WELCOME TO THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Members of department: Miss A Clayton, Mrs J Pickup, Miss H. Wilkinson Mr D Sharpe, Mr K Hellsrom, Mr M Taylor and Mr D Bowman
KEY STAGE 3
At Key Stage 3 pupils follow a science course, which consists of modules covering the National Curriculum requirements. The course is designed to fire pupils’ curiosity about phenomena in the world around them and offers opportunities to find explanations. It engages learners at many levels, linking direct practical experience with scientific ideas.
Experimentation and modeling are used to develop and evaluate explanations, encouragingcritical and creative thought. Pupils learn how knowledge and understanding in science arerooted in evidence. They discover how scientific ideas contribute to technological change – affecting industry, business and medicine and improving quality of life. They trace the development of science worldwide and recognise its cultural significance. They learn to question and discuss issues that may affect their own lives, the directions of societies and the future of the world.
Pupils are grouped according to ability across all three year groups. Year 9 pupils who achieve level 6 or above in their end of key stage tests are entitled to study ‘Triple Science’ at GCSE level. This would lead to 3 separate GSCE qualifications at the end of year 11.
KEY STAGE 4
Year 10 pupils follow a modular, single award GCSE science course entitled GCSE Core Science. The course is a general science course designed to help pupils become well informed science citizens of the future. Aspects of each module are designed to incorporate elements of ‘How Science Works’ and give students a firm understanding about how the science that they learn in school impacts on their everyday lives.
In year 11 pupils continue with their science education by following one of two pathways.
Pupils who have aspirations to study science at post 16 must follow a single award course entitled GCSE Additional Science. This course has a greater emphasis on explaining, theorising and modelling in science thus providing an excellent body of knowledge for those pupils who wish to continue their studies of science at A-Level.
For others a GCSE Applied Science course is available. This adopts a more vocational approach to the subject and includes a significant amount of coursework to be completed by the pupils.
|
