KS3 & KS4 Science
KS3 Science
Year 7
The Year 7 curriculum is split into three main subject areas with two units in each:
- Biology: Cells and Organisation, pupils study the building blocks which make up living things including unicellular and multicellular organisms. Eating, Drinking and Breathing, in which pupils learn the science behind a healthy lifestyle.
- Chemistry: Mixing, dissolving and separating, pupils develop the basic practical techniques. Elements, compounds and reactions, building on the practical skills pupils now investigate the chemical world.
- Physics: Forces and their effects, pupils explore the forces that control our world. Energy transfer and sound, looks at the fundamental laws which govern the universe.
In line with the new national curriculum there is a specific focus on how science works (using skills and knowledge in practical settings, problem solving and developing reasoning) in each of the three disciplines. Pupils are actively encouraged to develop a love of learning to last a lifetime, raising aspirations and inspiring budding scientists.
Assessment occurs regularly at the end of each unit of work, with an examination at the end of each term.
Year 8
Year 8 pupils build on the solid foundations of Year 7, extending their knowledge and developing their skills. Pupils then follow a scheme of work that will ensure they progress during the journey through KS3 and KS4. Regular assessment ensures that all pupils can track their progress and areas for improvement are easily identifiable. There is a strong focus on practical skills with all pupils regularly participating in engaging experiments. Pupils debate social and ethical issues for modern Britain such as IVF and Genetic Modification.
The year 8 curriculum is split into three main subject areas with two units in each:
- Biology: Getting the energy your body needs, pupils find out about how we work. Plants and ecosystems, looking at how we fit into the world around us and our impact upon it.
- Chemistry: Explaining physical changes, practical investigation into how substances behave. Explaining chemical changes, building on work from Year 7 pupils investigate how elements react.
- Physics: Exploring contact and non-contact forces, student build on Year 7 calculating the effects of forces. Magnetism and electricity, pupils investigate these two closely linked forces.
In line with the new national curriculum there is a specific focus on how science works (using skills and knowledge in practical settings, problem solving and developing reasoning) in each of the three disciplines. Pupils are actively encouraged to develop a love of learning to last a lifetime, raising career aspirations and inspiring budding scientists.
Assessment occurs regularly at the end of each unit of work, with an examination at the end of each term.
KS4 Science
Pupils will study all three Science disciplines, regardless of the route that they choose. All courses are taught from a vocational, real-life point of view, making it interesting and relevant to every aspect of life.
We offer GCSE Combined Science (2 GCSEs) which most pupils will study or Separate Science GCSE (3 GCSEs) which is a more academic approach, ideal for pupils who want to pursue careers in Science or Medicine.
The Content
Biology
The study of all living things, including plant and animal cell biology; Human health, including infection; response and bioenergetics; ecology and how humans interact with their environment; evaluating human activities; inheritance and variation and evolution in which pupils look at how plants and animals have adapted to their environment. The course also covers a range of practical experiments such as inhibition of bacterial growth and enzyme activity.
Chemistry
Pupils study the fundamental make up of our world, working up from atomic structure and the periodic table to bonding, structure, and the properties of matter. Pupils will have a chance to develop their laboratory and analytical skills with quantitative chemistry, chemical changes, energy changes, the rate and extent of chemical change and organic chemistry.
Pupils will also look at chemistry in context, looking at how we use resources and how this affects the chemistry of the atmosphere.
Physics
In this practical based subject, pupils investigate fundamental forces, such as electricity, magnetism and electromagnetism. Energy and energy transfer, looking at practical applications, such as insulation and product design; the study of the waves all around us, including sound and the electromagnetic spectrum; particle model of matter and atomic structure, including nuclear reactions and radioactivity.
Assessment
For Combined Science
There are six papers each 1hr 15min: two biology, two chemistry and two physics. Each of the papers will assess knowledge and understanding from distinct topic areas. There are also 16 required practical assessments that pupils will study and can appear on the final examinations.
For Separate Science GCSE
There are six papers each 1hr 45 min: two biology, two chemistry and two physics. Each of the papers will assess knowledge and understanding from distinct topic areas. There are 24 required practical assessments, 8 in each discipline.
Science Staff
| Assistant Principal / Faculty Lead / Teacher of Science | Mr J Fletcher |
| Standards and Progress Lead / Teacher of Science | Mr F Mugova |
| Teaching and Learning Lead / Teacher of Science | Dr R Marr |
| Teacher of Science | Mrs A Ramos Dias |
| Teacher of Science | Mrs S Ferrara |
| Teacher of Science and PE | Mr M Holden |
| Teacher of Science | Miss L Roughton |
| Teacher of Science | Mrs P Kelly |
| Teacher of Science (ITT) | Mr E Djedjo |
|
Teacher of Science (ITT) Teacher of Science (ITT) Science HLTA |
Mr J Varghese Miss L Hirst Miss I King |