Teacher of Physics

For September 2019, Exeter School seeks an enthusiastic, well-qualified Physics graduate to join this strong department. The post would suit an experienced teacher or someone new to the profession. In addition to teaching Physics up to A Level, including support of potential Oxbridge candidates, there will be opportunities for involvement in extension and enrichment activities. 

A willingness to teach some A Level Electronics, with or without experience in this subject, would be advantageous.

The applicant should be keen to contribute to the broader life of the school through cultural, sporting or other extra-curricular activities. 

The Physics Department

As a department, we are passionate about Physics and aim to inspire pupils to study Physics at A Level and then on to Physics-related subjects at university. We achieve this through a positive and supportive environment, engaging pupils with the subject and enhancing our classroom provision with a programme of extra-curricular activities. We aim to academically stretch those pupils who are keen to follow a Physics-related path in the future whilst also fully supporting pupils who may only wish to study Physics up to GCSE. 

The Physics Department is situated within the Science Centre which provides specialist accommodation for the three Sciences, Electronics and ICT. The Physics department consists of four laboratories, two preparation rooms and a Physics resources room. Each laboratory is equipped with a PC connected to a data projector. We are currently rolling out ipads to all teaching staff, alongside the introduction of Google Classroom for teachers who wish to use it. There is also a room dedicated as a Sixth Form study room with a range of resources. 

In terms of public examinations, results are strong with an average of over 80% A* to B at A Level over the last three years. A typical year will have more than 35 pupils taking Physics in the Lower Sixth and around 30 pupils in the Upper Sixth. In 2013 and 2014 we received an award for excellence in Physics from the Good Schools Guide. Most pupils take separate sciences at GCSE, and over the past three years, on average, 95% of pupils achieved A* and A grades in Physics with 85% of these A*. The Double Award three-year average is 98% for A* to C grades.

The department offers an extensive range of extra-curricular activities for pupils, ranging from a Lower School Science Club for Year 7 pupils to a weekly Physics Club, AS Challenge and Physics Olympiad for the Sixth Form. In 2015, we began regular trips to the Diamond Light Source and to the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy. There are annual trips to the South West Festival of Physics, GCSE Science Live and Exeter University’s Christmas Lectures, whilst the school regularly hosts large Physics events for pupils including talks from Helen Czerski, Simon Singh and the Institute of Physics’ South West Schools’ Lecture Tour. Recently a group of Sixth Form pupils also undertook a research project based on Millikan’s oil drop experiment as part of their extension work.

Exeter School is currently the hub school for the Exeter and East Devon Ogden Physics Partnership, a group of nine schools aiming to promote Physics within the region. 

The Electronics department

The Electronics department is a lively and exciting place. We teach in a dedicated Electronics Lab that is very well resourced which enables the pupils to construct circuits from all parts of the course. As an example, we have recently purchased six new digital 4-channel oscilloscopes. A Level Electronics is taught following the EDUQAS specification. We recently added Electronics to the Year 8 curriculum in a partnership with Computer Science lessons.

 We aim to integrate circuit building and simulation in to the majority of lessons; it is a thoroughly practical subject where pupils learn by designing and building their own circuits. Pupils often comment that Electronics is the highlight of their week due to the hands-on nature of the course.  The A level course covers both analogue and digital Electronics, including some coding of microcontrollers using Assembler and the PICAXE system.

A Level results are consistently very good, last year’s cohort achieved 67% A*-A, and we have achieved the Good Schools Guide Award for Electronics in previous years. 

The department also runs two popular lunchtime clubs that encourage children to start learning practical circuit building skills. The younger years concentrate on soldering PCB circuits and the older years start to learn how to use Arduino microcontrollers in a variety of projects.

An enthusiastic Physics teacher with no specific prior experience of teaching electronics will be well supported in taking on the challenge of teaching A Level Electronics as the course is exceptionally well resourced with EDUQAS’s online ebook.

Departmental Aims

The Physics Department aims to:

● foster a positive culture where every pupil has the opportunity to enjoy Physics

● guide pupils to help them to continue to improve, right up to the highest level

● convey the excitement and satisfaction that can be obtained by using Physics to attempt to answer some of the big questions, as well as the numerous applications of Physics in our everyday lives

● provide an education that is stimulating, supportive and relevant for pupils going on to A-levels as well as those ending their science education at GCSE

● develop pupils’ experimental and investigative skills including an awareness of the limits of scientific data and the scientific method

● encourage pupils through all of the above to continue to explore the wonders of Physics at A Level and choose to study Physics and Physics-related subjects at university.

Departmental Team

The department is staffed by five full-time and two part-time specialist Physics teachers. Practical work, which is central to the department, is very well facilitated by one full-time Physics technician in conjunction with a full time Chief Science Technician. 

The Curriculum

KS2: The department provides specialist Physics teaching for pupils in Year 6 at Exeter Junior School.  

KS3: The course followed is designed by the department and aims to provide enhanced coverage of the National Curriculum. KS3 is completed in two years (Years 7 and 8) and pupils receive one double lesson per week.  

KS4: The course begins in Year 9 and we follow the Edexcel IGCSE specification. All pupils study either separate 9-1 IGCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics or 9-1 IGCSE Double Award Science. In both cases, pupils receive three periods of Physics per week.

A Level: Physics is a very popular A Level in the school. There are currently three sets in both the L6th and the U6th. Most pupils proceed to the full A Level. The department offers the AQA Physics specification. The vast majority of pupils continue to university, with a significant number going on to study Physics or Engineering at universities including Oxford and Cambridge.