Science

Science

Head of Department: Mr Ashton-Tyler

The Science Department is one of the largest in the school, it is broken down into its three main components: Chemistry, Biology, & Physics.

Key Stage 3

Year 7

In Year 7 students develop their scientific enquiry skills through a range of practical work. They learn how to light a Bunsen burner and how to use a range of equipment safely. They also complete the work in the following units; life processes, cells, reproduction, food & digestion, acids & alkalis, solids, liquids & gases, solutions, electrical circuits, forces & their effects, space and energy resources.

Year 8

In Year 8 students continue to develop their scientific enquiry skills via planning, completing and writing up experiments. They also complete work in the following units; environment, respiration, genetics & evolution, plants & photosynthesis, atoms, elements & compounds, periodic table, simple chemical reactions, earth & atmosphere, energy changes & transfers, waves, magnetism and speed, pressure & moments

Year 9

In Year 9 students are taught by specialist teachers and start the GCSE AQA single science courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. They continue to develop their scientific enquiry skills via planning, completing and writing up experiments as well as learning some of the basic fundamental concepts for each subject.

Key Stage 4

Science aims to produce students with understanding of how science relates to the world around us. Equal time is devoted to all three Sciences: Biology, Chemistry and Physics, with each taught by subject specialists. There is a short test at the end of each topic. This course gives the students a full GCSE in each of the three separate subjects and provides an excellent foundation for studying any or all of the three Sciences at A Level.

Topics covered include: Cell biology, Organisation, Infection and response, Bioenergetics, Homeostasis and response, Inheritance, Variation and Evolution, and Ecology in GCSE Biology. Atomic structure and the periodic table, Bonding, structure and the properties of matter, Quantitative chemistry, Chemical changes, Energy changes, The rate and extent of chemical change, Organic chemistry, Chemical analysis, Chemistry of the atmosphere and Using resources in GCSE Chemistry. Forces, Energy, Waves, Electricity, Magnetism and electromagnetism, Particle model of matter, Atomic structure and Space physics in GCSE Physics.

Assessment for GCSE Triple Science

Science is a practical subject. During the course students will complete 12 required practicals for each science. These are not assessed directly, but working scientifically, use of apparatus and technical skills will be assessed across all papers in the final exam.

Examinations (100%)

• Two 105 minute exam papers for each subject, each worth 50% of a GCSE. The questions consist of multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response questions.
• These are taken in June of Year 11.
• Foundation tier targets grades 1 to 5 and Higher tier grades 4 to 9.

 

Please see Sixth Form Prospectus for details of courses followed in Key Stage 5