We believe that ‘science is for life’. We hope that by capturing the interest and imagination of pupils we can stimulate their life-long interest in the biological, chemical and physical aspects of the world around them.
We also feel that the scientific approach to problem solving through experimentation is an excellent foundation for their future careers, scientific or otherwise.
Our department has:
- 7 subject specialist teachers supported by 3 technicians.
- 4 well-equipped laboratories, 2 prep rooms and a project room.
- Exam results consistently above the national average at all levels.
- The best course specific textbooks, ICT resources and plentiful modern apparatus for demonstrations and individual practical work.
- Logical progression of courses from Year 7 through to A level.
- A 2 year Exploring Science course tailored to prepare Year 7 and 8 pupils for GCSE studies that begin in Year 9.
- Both Separate Science (3 GCSEs) and Combined Science (2 GCSEs) options available.
- A level courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
- Plentiful opportunities for pupils to benefit from science based extra curricular activities, trips, visiting specialists and voluntary sessions after school.
- Many pupils going on to study science/maths/engineering subjects at university and entering scientific professions.
In Years 7 and 8, Science is taught as a combined study of the biological, chemical and physical aspects of the world around us.
In Year 9 we start teaching our GCSE courses in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Our aims are to enable pupils to make continuous progress in scientific knowledge and understanding by building on their years of primary school science and developing their potential with new challenges.
Topics your child will study include
Year 7
Keys and classification
Cells, tissues and transplants
Ecology
Forces and their effects
Acids and alkalis
Bubbles, bangs and burning
The Solar System and beyond
Human development
Energy resources and sustainable living
Solids, liquids and gases
Electrical circuits
Year 8
Simple chemical reactions
Atoms and elements
Forces and Transport
Food and digestion
Compounds and mixtures
Doctors and disease
Light and sound
Rocks and the Earth
Year 9 - In Year 9 we start teaching our GCSE courses in Physics, Biology and Chemistry. Click here to find out more about these GCSE courses.
In Years 7 and 8 your child will:
Develop practical skills required for scientific investigation, including teamwork, planning and organisation
Understand how scientists work and develop key scientific skills, such as observation, predicting, analysis and evaluation
Learn about the place of science in everyday life and the history of some science inventions and ideas
How will your child be assessed?
Science homework is set weekly and provides a valuable opportunity to reinforce ideas covered in class.
End of topic tests and teacher assessment of practical skills combined with more formal tests at the end of the year help to give an accurate indication of progress.
Other activities
occasional visiting speakers from the world of science
science 'challenges' both in and outside the school
regular enrichment activities
GCSE Science Courses in Years 9, 10 and 11
We start our GCSE Science courses in Year 9 with 3 periods a week and the material taught is common to all. However, when students enter Year 10 there is a choice between two courses: Science + Additional Science (counts as 2 GCSEs), or Biology, Physics and Chemistry taken as 3 separate GCSE subjects. All courses are part of OCR's 21st Century Science specification.
The science specifications throughout the country are being revised and will affect those entering Year 10 in September 2011. We will stay with OCR's 21st Century Science specifications. Click here to view the draft specifications.
Click here to see information about studying Biology, Physics and Chemistry as separate GSCE subjects.
Science and Additional Science
The aims and objectives of Core GCSE Science are:To help students to recognise the impact of science and technology on everyday life
To enable students to take informed personal decisions about issues that involve science
To develop the necessary skills to access scientific information in media reports and evaluate information from a variety of sources
The aims and objectives of GCSE Additional Science are:To meet the needs of students seeking a deeper understanding of scientific concepts
To enable students to relate basic scientific concepts to applications
To use scientific explanations and models to enable students to gain an insight into how scientists work to gain a greater understanding of the world
All students will study both of these courses
Pupils study Science for 6 periods every week, two lessons each with specialist teachers in the fields of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
Both GCSE courses consist of a number of teaching modules. Topics such as ‘You and your genes’, ‘Air quality’ and ‘Radiation and life’ are represented in the Science GCSE. ‘Growth and development’, ‘Chemical patterns’ and ‘Electric circuits’ are three examples of topics in the Additional Science GCSE.
The GCSE courses will be assessed through a variety of methods:Unit tests – 3 externally marked examinations per GCSE that incorporate objective questions on each module (each contributing 16.7% of the overall GCSE mark)
Ideas in Context – an externally marked examination that is based on material made available for students to study in school beforehand (contributing a further 16.7% of the overall GCSE mark)
Internally marked skills assessment activities – for core Science GCSE this consists of a data analysis task and a case study (contributing 13% and 20% of the overall GCSE mark respectively) and for Additional Science GCSE it consists of a practical investigation (contributing 33% of the overall GCSE mark)
Specification: OCR 21st Century Science J630 Science A and J631 Additonal Science A
Click on these links to download the current specification for Science A and Additional Science A.
Choosing this option will enable you to:
Study extra topics in each science subject
Spend more time on practical work and skills development (important for A level)
Spend more time gaining ideas about the way in which scientists work
Gain a broader understanding of the applications of Science in the Twenty First Century
Gain three Science GCSEs
Gain different grades in each Science
Separate Science pupils will spend nine periods each week studying science – three lessons each of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
In addition to the topics studied by everyone taking Science GCSE and Additional Science GCSE, students will gain a broader insight into further interesting areas that engage professional scientists.
The additional topics are examined in the same way as those for Additional Science GCSE.
Students who have a deep interest in Science and those who wish to pursue science subjects beyond GCSE will benefit from the additional breadth, deeper understanding and extra skills development that Separate Science GCSEs afford.
Because the three GCSEs are independent it is possible to be entered for a combination of Higher and Foundation tiers, so if you are stronger in Biology than Physics, your final grade in one need not be affected by your final grade in the other.
Specifications: OCR Separate Sciences J633 Biology A/J634 Chemistry A/J635 Physics A
Click on these links to download the current specification for Biology A, Chemistry A and Physics A.
A Level
You can study Biology, Chemistry and Physics to both AS and A Level in the Sixth Form. All are with the OCR Exam Board and involve practical assessments provided by the Board, marked internally but moderated externally.
Click on - Biology - Chemistry - Physics - to find out more about what is involved in the study of each of these three subjects at Advanced Level.
