Science

Science and everyday life cannot, and should not, be separated.

Rosalind Franklin

Scientific ideas give young people powerful ways of seeing the world. Through understanding the relationship between the scientific concepts and the nature of how they became established, students gain an appreciation of science as a discipline of inquiry. Engaging with their inquisitive nature about the world, students start to question things, and it is through questioning that we solve problems and advance our understanding of the world around us.

Delving into the big ideas in science stimulates students’ curiosity and helps them to make connections between concepts, disciplines, and the macroscopic and microscopic. Students are supported to acquire knowledge about scientific concepts, a necessary part of learning about science, as well as how to recognise, describe, and apply the acquired knowledge to explain abstract phenomena. Throughout this process, students learn how to work collaboratively, be persistent and stick with difficulty, and become disciplined to develop expertise in the subject. This allows students to experience positive emotions of success and wonder that learning scientific ideas brings.

KS5 and Lead Practitioner:
Elizabeth Sheridan | esheridan@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Teachers

Hiruthiga Arunagiri | harunagiri@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Juliana Elusade | jelusade@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

James MacDonald | jmacdonald@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Sean McHugh | smchugh@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Chiranjib Ray | cray@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Jessica Rozman | jrozman@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Aaron Shufflebotham | ashufflebotham@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Curriculum

KS3

The science curriculum is built around the big ideas of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. In Y7 and Y8 students study each big idea to construct their answer to a powerful question. Their answers become more sophisticated and meaningful as they develop their scientific understanding. In Y9 students study the foundations of the GCSE course in detail, ready to build upon at KS4.

Y7

Autumn term:

How do we make theories about things we cannot see? (How science works and the particle model of matter)

Why don’t bacteria have lungs? (Cells to systems)

Spring term:

In space, can anyone hear you scream? (Waves)

Why are offspring similar but not identical to their parents? (Reproduction)

Summer term:

What happens to the wax when you burn a candle? (Chemical reactions)

How did planets form? (Forces and Space)

Y8

Autumn term:

Have the carbon atoms in the air once been part of plants and animals? (Digestion and energy transfers through ecosystem)

Are cars and organisms made from similar or different stuff? (Periodic table and separation techniques)

Spring term:

Why is it important to conserve energy resources if energy can’t be destroyed? (Energy, forces and motion)

How did giraffes get their long necks? (Genetics and evolution by natural selection)

Summer term:

Why don’t birds resting on powerlines get electrocuted? (Electricity)

How are we changing our planet? (Earth and atmosphere)

Y9

Autumn term:
Cell structure, division and transport
Atomic structure and the periodic table

Spring term:
Energy stores, transfers, and calculations
Digestive system and enzymes

Summer term:
Particle model of matter
Reactions of acids and metals
Ecology

Useful website

BBC Bitesize

Things to see and do

The Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the Crick Institute.

Extra-curricular activities and clubs

Science club: dates to be confirmed

Science homework club: date to be confirmed

KS4

Students follow one of two pathways in Y10 and Y11.

Combined Science GCSE (AQA): students study Biology, Chemistry and Physics and are awarded two grades (9-1).
Separate Science GCSE (AQA): students study Biology, Chemistry and Physics, with a subject specialist teacher for each discipline, and are awarded three grades (9-1).

Both pathways involve a set of required practical activities which are assessed in the examinations at the end of Y11. In these examinations, students are assessed on how well then can demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, enquiry and techniques and procedures, as well as how they analyse information and ideas to: interpret and evaluate; make judgements and draw conclusions; develop and improve experimental procedures.