Science

Aims

We want to inspire our pupils to go to the best universities and explore the vast selection of fascinating Science degrees on offer like Mechatronics and Robotic Systems at the University of Liverpool, Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge or Neuroscience at the University of Nottingham.

To achieve this we want pupils to become actively involved in their own learning and understand that scientific knowledge is fundamental to making ground-breaking discoveries and improving our lives.

Once we have the knowledge we can create real-life scientific applications. Imagine a world where we did not know about the existence of x-rays and could not look at broken bones on a screen to help heal the injured.  Who knows what applications will come of the discovery of the Higgs boson, or of the confirmation that heavy objects warp space, just as pebbles ripple water.

Our goal is to shape the minds of our pupils so that one day they can create life-changing applications from fundamental scientific knowledge.

Key Stage 3

In KS3, pupils will focus on learning the fundamental knowledge required for Biology, Physics and Chemistry alongside how to undertake a variety of practical work safely and effectively.  They will start to apply their knowledge to different scenarios and develop problem-solving skills.

In Biology, pupils will learn about the structure of plant and animals cells, how cells become specialised and why cellular processes like respiration and photosynthesis are fundamental to life.

In Chemistry, pupils will learn about elements, compounds and how to navigate the periodic table.  They will find out how discoveries about atomic structure led to the development of the periodic table.  Pupils will also learn how impure substances are separated using practical methods such as distillation and chromatography.

In Physics, pupils will build upon their knowledge of atomic structure and discover how electrons and electricity are related.  Pupils will discover why forces are so important, how objects interact with each other and learn about Newton’s laws of motion.

Key Stage 4

In KS4, pupils will be selected to undertake one of two GCSE options; Combined Science GCSE, where pupils will be awarded two GCSE grades as an average of their marks from all areas of science or Triple Science GCSE, where pupils will be awarded three GCSE grades, one each for biology, chemistry and physics.

Pupils will follow the Edexcel Science GCSE specification.  High quality, well-targeted GCSE resources provided by Edexcel’s online learning platform, Active Learn, will be used by teachers to support pupil learning.

Advice for parents

Please encourage your child to complete effective retrieval practice for homework so they can apply their knowledge in future lessons.  Research demonstrates that this retrieval is one of the best ways to transfer fundamental knowledge into long-term memory.

The ActiveLearn platform will be used by class teachers to set independent tasks for pupils to complete each week, these can be completed at home or using school computers in the library.  ActiveLearn also provides access to the GCSE textbooks for all pupils. 

Link to ActiveLearn

Link to Focus eLearning simulations

We strongly recommend that each pupil also has at least one of the suggested revision workbooks that are available on ParentPay.  If you would like any further advice on which is most suitable for your child please do contact their science teacher.