Science

In year 7, the topics that are covered are:

• Forces - difference between balanced and unbalanced forces with a resultant force;speed - average and relative motion and gravity
• Electromagnets - introducing potential difference and currents and building parallel and series circuits, introduction to electrostatic electricity, magnets and magnetic fields, what an electromagnet is.
• Energy - energy in food, energy resources,linking energy and power, understanding conservation of energy and energy stores and how energy is dissipated.
• Waves (Light) - how light travels, how it changes with different mediums - reflection and refraction, how light passes in the eye, how we see colour and what light is made of.
• Matter - describe the particle model of matter, properties of states of matter, describe changes for melting, freezing, boiling and evaporation, understand simply diffusion. Understand what a pure substance is, describe solutions with key words, know what solubility is, how mixtures can be separated using filtration, evaporation and chromatography.
• Reactions (Acids & Alkalis) - observations of when a chemical reaction has taken place, using acids and alkalis safely and understand difference between concentrated and diluted, identifying acids & alkalis and the strengths of the solutions, understand what neutralisation is and how salts can be made.
• Organisms - understand that organisms are made from cells that work together in multicellular organisms, name parts of the skeleton, know where the joints are in the body, how bodies move using muscles, use of microscopes to observe cells, differences between animal and plant cells and how some cells become specialised.
• Ecosystems - learn how organisms are connected and how they interact, food chains and webs and the effect of competition. Understand the life cycle of a flowering plant, how plants reproduce and the reproductive parts, and how plants are pollinated.
• Genes - learn about human reproduction, looking at the changes that take place in adolescence and the process for the development of a foetus.
• Unicellular organisms - learn about unicellular organisms, the types of organism and the parts they play in epidemics and decomposing, why the carbon cycle is important.

These topics are introduced in year 7 and are taught so that each class has covered a certain number of the same topics by the end of each term. Practical skills or working scientifically are also introduced in year 7 with the focus being on how to behave in a science lab and how to use equipment and chemicals correctly and safely. The enquiry processes are also broken down into 4 main topics - analyse, communication, enquire and solve. The main enquiry skill developed in year 7 is how to present data (graphs, results tables), analysis of the data and making conclusions from the data obtained. Within each topic that is covered in year 7, the enquiry process is developed and built upon with plenty of opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and to be able to carry out fair and scientific investigations. Maths skills are also a key part of science and within some topics these are consistently applied. Maths skills could be how to calculate a mean, rearranging equations to find an unknown variable, an extension to these skills is how to convert data into the format required to obtain the correct answer.

The concepts that are introduced in Year 7 are then expanded upon in more detail in Year 8.

In Year 8 the topics covered are:

• Organisms (breathing and digestion) - learn how we breathe, damage caused by smoking, drugs and alcohol, understand what a balanced diet is,how food is broken down and the energy released is used by the body.
• Ecosystems - understand the difference between respiration and breathing, why respiration is important, how microorganisms are used to produce beer and bread through anaerobic respiration, how plants use photosynthesis, why minerals are important to a plant and know the structure of a leaf.
• Genes - learn how organisms have evolved over time, what scientists are doing to preserve biodiversity, how the characteristics are inherited through genetic material and how genetic material can be modified.
• Matter - learn about elements that make up everything and the way they are classified in the periodic table. Also understand how elements react to make compounds and the difference between compounds and mixtures. Analyse chemical formulae.
• Reactions ( including metals) - learn why chemical reactions are important, what happens to atoms in reactions and how energy is transferred in reactions. Understand the conservation of mass and describe the energy transfers. Learn about chemical reactions of metals.
• Earth - learn about the solar system, movement of the earth and moon, why we have seasons and day and night.
• Forces - be able to explain the movement of an object and the forces acting upon it, learn about pressure in fluids and the effect of stress on solids.
• Energy - learn about work and how thermal energy is transferred, how use of insulators can reduce energy loss.
• Waves (sound) - learn about sound and hearing, what changes when there are sounds of different pitch and loudness, how sound waves interact with surfaces they hit, the transfer of energy by sound. Will also learn about ultrasound and its uses and how waves can cause damage to the human body.
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In Year 8 classes will have one or two teachers to teach all topics. Within year 8 there are opportunities for students to use enquiry processes to build on their skills of analysis, communication, solving and asking questions.

By the end of KS3 in biology, students will have an understanding of cells, how they make tissues and organ systems. How organisms use chemical reactions to stay alive, that organisms are interdependent on each other by looking at food webs and the effects on ecosystems. Classification of organisms is covered and some adaptations through evolution. Lifestyles and diet will have also been covered with an introduction to pathogens.

In chemistry, students will understand the particle model and how it can explain some properties of substances, how particles rearrange to form new substances with different properties with the introduction of conservation of mass. They will also learn that substances have different solubilities and can be identified as acid or alkali by looking at the pH scale. Learning to make observations as to when a reaction has occurred and also introduction to the night sky, seasons and day & night.

In physics, students will link particle model to energy in each state, transfer of thermal energy, forces being contact or non-contact, use of motion graphs to describe motion and that forces can be unbalanced. Mass & weight are also looked at to ensure misconceptions are addressed. Sound and light waves are introduced and the students will have an understanding about the three primary colours, light is made up of mixture of colours, be able to show how light travels from object to eye. In electricity and magnetism, students will be able to build series and parallel circuits, show field lines for a magnetic field and have a basic understanding of current and voltage. These concepts are a good base to then build upon for Key Stage 4.

In year 9 the topics covered are:-

Biology Animal, plant cells and active transport. By the end of this topic, students will be able to identify the differences between eukaryote and prokaryote cells, how the systems that have developed by organisms to keep them alive for exchange and transport of essential nutrients.

Physics Energy. By the end of this topic, students will be able to state most energy stores, how energy is transferred between stores, conservation of energy, how thermal energy is linked with temperature and how it can be transferred.

Chemistry Atomic Structure and Earth’s atmosphere. By the end of this topic, students will be able to explain the atomic model, the chemical and physical properties of some groups within the periodic table, understand the difference between element, compound, mixture, ion. They will also be able to determine how to separate out mixtures with soluble and insoluble substances. By understanding how our atmosphere has changed over time and the effects of greenhouse gases on climate change.

Year 9 classes have 2 teachers with one teacher teaching 1 subject and the other teaching 2 subjects. Disciplinary knowledge and maths skills are taught at the beginning of the year to check prior knowledge and these skills are then applied in lessons during practical lessons.

In Year 10 the topics covered are:

Biology Heart & blood, communicable diseases, preventing and treating disease, enzymes and digestion, photosynthesis and respiration with ecology in the summer term. By the end of this topic, students will be able to understand the importance of medicine in the advancement of health and effective treatment for communicable diseases. For chemical processes, looking at the micro level and the use of enzymes to give a deeper understanding of photosynthesis and respiration. How the immune system in plants and humans work.

Chemistry Energy changes, Organic chemistry, chemical changes, using resources. A review of topic 9 is also covered to check knowledge. By the end of this topic, students will be able to explain how metals can be extracted, the use of electrolysis and defining oxidation/reduction in terms of electrons. How crude oil is formed and the essential part hydrocarbons have played in our world. How recycling is important to ensure that earth’s resources are available for future generations and techniques to obtain potable water.

Physics Circuits, molecules and matter, radioactivity, forces with velocity time graphs. By the end of this topic, students will be able to describe forces as vector & scalar quantities, know Newton’s Law of Motion, link weight of an object to the fluid displaced, be able to show field lines for an electric field, what happens to this field when a charged object enters it, and understand the function of the National Grid. Be able to explain radioactivity, the types of radiation and the effect of each one.

Each subject is taught by a subject specific teacher where the topics being taught are being linked to prior knowledge and embedding of disciplinary knowledge.

In Year 11 the topics covered are:

Biology nervous system, human reproduction, variation & evolution, genetics, biodiversity and ecosystems. By the end of these topics, understand the nervous system, hormones and their use in the body, understanding some infertility treatments. Students will also be able to describe variation as continuous or discontinuous, that fossil records are incomplete and understand the limitations of drawing conclusions from these records. Understanding that ecosystems are made up of living and non-living organisms, how essential substances are cycled through these systems. Be able to monitor effects on ecosystems using more investigative techniques.

Chemistry Bonding & Structure, reaction rates, quantitative chemistry. By the end of these topics, students will be able to describe the properties of substances based on the type of bonding involved. Be able to determine percentage yields using molar ratios of reactants and products - quantitative chemistry. Describe a rate of reaction and how to calculate the rate. Be able to explain the factors that affect rate using collision theory.

Physics Force and acceleration, waves, electromagnetic spectrum, magnetic fields. By the end of these topics, students will be able to detail interactions of electromagnetic radiation with matter and the applications of these interactions. Be able to explain the difference between acceleration and velocity, be able to calculate a velocity of a wave, how electromagnetic waves can carry information, calculate speed of a wave in a solid and air. Electromagnetism is expanded upon, looking at electromagnetic and magnetic induction.

Knowledge is built upon from Year 7 through to Year 11 to give a thorough understanding of the main concepts in science.

At Key Stage 5, students can choose to study A Level Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The curriculum plan is specifically detailed for each subject and delivered by specialist teachers.