May 2019
This year, for the first time, the Downside top set GCSE Physicists entered the GCSE British Physics Olympiad (BPhO).
The British Physics Olympiad (BPhO)’s goal is to encourage the study of Physics and recognise excellence in young physicists through four annual Physics competitions.
The competitions test understanding and problem-solving skills and are open to talented young physicists in school years 11-13 (GCSE to A2 or equivalent).
The Downside pupils that took part in one of the 2019 Competitions should be congratulated for a superb set of results, especially given the difficulty of their paper. Eight Downside pupils were awarded a Bronze award, three Silver and Fifth Former Richard achieved a Gold award. This is a tremendous achievement, given that only 5% of all participating pupils are given a gold award.