Science
ETHOS:
We aim to stimulate and maintain a pupil's curiosity, interest and enjoyment in Science. We want them to be curious about the things they observe and experience. We want them to explore the world about them with all their senses and develop a sense of awareness for the relevance and implications of Science, past, present and future - for the individual, the community and the environment.
AIMS:
• To learn by investigation, independent and collaborative; to predict, plan,
observe, measure, record, present, conclude and evaluate what they find.
• To use this experience to develop their understanding of key scientific
ideas, thereby to acquire a body of scientific knowledge and vocabulary.
• To ensure that pupils learn to follow both verbal and written instructions
and apply scientific method accurately and safely.
• To begin to think about models to represent things they cannot directly
experience.
• To make sense of phenomena, seeking explanation and thinking critically
about claims and ideas.
CURRICULUM:
We largely cover the Science National Curriculum. In each year group we try to maintain a balance of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. We follow a spiral curriculum in which new concepts are introduced, then revisited and revised at later stages in the course. This allows greater consolidation and retention of the knowledge. Each visit will be at a higher level, demanding a deeper understanding and a more sophisticated use of process-skills. Science is a practical subject so we try to learn by Investigations.
Year 1-2, is an introduction to Science and Investigations. They learn about themselves, animals and plants, the use of materials and how musical instruments and toys work.
In Year 3-4 they learn more about Human health as well as about the importance of other animals and plants, their life cycles and how they live in their natural habitats. They cover the characteristics and properties of materials, forces exerted by magnets and springs, and our place in the solar system.
From Year 5-6 they have specialist Science teachers and use the Science Laboratory and follow the Key Stage 2 / Common Entrance 11+ syllabus, revisiting many of the topics though covering more about health and life cycle of Human, simple chemical processes, some study of rocks and soils, and more about different forces, electricity, light and sound.
Years 7-8 prepares them for future schools and we follow the Common Entrance 13+ / Key Stage 3 syllabus. This is a very demanding and concentrated 13+ course where all the Science topics are covered in enough detail for them to successfully take separate exam papers in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.