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Electives and Societies
Alongside our curriculum, our electives programme gives you a wide variety of extracurricular opportunities ranging from highly academic activities such as our STEP maths support program to sports such as table tennis and football. Oxbridge Society will introduce you to aspirational universities whilst if you want to be a medic, dentist, allied health professional or vet, then there is a society for you.
Our electives encourage you to explore your ambitions and interests, boost your university applications, provide academic and volunteering opportunities, and offer fun activities and an environment in which to relax and meet new friends.
A few of our electives are outlined in more detail below.
Growing Community
Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form is working with a company which has designed a water-conserving product which they hope will transform growing systems abroad and even within the UK. Their growing system allows you to grow in contaminated water in addition to pure seawater. This non-profit organisation has the vision to grow food plants where space and water are limited, in the hope of enabling people to grow wherever they are despite their circumstances.
So far during 2023, our students have been working on a small project to monitor the growth of different fruits and vegetables in various liquids. Students have successfully grown peppers, strawberries, onions, cabbages and tomatoes all in seawater. In addition to this Haley Farley, the inventor, also explained how they could grow microgreens in pure seawater over a 10-day period. Our students witnessed this first-hand and were responsible for their upkeep.
In addition to learning about the growing system, our students have also developed a greater understanding of the need for the product. Haley explained about the malnourishment they have seen across the world as a result of poor diets which has caused vitamin and mineral deficiencies in children.
This term students have moved on to growing winter vegetables ready for Christmas and will be participating in a competition to see who can grow the most produce from the least amount of water. We are looking forward to working with Haley and her team in the future.
Aim Higher Chemistry
Aim Higher Chemistry aims to explain the abstract concepts of chemistry beyond the classroom and showcase the breadth and depth of the subject and the wide range of careers that chemistry can lead to. It also provides a special, informal time outside the rigid confines of lessons where students can express their own enthusiasm of the subject. They will explore the chemistry in our everyday lives and see that being a chemist is certainly not all about wearing a white coat in a lab.
During the year, students will get the chance to be involved in lots of fun and interesting experiments not covered in the syllabus, for example, the synthesis of Aspirin. Aim Higher will also cover a wide range of topics including phosphorescence and polymers. During the last academic year, students had the opportunity to visit the laboratories at the University of East Anglia, where they were exposed to the synthesis of an organic ester and analytical machines such as NMR, IR and UV spectroscopy.
Students also train for competitions such as the Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiads, the Cambridge Chemistry Race and the Schools’ Analysts Competition which run throughout the academic year.
F24+ Electric Car
Last academic year, 20 Year 12 students took on the challenge to build, wire and then race an F24+ Electric Car from Greenpower. Students applied for positions on the team, and many of the applicants aspired to undertake engineering career paths, through degree and apprenticeship routes.
Throughout the year, students assembled various parts of the car, facing many challenges as the construction developed. The first few sessions included the assembly of the main frame and the building of the wheels, students then added important safety precautions such as the seatbelt. Alongside the engineering fun and ongoing team spirit, students were responsible for making crucial decisions for example, what to build the covering material from. The material needed to be lightweight but durable and easy for students to work with, after several calculations the decision was made use ABS plastic. To afford this the team turned to potential sponsorships and fundraising through raffles at events held at the sixth form.
The team decided to enter a local race at the Lotus track in Hethel. Once the battery was fitted along with all other remaining parts, the team was finally able to conduct a test run of the car. After several small test runs in the Engine Hall at Sir Isaac, the team was nervous to see how the car would perform. Students headed over to the Hewett Academy in the hope of testing their skills such as braking, emergency stops and the rapid changeover of drivers. Despite this being the team's first time in charge of the vehicle, excellent progress was made throughout the day.
The race took place on 25th June 2023. Students made their way to Lotus track during the early hours of the morning filled with excitement. Thankfully, the car passed the inspection which meant the team had prepared as much as they could before the race began. The race was a huge success, the car survived with minor damage to the tyres.
With the start of a new year, a new team of Year 12 students are needed. With current Year 13 students hoping to get in one more race before they leave the sixth form, Year 12 team members will have to decide if they want to keep the current car structure or choose to tear it all down and rebuild.
