Science

Science Curriculum Summary
Year 7
KS3

The year starts by welcoming pupils to Science with a bespoke curriculum designed to excite, enthuse and initiate questions.

The first half term consists of a series of fun and engaging hands-on learning episodes which offer a mix of tasks and experiments from across the 3 science disciplines providing pupils with the opportunity to experience first-hand, real Science.

The opening topic will help pupils to ignite their interest and desire to know more, pupils will be inspired and encouraged to see the importance of Science and how it effects our day to day lives along with how it influences the decisions which we make.

After the introductory module has been completed pupils are taught on a spiralling curriculum of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The year covers everything from cells and skeletons to atoms and forces.

Learning is built around practical and enquiry based tasks, helping to develop and deeply embed skills whilst a theoretical core helps to ensure that pupils are prepared for the challenges that are ahead of them.

 

Curriculum content:

Biology – Cells, Animal Reproduction, Muscles and Skeletons

Chemistry – Particles and Atoms, Chemical reactions

Physics – Forces and Energy

Year 8
KS3

This year builds on Year 7 with pupils being given the opportunity to discover more about the world of Science and to further question why. Pupils are encouraged to question and commit to hard thinking, exploring concepts whilst starting to develop links using key ideas.

Over the course of the year pupils continue their learning based around a spiralling curriculum which covers a range of topics from across all 3 Science disciplines.

Curriculum content:

Biology – Organisation, Infection Response and Bioenergetics

Chemistry – The Periodic Table, Chemical Reactions, Earth and Atmosphere

Physics – More Forces, Waves, Electricity and Magnetism

Year 9
KS3

A modern and innovative curriculum leads to a year that provides pupils with the opportunity to up skill, ahead of starting a 2 year GCSE programme in Year 10. This year is based on consolidating learning from earlier in KS3 whilst also further promoting enquiry and scientific thinking. Pupils will undertake a combination of practical and theory based learning episodes where links between the 3 Science disciplines are clearly evidenced. Pupils are encouraged to see Science as an interlinking/interleaving subject. The curriculum is engaging and pacey to ensure that learning is fun and meaningful. Pupils attend 9 lessons over a 2 week period which are taught by 3 separate teachers, with each teacher teaching a separate science discipline.

Curriculum content:

Biology – Basic Structures, The Body, Plants

Chemistry – Chemical Bonds, Atoms and Bonding, Chemical Changes, Energy Changes and Quantitative Chemistry

Physics – Energy, Forces, Electricity, Waves

Year 10
KS4

The GCSE years begin, pupils are prepared for either AQA Separate Science or Trilogy (Combined Science).

All pupils are taught using the Separate Science model, this provides pupils with the opportunity to fully extend their learning and explore all 3 of the Sciences further. Pupils will access a tailor made exam route constructed through discussion and mutual agreement, this ensures that every pupils’ exam route fully enables them to realise their full potential.

Lessons are based around Scientific enquiry and further developing skills.

Year 10 pupils receive 10 lessons over a 2 week period, there are 3 lessons for each Science discipline and an additional lesson that is used as a consolidation/development lesson of key ideas and curriculum from Year 9, helping to further embed and develop concepts.

The specifications can be found here:

AQA Trilogy
(Combined Science)

GCSE (Double Award)

AQA Combined Science: Trilogy (8464)

AQA Separate Science

GCSE Biology

AQA Biology (8461)

GCSE Chemistry

AQA Chemistry (8462)

GCSE Physics

AQA Physics (8463)

Year 11
KS4

This year is designed to ensure that the teaching and learning of the course is completed in good time allowing time to be built into lessons for targeted revision and consolidation. Over the year pupils will sit a full set of mock exams marked by subject specialists with targeted feedback given.

Curriculum content:

Biology – Inheritance, Variation and Evolution

Chemistry – Chemistry of the Atmosphere, Using Resources

Physics – Forces, Magnetism and Electromagnets, Space Physics

 

Pupils are entered for either Separates or Combined Science Trilogy

The exam routes are as follows:

 

Separate Science:

6 x Exam Papers in total consisting of 2x Biology, 2x Chemistry and 2x Physics

For each discipline there is a Paper 1 and Paper 2

Length of each paper 1 hour 45 minutes

Grades Awarded – 3 Separate grades awarded

 

Combined Science Trilogy Exam

Higher and Foundation Tier

6 x Exam Papers in total consisting of 2x Biology, 2x Chemistry and 2x Physics

For each discipline there is a Paper 1 and Paper 2

Length of each paper 1 hour 15 minutes

Grades Awarded – 2 grades as a pair eg 7,7 or 7,6

October Mock Exams: Paper 1’s 1x Biology, 1x Chemistry and 1x Physics

January Mock Exams: Paper 2’s 1x Biology, 1x Chemistry and 1x Physics

REVISION HELP