Science
As a multidisciplinary subject we plan for our students to develop a broad understanding of the key principles and concepts that underpin the study of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Our pathway of learning seeks to develop well rounded scientists that can then choose with confidence the discipline they may want to study further at post-16. We plan our learning in interlinked rotating units of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The NBA Science curriculum follows a five-year plan of learning based on a spiral methodology that allows students to revisit previous topics and at the same time extend their understanding and knowledge. Our curriculum incorporates the National Curriculum for Science at KS3 and KS4.
Our KS3 curriculum is based on the Foundation, Extension and Mastery model – in year 7 the curriculum aims to build foundation knowledge and allow students to develop schema from which they can construct and understand more complex substantive knowledge that they will acquire in year eight and year nine. There is a particular early focus on the development of cross discipline practical skills including hypothesis, analysis and evaluation. In year 8 we re-cap on the year 7 learning and extend it to include more challenging substantive knowledge and focus on the development of application. By the end of year nine students will have mastered the key concepts of the three disciplines and have developed an in-depth understanding that will allow them to progress and excel in the KS4 curriculum.
In year 7 in order for us to embrace the enthusiasm that pupils share for this practical subject and ensure all students have the same starting point we start with our ‘Working Scientifically’ unit. Here students start building their disciplinary knowledge about working safely in a laboratory and understand how to ask scientific questions and find the evidence for them using different laboratory equipment appropriately and methodically.
By the end of the KS3 Science curriculum our young scientists are now equipped with a deeper understanding of a range of scientific ideas in the subject disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Students can now make the connections between these subject areas and become aware of some of the big ideas underpinning scientific knowledge and understanding. They are now in an excellent position to take on the more advanced studies that form the KS4 curriculum.