Latest News

Biology 

With last term starting off in lockdown, we were delighted with the engagement to remote learning that students showed in Biology sessions. This enthusiasm for learning has carried across into the classroom upon students’ return to school. Year 9 students have learnt about the circulatory system in the human body, including participation in a real heart dissection. 

Year 10 to 13 students have been focused on revision, whether it be preparing for mocks or internal assessments. Teachers continue to be impressed with the progress students are making despite the challenge of this academic year. Students have been learning new revision techniques and have been applying their knowledge through a variety of activities including the creation of revision resources, presentations, revision square production and completion of past papers. 

During the lockdown in February, High Performer students explored the process of decay and the carbon cycle. This involved watching the BBC TV programme “After Life - The Strange Science of Decay 2”. Students then produced a poster linking cycles to decay. The work produced was impressive with students producing high quality work. The project highlighted the importance of decay and how it links to the circle of life.

Chemistry 

‘How old is the universe? Is there life on other worlds? Why is 97% of DNA useless?’ 

High performing students in Years 9 and 10 have been working on their reading and experimental skills in Chemistry. A select group were given the task of reading a chapter all about water, from Bill Bryson’s famous book ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’. Students completed the reading task independently at home and answered questions related to the text. Students returned to class with lots of questions, and were set to work in proving what they had read. Sixth Form prefects (Tom, Rosie, Roddy and Krista) were responsible for creating a big quiz to introduce the session, challenging students with some tricky GCSE high level questions. Teachers were impressed with the organisation and standard of the resources produced! Students also designed a series of experiments to test different ions present in water. This included the much loved flame tests! Students showed fantastic enthusiasm from start to finish, and were able to conclude their findings at the end of the session. Students enjoyed the session. All students are encouraged to read this highly fascinating book by Bill Bryson; it’s a top read!

Physics 

The Physics teaching team are very proud of Blenheim’s Year 13 Physics students who have all improved their grades since September 2020. Despite obvious challenges, students have persevered and are now studying hard for final assessments. Topics include: Astro physics, medical physics and particle physics, all of which require in depth mathematical skills. Staff will miss students next year and wish them luck with their University studies.