We aim to:

In the first three years, we hope to inspire and excite students about the chemistry of the world in which they live. We hope to achieve this by teaching the basic principles and experimental techniques that are the foundations of chemistry using interesting situations that are applicable to the modern world.

What staff and facilities are available to the department? We have five well equipped laboratories. One of the laboratories incorporates six fume cupboards for A Level experimental work of a more hazardous nature. The department is staffed by five full-time and one part-time teacher and three highly qualified technicians.

How much time will I spend on this subject per ten day cycle?

• Lower School: 3 lessons (3 hours) with 1 hour of homework.
• GCSE: 5 lessons (5 hours) with 2 hours of homework.
• A Level: 10 lessons (10 hours) with at least 5 hours of individual study.

What is Chemistry in the Lower School like?

Chemistry is taught as a single science. The course is designed to offer as much practical work as possible during all three years and we aim to include as much investigative chemistry as possible to help students develop the skills of fair testing and analysis. In the Third Year we attempt to enlighten the students about the applications of chemistry to everyday life as we believe that it is important for all students to have a good grasp of the role of chemistry in the wider community, particularly if they are not intending to take the subject further. This enables us to consider topical chemistry issues and pursue project and research work about areas the students may find interesting, for example forensic chemistry, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and perfumes to name but a few.

What happens further up the school?

At GCSE we follow the AQA syllabus. The range of topics is extended and practical skills are further developed and formally assessed as part of the Centre Assessed Unit.

The A Level course follows the OCR syllabus to AS and A2 levels. The first topics in the AS course are selected in order to refresh and expand the candidates’ knowledge and understanding of atomic structure and bonding and also to instil an appreciation of the mole concept and its many applications. Later sections of the course cover topics such as energetics, equilibria, kinetics, transition metals, periodicity, acid-base reactions and organic chemistry. The emphasis is on achieving a much greater understanding of why and how chemical reactions take place and creating links between the various branches of the subject. Practical work is integrated into the course and is internally assessed but externally moderated.

Are there any extra-curricular activities?

There are two Lower School Chemistry Clubs, one which meets once a week to perform exciting experiments which are outside the normal sphere of the syllabus, the other which investigates the chemistry behind health and beauty. In the Middle School a Forensic Science Club runs and in the Sixth Form students can either take part in the Engineering Education Scheme or a Chemistry based research project run in conjunction with Manchester University

Second Year pupils are invited to attend the annual ‘Salters’ Festival of Chemistry based at a local university. The festival provides pupils with the opportunity to attend University for the day and perform a series of supervised experiments in university laboratories.

Sixth Formers have the opportunity to enter the Young Analyst Competition, attend lectures at Manchester University on Advanced Level topics and become involved in the Chemistry Olympiad.