Science

The Science Department

Miss C Roache – Head of Faculty
Dr L Jones - Lead Practitioner and Leader of Biology
Miss V Wright- Leader of Chemistry
Mr A Darby - Leader of Physics
Mrs K Morris - KS3 Lead Teacher
Mrs Garewal - BTEC Science Lead
Mrs T Smith - Head of Year and Science Teacher
Mr S Reid - Lead Technician
Ms C Johns Gardner - Science Teacher
Ms K Hemus - Science Technician / Textiles Technician
Miss C Ross - Science Teacher
Miss S Davidson - Science Teacher
Miss P Young - Science Teacher

Curriculum Intent

Our mission in Science is to provide a high-quality, ambitious and challenging knowledge rich curriculum, developing curiosity and exploration of all areas of Science, supporting literacy and numerical application as well as delivering an understanding of substantive and disciplinary knowledge for Science. This enables all students no matter what their level to acquire a coherent educational experience to:-

Ignite curiosity, unlock potential in developing skills equipping students to think critically and analyse situations.
Become confident citizens in a technological world, able to make informed decisions on scientific matters
Recognise the nature, usefulness and limitations of scientific methods, models, theories and processes aswell as appreciate their applications in other disciplines and everyday life.
Encouraging pursuit and success into further Science study.

Key Stage 3

Our vision in KS3 Science starts the learning journey of our high-quality, ambitious, challenging curriculum. We embark with the 5 key concepts Forces, Particles, Cells, Energy and Interdependence building on a varied experience of our students from KS2. Using the framework of excellence format, NC, high quality resources and all extra-curricular opportunities we prepare our students for their GCSE courses by:-

Delivering substantive knowledge in all Science areas, supporting literacy and numeracy as well as cross curricular links.
Delivering disciplinary knowledge in all aspects of Science developing practical skills- planning, knowledge of apparatus and techniques, risk assessments, recording observations, displaying and interpreting data, making conclusions and evaluations.
Retrieval practice which interleaved to enhance short- and long-term memory.
Reading of challenge texts using questioning to support retrieval of key vocab and links to other areas of Science and cross curricular links.

Scaffolding and modelling to explain meaning of key vocabulary and extended questions(QWC) tasks building confidence in the describing processes or disciplinary knowledge.

Key Stage 4

Our vision at KS4 Science is to continue the learning journey started at KS3, with a well-designed and sequenced curriculum which matches the AQA Separate Science or Combined Science Trilogy specifications. Each student has a Science teacher delivering their specialist subject for Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The curriculum uses the framework for excellence, high quality knowledge rich resources to deliver a broad, ambitious and challenging curriculum which all students can access involving: -

Delivering substantive knowledge in each Science area, supporting literacy and numerical application again making any cross curricular links
Enhancing disciplinary knowledge with a particular focus on required practical’s for the AQA specifications
Continued retrieval practice and summary techniques with an interleaved approach to enhance short- and long-term memory
Reading of challenge texts using questioning to support retrieval of key vocabulary, links to other areas of Science and cross curricular links

Scaffolding and modelling to explain meaning of key vocabulary and extended question tasks building confidence in the explaining and evaluating processes, disciplinary knowledge and numerical application
Application of substantive and disciplinary knowledge in all science areas
Tools to make critical and analytical thinkers.

Key Stage 5

Our vision at KS5 in Science is to continue to develop a passion for Science. Our science specialists have designed an in-depth and ambitious curriculum which meets the AQA specifications in A Level Biology, Chemistry and Physics as well as Level 3 BTEC Applied Science.

Our A Level courses have been designed to ensure:

The main themes build upon the GCSE topics
Understanding is strengthened by challenge and lateral thinking
Topics are insightful and develop links to exciting areas of research
Practicals develop pupils’ independent practice as well as evaluative skills, necessary for their next steps at university, apprenticeships or in employment.

Our Level 3 BTEC course is designed to develop:

Substantive and disciplinary knowledge together with practical investigations to meet the Edexcel Applied Science specification
Opportunities to explore, analyse and evaluate scientific processes whilst implementing the required techniques
Research of human biological systems showing an in-depth knowledge of gross anatomy and their functions
Identification of diseases which affect the function of the biological systems as well as reviewing and evaluating treatments.

Exam Boards

GCSE Combined Science - AQA

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/combined-science-trilogy-8464/specification-at-a-glance

Separate Sciences GCSE - AQA

Biology

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/biology-8461/specification-at-a-glance

Chemistry

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/chemistry-8462/specification-at-a-glance

Physics

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/physics-8463/specification-at-a-glance

Post 16

A level Biology - AQA