Physics

Course summary

If you study Physics at King’s, you will be part of a small group of like-minded students exploring a fascinating area of study with the help and guidance of enthusiastic teachers who always strive to make themselves available for extra support sessions for those students who feel they want them. The exam board’s specification is only a starting point and in many cases keen students are supported to develop their own personal study further, which can be extremely beneficial in making a strong university application. The department at King’s benefits greatly from teachers whose mix of specialist subject knowledge covers the full breadth of the curriculum. In the Upper Sixth (Y13), students can choose one of five option topics to complete their studies. In many schools, this choice is made by the department based on the teachers’ proficiencies, but at King’s we are very lucky to be able to offer all five and allow students to choose for themselves, working in small groups in a tutorial format which is very similar to university study. Another key feature of Physics at King’s is that a significant amount of class time is devoted to practical work; as well as learning key skills required for the qualification, by studying Physics at King’s you will gain a much deeper understanding of how to design investigations for yourself and report on experimental work. In addition, all teaching staff have recent assessment experience, meaning that you will receive detailed and up-to-date advice on maximising your marks via good exam techniques. We also support students with university entrance requirements such as the Oxford Physics Aptitude Test, STEM-related EPQ projects, and pursuing their own interests in related fields such as electronics and programming. Furthermore, the Physics department regularly participates in the school’s academic enrichment programme and organises trips, including visits to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.