There is a lot of news from the Science Team this term. Firstly we welcome two new members of staff to the department. Mr Bell who is the new KS3 co-ordinator and Dr Faulkes. 

We have lots of exciting activities planned for the year ahead. There is going to be a trip to the Eden project for Year 7 students, and a trip to the Science Museum in London for Year 9, and a science challenge day for Year 8. Year 10 will be completing their first GCSE this year and Year 11 will be completing their second. 

As well as all of that we will be celebrating Science Week in March. 

National Science and Engineering Week 2008 (7-16 March)

The Innovation Awards, which were very successful last year, are also going to be starting shortly; any keen scientists in Year 7,8 & 9 can get involved, look out for details soon. 

Science in the Community will be very busy this year, with Robotics, Year 6 & 8 Family Learning, Gifted and Talented Days and lots more; look out for the letters if you would like to get involved. 

Mr Gitsham was up early on 8th June, getting this view of Venus as it just started to move across the Sun. He projected an image of the Sun through a telescope on to a white screen, then took a photograph with an ordinary camera.

You can clearly see Venus on the left side of the picture (the other marks on the Sun are actually dust on the telescope's lenses. The Sun does not look quite round because of the way the light was projected on to the screen at an angle.

Some of also saw Venus later through welding goggles, but this is a much more spectacular image. You have to wait until 2012 for your next chance to view a transit of Venus!