Warminster School

Faculty of Science

In Pursuit of Excellence

On behalf of the Faculty of Science and Heads of Departments I bid you a very warm welcome, and thank you for visiting the Chemistry Department web site. We hope you will enjoy browsing through our site, which has links to various aspects of our work and that you will also visit the Biology and Physics Department's sites. Not all of our activities are included in this site. Do please feel free to contact myself for further information or to pass on any comments.

Dr. D. R. Hankey

Head of Science

Head of Chemistry

dhankey@warminsterschool.org.uk

• Challenge and stimulate our pupils and develop their interest in, and enthusiasm for, chemistry.
• Develop breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding in the subject, beyond examination specifications, and relate this across other disciplines, to events and systems in the world outside and to new achievements and discoveries.
• Offer opportunities for pupils to advance their involvement, knowledge and understanding in the subject.
• Provide opportunities for the gifted and talented, for pupils to be stretched and for pupils to be nurtured, as required.
• Encourage our students to think and communicate logically and synoptically, with appropriate terminology, and develop their powers of analysis.
• Train our pupils in practical techniques and expose pupils to sophisticated items of equipment as early as possible,
• Develop pupil use of ICT within the subject and develop a critical approach to scientific evidence and methods.
• Promote pupil achievement through publicity and establish pupil links with external organisations and events.

Chemistry is a popular subject throughout the school and over the years increasing numbers of students have opted for GCSE Chemistry and A-level courses. The Department has an enviable record of value added achievement at both GCSE and A-level. Pupils undertake a foundation course in Years 7 and 8 based on the National Curriculum and Common Entrance. Pupils commence their GCSE studies in Year 9 and late arrivals to the school are catered for through additional catch-up instruction out of lesson time. The Department prepares pupils for public examinations in AQA GCSE Chemistry, Science, Additional Science and Applied Science (in conjunction with the Biology and Physics Departments) and in Edexcel GCE AS and A2 Chemistry and Standard and Higher Level IB Chemistry.