Head's Newsletter 16 December 2022

CHEMISTRY IN ACTION

TOP OF THE BENCH COMPETITION

Chemistry in Action lectures - Emmanuel Centre, London

On Tuesday the 29 th November an elite team of 4 of our finest Chemists from Year 9, 10 and 11 competed in a regional heat of the Royal Society of Chemistry ’ s – Top of the bench competition. This took part at St Paul ’ s School in Barnes and there was strong academic competition on the night. We didn ’ t win this time but there is always next year! “ For Top of the Bench, we travelled to St. Paul ’ s to compete with a variety of schools including Tiffin Girls, St. Paul ’ s themselves and Sutton Boys. The exciting competition split the contestants into three groups of Yr9s, Yr10s and Yr11s who all carried out different practicals such as titrations and different reactions. Then we all participated in a set of multiple choice questions right after. Overall, we enjoyed the experience and we were able to see the facilities of a school with lots of money, especially their periodic table which had physical objects corresponding to each element. ” “ I really enjoyed the competition at St Paul ’ s School, and it was also really cool to see their brand new, shiny labs. Although we didn ’ t come in the top three of the Top of the Bench, it was still fun to take part in the practical, and the brownies at the end made it all worth it! ”

On the 6th December Mrs Molyneux, Miss Mitchell and Mrs Davis took 55 of the year 12 Chemists to the centre of London to see the Chemistry in action programme of lectures. These covered many interesting areas and applications of Chemistry in our lives, including talks on forensics, drugs and war. "The Chemistry in Action Lectures were thoroughly fascinating and covered a wide range of topics, from the humble lanthanides to the analysis of a shotgun wound. Taking place in the dramatic Emmanuel Centre in central London, the whole day was very enjoyable and gave excellent insight into the many careers that can emerge from A Level Chemistry. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about chemistry beyond the limits of the specification and/ or anyone with any interest in science (or the world in general)."