Science

From Years 2 to 11, students at Hampton Court House have science lessons with a subject specialist. Science lessons are rooted in the 11+, 13+ and IGCSE curricula, but all of our teachers are passionate about extending students’ education beyond the curriculum. Our goal is to foster in our students a spirit of enquiry. When they leave us, students should feel confident tackling complex problems using the scientific method, that is, they should feel able not only to pose questions, but also to come up with methods for solving them.

Science day As a department, we have close ties with the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, we go on field trips with the Field Studies Council, we enter competitions with bodies such as the Royal Society of Chemistry, and of course, take advantage of our proximity to museums in London.

Science Week at HCH

Abigail HowardBSc PGCE

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Science week 2021: Day 2

We continued our festival of science with Year 9 dissecting sheep eyes and a huge ox heart in biology, and Year 6 discovering the hidden world of the very small with a microscope activity. The Big Science Quiz was completed by Year 8 and started by Year 12, and Year 3 made their Lava Lamps.

Year 5 continue... to lead in the photo competition, with additional chemistry-themed entries submitted to Thomas over the course of the day. All entries must be emailed to tjmw@hchnet.co.uk by the end of school on Friday.

Science week 2021: Day 1

Today we began our annual celebration of science, technology, and engineering with half of year 7 and all of year 8 completing their coin plating chemistry activity and year 4 making beautiful lava lamps.

We launched a competition to produce a presentation on the challenges facing technology (deadline:... end of school on friday, entries to Neelu- nva@hchnet.co.uk )

Entries continued to come in for the science photography competition with Year 5 leading the way with some excellent photographs showcasing botany, metallurgy, and engineering. Further entries should be emailed to Thomas at tjmw@hchnet.co.uk by the end of school on Friday.

This afternoon, Years 1-4 had an outside assembly showcasing the power of chemistry with some dramatic demonstrations of how energy and gaseous products can be released rapidly during reactions. The assembly finished with an opportunity to meet one of the most beautiful and enigmatic creatures to live locally, the Barred Grass Snake (Natrix helvetica) – our specimen, “Gollum”, is a gorgeous 2-foot example with bright green sides and lots of personality!

Science week 2021: Monday 14th- Friday 18th June

We cannot wait for Science Week 2021 from Monday to Friday next week. We will post all the news and photos to the website but here is the full programme of amazing activities and events:

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10+ will be able to complete it in form time.

The Annual Science Photo Competition – Open to all students and staff – please email entries of any photos with a science, nature, technology, or engineering theme to tjmw@hchnet.co.uk by the end of school on Friday 18th June.
Biology science week activity in science lessons for Years 7-9 – dissection of a heart or an eye, plus demo dissections
Chemistry science week activity in science lessons for Years 7-9 – magic colour changing coin trick – how to turn copper into “silver” and “gold” (and why that’s not really possible!)
Physics science week activity in lessons for Year 7-9 – catapult challenge!
Special additional science activities for Year 5 and 6
Lava lamp construction with Abi and Thomas for Y2-4
“Meet the critters” assembly for Y5+ with Zoo Club
“Chemical Reactions” assembly for Early and Lower years with Thomas
We will also have a special visitor on Thursday afternoon, a vet who works in sea turtle conservation. George is going to send me the details (she’s a friend of his) Depending on timings, she should be talking to years 3, 4, and 5.

Science Week Day 4- Bath bombs, Genomes and The Science Week Fair

Pupils in Years 5 to 8 made some beautiful smelling, fizzy bath bombs today by mixing together some weak acids and bases. They flavoured their bath bombs with their chosen flavours and colours to make lovely gifts to take home.

Matthew Brown, a software developer from Genomics England led an assembly... for Middle and Upper Years pupils to discuss how advances in sequencing the genome have the potential to revolutionise drug treatment and early disease diagnosis. For further information about Genomics England, visit https://www.genomicsengland.co.uk/about-genomics-england/

And finally, in the school theatre we held the first Science Fair at HCH. Students contributed work and projects that they felt had scientific underpinning. Works included models, research projects, and creative work inspired by science. Students, parents and teachers attended the science fair and were certainly impressed by the variety of displays and projects, from songs to mechanical models and large-scale poster presentations!

Science Week Day 3- Personality tests, DNA and sustainable energy

As Science Week continues, our students are full of enthusiasm for the variety of activities on offer. Each talk, workshop or demonstration is providing an opportunity to deepen their understanding of their Science curriculum and the world around them.

Our Psychology teacher, Laraib Saeed provided an... opportunity for students to assess their own personality traits using the Big Five Personality test. The test is often used to help determine career paths based on how an individual would react in different situations.

Middle and Upper years pupils attended a Science Week assembly on Sustainability led by Yasmina Mikhael. Yasmina is Head of Sustainability at Long and Partners and has a wealth of expertise in renewables and the built environment.

And finally, Head of Science Abi Howard ran a workshop for Middle and Upper years pupils, explaining how DNA can be extracted from cells. Students had the opportunity to extract cells and DNA from kiwi fruit as part of the practical workshop!

Science Week 2020 Day 2- Bubbles, Our Brains and Big Reactions

It is day 2 of Science Week and our students have been enthralled by some fantastic talks, workshops and practical demonstrations.
Year 5 pupils from local primary schools joined HCH pupils from years 5,6 and 9 for an inspiring practical demonstration, led by Dr Thomas McCarthy Ward entitled “The Magic...

Science Week 2020 starts with a bang!

Today marks the start of British Science Week, a national celebration of all the sciences. The science department has organised an action-packed week of enriching lessons and activities for pupils of all ages! Today, pupils in the Middle and Upper years had the opportunity to take part in a heart dissection... workshop with Head of Science, Abigail Howard, ably assisted by our A level Biology students. The pupils were dissecting and analysing the different sections of the animal heart whilst discussing the use of dissection in medical and research practices.

Our Early and Lower Years pupils were treated to an explosive assembly led by our Chemist, Dr Thomas McCarthy Ward. Children in Reception class to Year 4 watched in awe as Thomas demonstrated how light is produced in different ways, by heat, by chemistry, and by biology. The children discussed the many things scientists have learned by looking at light, from testing for poisons, to understanding distant stars.

Today’s activities certainly whetted the apetite for a host of practical workshops, talks and demonstrations during the next four days at school.