Dr K Puech - Head of Department
Dr Puech joined St Catherine’s in 2001 after having worked in Optical Communications in Germany and the UK. Her special area of interest in Physics is lasers and nonlinear optics, which she studied for her PhD. A glutton for punishment, she enjoys training for and participating in triathlons. Her main interest, though, is relaxing and spending time with her family.
email: kathleen.puech@stcatherines.info

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Mr J Clarke
Mr Clarke joined the school in September 2020.  He studied Physics at Oxford and had a successful career in the city working for a hedge fund before beginning a teaching career.  He also has a busy family life with three daughters.  He manages to keep fit through cycling and golf and spends as much free time as possible in the mountains riding his road bike. 
email: james.clarke@stcatherines.info

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Mrs T Evans
Mrs Evans joined St Cats in September 2021 as the Keller Boarding Housemistress and a teacher of Physics. After studying Geology at Southampton University, Mrs Evans pursued her passion for Physics by studying for a Masters in Applied Geophysics at the University of Birmingham. Her thesis was based on the use of electrical resistivity tomography to look at water recharge. After a few years of working in the city as a Data Analyst, Mrs Evans completed her PGCE at the Institute of Education and has been teaching Physics for over 18 years.
email: tracy.evans@stcatherines.info

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Ms P Fernandes
Ms Fernandes joined St Catherine’s in 2022 after starting her career in teaching in India. She studied Physics and Mathematics at St Stephen’s College, New Delhi and then worked with a financial consulting company before realising her vocation for teaching. She loves the hunt for ‘Ah-ha!’ moments from students as they explore the workings of the physical world. Apart from enjoying being a teacher, she likes to spend time wandering in nature, learning about foraging, and befriending animals of all shapes and sizes.
email: pritika.fernandes@stcatherines.info

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​​​​​​​Mrs A Wakefield
After her degree in Pure & Applied Physics at the University of Nottingham, Mrs Wakefield travelled extensively in Africa and France before becoming a partner in a successful adventure holiday company. Raised in a boys’ boarding school in Surrey, she returned to the world of teaching after over 20 years in business. In any precious spare time she loves to ski, train for triathlons, learn new languages and spend time with her family.
email:anne-marie.wakefield@stcatherines.info

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Mrs J Cringle - Physics Technician
Mrs Cringle joined the school in January 2002 having previously worked as a Physics Technician at Woking 6th Form College. She has also worked at the Trace Elements Laboratory University of Surrey (part of the Biochemistry department at the RSCH). She enjoys helping organise events for charities including the HALOW Project and The MS Society. In her free time she likes swimming.
email: julia.cringle@stcatherines.info

Examination Board: OCR A

Year 1 Specification

A Level Specification

Why study Physics?

Physics is the most fundamental of the sciences. It forms the basis of our understanding of the Universe and provides an excellent general knowledge base for understanding the physical world. It gives you a real edge in the modern world that is increasingly dependent on scientific advances. It provides skills for life in problem solving, practical skills, synthesising information and linking ideas.

Course Content

Year 1: A mixture of taking familiar topics further and encountering some that are totally new, including Quantum Physics and photons.

• Assessment: Internal
• Practical Work: Carried out and assessed in lessons.

A Level: You will study all of the material for the year 1 course as well as more advanced topics such as electric, magnetic and gravitational fields, simple harmonic motion, astrophysics, particle physics and medical physics.

• Assessment: 
  • 2 x 2h 15min papers (Modelling Physics and Exploring Physics)
  • 1 x 1h 30min paper (Unified Physics)
• Practical Work: Carried out and assessed in lessons. Marked on a Pass/Fail basis  

 

Examination Board: Edexcel

IGCSE Specification

In the fifth form, students choose to study either Dual Award Science or Separate Science.

Both qualifications cover the same core material, but Separate Science Physicists will also cover extra material on Electrostatics, Magnetism, Transformers and Pressure Laws. Separate Scientists take both Papers 1 and 2 and will cover all content. Dual award scientists only take Paper 1, so do not cover the material in bold on the Syllabus Specification. 

Topics include:

• Forces and Motion
• Electricity
• Electromagnetism
• Waves
• Energy Resources and Energy Transfer
• Solids, Liquids and Gases
• Radioactivity and Particles
• Astrophysics

 

In Middle School, Physics lessons, students develop their practical skills, start to gain confidence with Physical formulae and units, and gain a fundamental grasp of the concepts of Physics, all of which provide a necessary foundation for the IGCSE course.

Physics at A-level is a very robust and diverse subject and, as a result, you can study a huge range of degrees at University. Common degree areas that our A level Physicists pursue include Architecture, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Biophysics, Chemical Physics, Computer Science, Cybernetics, Education, Ergonomics, Geophysics, Materials Science and Technology, Medical Physics, Meteorology, Nanotechnology, Naval Architecture, Oceanography, Optometry, Photonics, Planetary Science, Quantum Informatics, Radiography, Renewable Energy. Also many fields of engineering including, Aeronautical, Automotive, Biomedical, Civil, Communications, Electrical/Electronic, Mechanical, Telecommunications, and broad-based Engineering Science.

A Physics-related degree will make you a very attractive candidate for jobs that require analytical skills such as management consultancy and jobs in the financial sector.

Website links:

• Isaac Physics
• A Level Physics Online
• Physics & Maths tutor
• Grade Gorilla
• Seneca

 

1. Bad Science, Ben Goldacre, Covers media misrepresentations of science, with a particular focus on medicine.
2. Schrödinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality, John Gribbin, attempts to explains the mysteries of modern quantum mechanics in a popular-scientific way.
3. Big Bang: The Most Important Scientific Discovery of All Time and Why You Need to Know About it, Simon Singh
4. The God delusion, Richard Dawkins.
5. Unweaving the rainbow, Richard Dawkins
6. The language instinct, Steven Pinker, argues that humans are born with an innate capacity for language.
7. Surely You're Joking, Mr.Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character, Ralph Leighton, Richard P. Feynman, edited collection of reminiscences by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman.
8. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
9. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
10. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind: with only a primary education, old physics text books and access to a junk yard William Kamkwamba sets about building his own wind-turbine. This book describes the struggles doing this whilst living in famine torn Malawi. Inspirational!