Science

Intent

The purpose of our Key Stage 3 scheme is to provide robust foundations to allow students to develop into analytical, methodical, and innately inquisitive scientists, students should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. The three disciplines are split into topics which are introduced in Year 7 and built upon in Year 8, covering the Big Ideas of Science (as outlined by ASE). Students are encouraged to examine the consequences of scientific discoveries, and develop opinions based upon fact, with the intent of developing self-confident, resilient and scientifically literate citizens of the world.

Teaching is focused on the scientific method and students are given opportunities within lessons to build the necessary skills to suggest a hypothesis, collate valid data and make logical conclusions, using knowledge shared with them. Students are assessed on their mastery of knowledge and the application of this knowledge in both ‘real world’ and investigative science.

The aim of Year 9 is to bridge the gap between Key Stage 3 and GCSE, further developing students’ knowledge and investigative abilities. The chosen topics allow students to dive deeper into the 10 Big Ideas, first introduced in Key Stage 3. The sequence of topics allows students to connect knowledge from all three disciplines of science, whilst the time dedicated to independently led investigative approaches promotes curiosity and resilience when discovering answers to posed questions. Some content from year 7 and 8 has been reintroduced to cover concepts covered during the national lockdowns.

Good habits are reinforced at every possible opportunity: scientific language is used, maths skills are modelled, recall of key knowledge is reinforced and students are given opportunities to both ask and answer questions using experimental approaches.

Our Key Stage 4 students follow the AQA GCSE specification. Throughout Year 10, knowledge from previous years is built upon as new content is introduced in line with the Trilogy science specification.

Students undertaking the combined trilogy pathway spend Year 11 consolidating knowledge gained in earlier years, focusing on application of recall to different situations, and the development of analytical, mathematical and evaluative skills, allowing a deeper understanding of topics identified using data from mock assessments. Students also undertake ‘Flashback’ lessons with a focus on recall of information and development of different skills, thus allowing them to access the exam papers.

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