Sciences
The Science Department is located to the west of the campus with Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy occupying laboratories, lecture theatres, libraries and study spaces in and around our listed 1934 Newton building. This iconic structure has been fully refurbished and now includes a spectacular second floor auditorium and conference space. The best of the old has been incorporated with the best of the new, with historic flooring and Crittall windows matched with beautiful new oak stairwells and glass walkways. Renewable energy sources power the building, allowing pupils to study the important role of sustainability in our future. Our goal is to provide a flexible teaching and learning environment to respond to the dynamic nature of our subject matter.
We have a team of 22 academic subject specialists delivering Science to IGCSE, A level and Oxbridge entrance level. The Science Department has a large dedicated departmental library, a glasshouse and a small-animal collection. Teaching is supported by excellent ICT provision. Laboratories are equipped with 86-inch interactive screens which allow complex ideas to become clearer and more engaging – from visualising molecular structures to analysing results in real-time.
Our location in Wiltshire enables us to take advantage of the River Kennet, which runs through our grounds, and two well-established trout lakes, chalk downlands and the nearby ancient Savernake Forest. All of these are especially useful to our biologists, while our extensive grounds often host a range of physics experiments too. The Internationally renowned Blackett Observatory enables our astronomers to put theory into practice.
Curriculum
Biology, Chemistry and Physics are compulsory in the Lower School. Shell forms the foundation year in the Sciences which leads on to Edexcel’s IGCSE Science examinations in the Hundred. We offer two routes to IGCSE with pupils being entered for the most appropriate examinations based on aptitude and ability. Both the IGCSE Separate Sciences and Science (Double Award) offer a sound preparation for pupils wishing to study one or more Sciences in the Sixth Form. We are also pleased to offer Edexcel GCSE Astronomy (1AS0). This two-year course, which begins in the Remove, may be studied alongside the other sciences by interested pupils.
The Department prepares pupils for A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Biology and Chemistry deliver the OCR ‘A’ specifications while Physics delivers the Eduqas specification.
Enrichment
The Science Department offers first-class facilities with outstanding teaching alongside enviable co-curricular opportunities. Every pupil is set an appropriate, accessible but challenging programme of study leading to an understanding and appreciation of Science which reaches far beyond any curriculum of study alone. Each department devises its own academic and co-curricular enrichment programme annually, often in collaboration with pupils.
Outreach within the local community is very important to us. Our annual Medawar Lecture, named for Old Marlburian Professor Sir Peter Medawar, Nobel Laureate, is open to pupils and colleagues at our neighbouring schools and to the wider public. Recent lecturers have included Professor Lord Robert Winston, the distinguished neurosurgeon Henry Marsh CBE and Professor Dame Athene Donald FRS, Master of Churchill College, Cambridge.