Physics and Astronomy

More detail can be found about all of our academic faculties under the Curriculum sections of our website that cover the Third Form Curriculum, the Fourth Form Curriculum (leading up to GCSE) and the Sixth Form Curriculum

Physics is an attempt to make sense of the bewildering variety of events and objects in the universe.  Physicists work from first principles to develop models that capture the essence of the universe in the simplest possible way.  This can bring a deep understanding that is powerful, sometimes shocking and ultimately beautiful.  It is an essential preparation for the engineer, the research scientist and the serious philosopher; it is also highly valued in the practical world of finance and management.

At Shrewsbury students study Physics under the expert guidance of specialist teachers.  The Faculty is extremely well equipped and is housed in a modern building that includes access to extensive IT suites, a large science lecture theatre and an astronomical observatory.

There have been a number of trips and visits in recent years including:  The Earthquake Engineering Laboratories at Bristol University; IOP lectures at Birmingham University; The Royal Observatory at Greenwich; The National Space Centre; the Spaceguard Centre and Jodrell Bank.  We were a pilot school for the Faulkes telescope project and there is a thriving Astronomical Society based at the school, with links to the Shropshire Astronomical Society. In October 2008, the Astronomical Society's entry in the UK Space Experiment Competition was announced as the winner; a phenomenal achievement.  As a result, the equipment for their experiment is currently flying in a satellite that was launched from Kazakhstan in July 2009.

Project work and independent research play an important role at all levels and whilst preparation for external examinations is obviously a central aim, we have also achieved significant success in more demanding national and international competitions.  In 2001 we entered the Paperclip Physics Competition and won the National Prize with a presentation explaining the Physics of a Falling Cat.  In 2003 a team of five sixth formers was selected to represent the UK in the Finals of the International Young Physicists' Tournament (IYPT) in Sweden.  We shared third place - an outstanding achievement.  Since then teams from Shrewsbury School represented the UK in Switzerland in 2005, Slovakia in 2006, Korea in 2007 and China in 2009.  Our engineers have also been successful in the RAF Aerospace Challenge and our astronomers have participated successfully in several national competitions.  Students have also won silver and gold medals in the Physics Olympiad and Physics Challenge competitions. and this year our Lower Sixth boys won 4 gold medals in the first 'AS Physics Olympiad'.

Every year a significant number of physicists are successful in applications to Oxbridge.  However, not all pupils find Physics easy and there is plenty of support for those who find some of the concepts challenging - either directly from a pupil's teacher or by signing up for a 'clinic'.

We adopted the new AQA GCSE in 2006 and feel pleased by the way that it is going.  The new arrangements for testing practical work seem far better for everyone.  In September 2008, we introduced both the restyled ‘Advancing Physics’ AS syllabus and the new Pre U course to the lower sixth. Both initiatives are going well.

A Level Results - Physics

** 2010 was the first year when we had both Pre-U and OCR A Level results.  The results in detail are in the table above; the table below shows all the results together, including the Pre-U results 'converted' into standard A Level grades.

GCSE Results - Physics

GCSE Results - Double Science

GCSE Results - Astronomy