The science curriculum is centred around ‘the best that has been thought and said’ and we have developed a logical and sequenced approach to studying science that ensures the fundamentals are secured in long-term memory before more complex processes are understood. Students learn about the basic principles of science from the greatest scientific discoveries. Students should be able to understand and appreciate the significance of our scientific history and be secure in knowing and applying the fundamental principles of science. Our curriculum is designed to develop working scientifically skills so that students become critical thinkers, are inquisitive, follow processes, think logically, handle and analyse data so they can draw conclusions. Our students should be able to apply their knowledge to unfamiliar situations and justify their reasoning. Our students should leave school not only with great qualifications to reflect their academic performance but apply their scientific education with the world outside of school.
We have a spiral design to our 5-year curriculum, whereby the content studied in year 7 is then delivered again to higher level in year 8, which is then used as a foundation to study GCSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics, under the qualification of combined science.
Year 7
Maths in science
Working scientifically
Energy and forces
Fields and materials
Discovering the atom
Atomic interactions
Organisation of living things
Cells and diffusion
Reproduction
Year8
Maths in science
Energy and electricity
Forces and fields
Atomic structure
Compounds
Chemical interactions
Biological molecules
Key processes
Ecology
GCSE
Biology subject content
- Cell biology
- Organisation
- Infection and response
- Bioenergetics
- Homeostasis and response
- Inheritance, variation and evolution
- Ecology
Chemistry subject content
- 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
- Using resources
Physics subject content
- Energy
- Electricity
- Particle model of matter
- Atomic structure
- Forces
- Waves
- Magnetism and electromagnetism
- Key ideas
- Careers visitors e.g. VW group
- Big bang Fair – Birmingham
- Eco-club* (Science links)
- Eureka Science club* starting this academic year