On Monday 6 February 2017, 19 Year 12 students had the honour of attending the much-anticipated ‘A level Science Live’ event, during which we listened to lectures delivered by World-renowned Chemists.  These included Professor Andrea Sella, Doctor Jamie Gallagher and Doctor Philip Ball, and Doctor Suze Kundu.  The exciting topics included ‘The Secret Life of Carbon’, ‘The Human Battery’ and ‘Why Water is Weird’.  We are grateful for the opportunities given to us by the Science Department of Handsworth Grammar School.  Saheer Ahmad, an A level student, writes ‘It was an exciting and useful experience which helped enhance my understanding of not only A Level Chemistry but that of the Chemistry which surrounds us in everyday life.’

Doctor Peter Wothers, another lecturer at the event, is also known for his organisation of the annual ‘Cambridge Chemistry Challenge’ Competition.  Ms Bilkhu, our Chemistry teacher, has been organising our entry into the competition for our brightest Year 12 Chemists since 2015.  For further information about the Competition, visit: ‘c316.com/compregs/about’.

Some useful websites for revision recommended by the Examiner at the event included:

1. www.s-cool.co.uk
2. www.brainscape.com
3. www.thebrain.com

Mohamed Mohamed Maki, Year 12

Can you explain how it is possible to shine two beams of light which overlap to make a region of darkness?  On a clear sunny day you are on snow and look at your shadow. What colour is the shadow tinted?

As defending Champions of the annual Physics ‘Big Quiz’ held at the University of Birmingham, some of our Year 9 students had to answer questions on topics ranging from sub-atomic particles to the vastness of the Universe.  We had four teams representing the school.  The quiz masters for the event were the distinguished Professors Martin Freer and David Evans. There were six rounds, each round focusing on a different topic in Physics; there was also a round which involved naming famous people and places in the scientific community.  In preparation, students had been given some web-sites to peruse, which covered all aspects of the specialist round on Quantum Physics. The ‘key note’ lecture on ‘Gravitational Waves’ was delivered by Professor Ilya Mandel from the school of Physics and Astronomy.

Unfortunately, we were unable to hold onto the title this year, but all four teams should be proud of representing the school in a highly competitive and enjoyable quiz. Team A (Harjap Bahra, Terence Nduka, Arjun Salian, and Anu Adeleye) and Team B (Salmane Wasri, Jasbinder Singh, Reuben Purewal and Hiren Chhiba) were our top performing students.

Mr McCarron

On Monday 23 January 2017, 20 Year 10 students attended ‘GCSE Science Live’, a series of lectures delivered by some eminent scientists.  Talking about their areas of interest were chemist Professor Andrea Sella, physicist and frequent television presenter Professor Jim Al-Khalili, anatomist Professor Alice Roberts (who also has numerous TV credits), engineer Professor Mark Miodownik and space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock.  A senior examiner also gave advice on success in GCSEs.

Sharujan Kunaruban writes: ‘We enjoyed lectures about space and the stars, ‘stuff’ and how we are unable to recycle our smart-phones, evolution and our similarities to chimpanzees, and water, including how it is the only substance that as a solid (ice) can float on its liquid form.  I thought that the lectures were insightful and we learnt plenty of new Science.’

Mr Jones

Please click here to see the recent Ofsted Inspection Report for HGS. HGS was graded as Outstanding in every category:

Overall effectiveness: Outstanding

Effectiveness of leadership and management: Outstanding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment: Outstanding

Personal development, behaviour and welfare: Outstanding

Outcomes for pupils: Outstanding

16 to 19 study programmes: Outstanding

Mindfulness and Wellbeing are increasingly important facets of modern life with all its associated strains, stresses and pressure. The article below gives a little advice and guidance which might prove useful to us all.

Mindfulness: some thoughts

Mindfulness is about paying deliberate attention to what’s happening to your mind and body in the present time, not worrying about what you did ‘wrong’ yesterday.

When you practise mindfulness, and become fully aware of the present and the sensations around you, you wake up from auto-pilot mode and can fully cherish life. Your thoughts will become calmer, too. Practising mindfulness can help you appreciate the best bits of life.

“Mindfulness is about observation without criticism; being compassionate with yourself,” says Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre and author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World. “When unhappiness or stress hover overhead, rather than taking it all personally, you learn to treat them as if they were black clouds in the sky, and to observe them with friendly curiosity as they drift past. In essence, mindfulness allows you to catch negative thought patterns before they tip you into a downward spiral. It begins the process of putting you back in control of your life.”

Mindfulness can enable us to really enjoy the joyful moments of life which we can so easily miss.

It’s really important to take care of yourself.

We can practise mindfulness by simply sitting still and becoming aware of ourselves.

The brain can act like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones. This negativity bias may have helped humans survive, but when it comes to modern life we need to consciously rebalance. When you feel stressed and anxious, try to press the pause button and consciously calm yourself.

Mindfulness doesn’t stop stress, but it helps you catch it and settle yourself.