The lectures were complemented with a trip around the enclosures and an opportunity to gain some 'hands on' experience with the more friendly inmates.

 

In June, twenty eight lower sixth pupils took part in the residential field course in Cumbria studying dune succession, zonation, and the effect of abiotic factors on the growth of organisms woodland communities. The effect of oxygen levels and current flow on the distribution of species in a stream and the application of mark and recapture technique was also undertaken.

I would like to thank all members of the department for their enthusiasm and efforts in helping to make 2009 a highly successful year.