Subject Rationale

We aim to develop and sustain students’ curiosity about the world, enjoyment of scientific activity and understanding of how natural phenomena can be explained. 

Our main purpose of science education should be to enable every individual to make informed decisions, and to take appropriate actions, that affect their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of society and the environment.  

We have a knowledge-rich science curriculum, with scientific knowledge and skills selected and planned through collaboration of science teachers working across our Trust. This knowledge has been selected based on teachers’ extensive subject knowledge, experience, key concepts in science and building the dimension of science capital. 

We aspire for students to leave school with a desire to participate in science whether as an active member of society or as a candidate for further study in science, with a genuine interest in the discovery of new scientific knowledge and appreciation of how science impacts the lives of everyone. 

During Key Stages Three and Four students cumulatively build knowledge and skills needed to succeed at GCSE and progress to further study or future employment.   The curriculum model centres around being able to re-visit topics, offering opportunity to further increase and secure knowledge, skills and understanding, with carefully selected practical opportunities to develop enquiry and problem-solving skills.

Key Concepts

The Association for Science Education published 14 Big Ideas in and about Science. These ideas are the foundation links to all areas of science and help students to understand the connections between disciplines.  All units and topics studied in Science are be linked to a big idea, the depth of knowledge around each idea and number of connections grows as students study Science through their time at school.   This allows for the abstract ideas encountered in later years in secondary school science to be rooted in and connected to the more concrete experiences from earlier learning. 

Big Ideas in Science. 

1. All material in the Universe is made of very small particles.

2. Objects can affect other objects at a distance.

3. Changing the movement of an object requires a net force to be acting on it.

4. The total amount of energy in the Universe is always the same but energy can be transformed when things change or are made to happen.

5. The composition of the Earth and its atmosphere and the processes occurring within them shape the Earth’s surface and its climate.

6. The solar system is a very small part of one of millions of galaxies in the Universe.

7. Organisms are organised on a cellular basis.

8. Organisms require a supply of energy and materials for which they are often dependent on or in competition with other organisms.

9. Genetic information is passed down from one generation of organisms to another.

10. The diversity of organisms, living and extinct, is the result of evolution.

Big Ideas about Science

1.        Science assumes that for every effect there is one or more causes.

2.        Scientific explanations, theories and models are those that best fit the facts known at a particular time.

3.        The knowledge produced by science is used in some technologies to create products to serve human ends.

4.        Applications of science often have ethical, social, economic and political implications.

In Science we aim to build students’ science capital, not only in science lessons but beyond the classroom, enabling students to see how science affects our lives.  Scientific advances mean that future generations will need to be STEM-literate if they are to be active citizens who can participate in societal changes.  The eight dimensions of science capital will be embedded in the curriculum, co-curricular activities and homework tasks. The eight dimensions of science capital include: 

1.        Scientific literacy

2.        Science related attitude, values and disposition

3.        Knowledge about transferability of skills 

4.        Science media consumption

5.        Participation in science in and out of school 

6.        Family science skills, knowledge and qualification

7.        Knowing people in science related jobs

8.        Talking to other about science in everyday life

The science curriculum is comprehensive broad and balanced in KS3 preparing students to study the AQA specification at combined award at GCSE covering fundamental concepts from Biology, Physics and Chemistry and incorporating application of skills learnt in maths and key skills to “work scientifically”. Select students will study for the Triple award. 

The implementation of the curriculum is influenced by the recommendations from the Education Endowment Foundation for improving secondary science, these are:

1.     Preconceptions- build on the ideas that students bring to lesson

2.     Self-regulation - help students to direct their own learning 

3.     Modeling - use models to support understanding 

4.     Memory – support students to retain and retrieve more 

5.     Practical work – use practical work purposefully and as part of a learning sequence

6.     Language of science – develop scientific vocabulary and support students to read and write about science 

7.     Feedback – use structured feedback to move on students’ thinking

The curriculum works on a spiral principle where students revisit concepts with increasing levels of complexity and demand, building on prior knowledge, not moving on until this knowledge is secure. The most complex topics are taught in Year 11 that require a sound understanding of previously taught, underlying concepts. Whole school approaches such as retrieval practice on a daily, weekly and monthly basis are integrated into the delivery approach.  Curriculum implementation is based on the work from the learning scientists, opportunities for dual coding, spacing and interleaving are prominent in the schemes of learning and topic planning. 

Science lessons are timetabled to allowed for spacing between lessons. KS3 have six lessons a fortnight.  KS4 have ten lessons per fortnight. Students have subject specialist teaching across the three disciplines. 

The science curriculum is based on a knowledge-rich, core question methodology as described by Adam Boxer.  This explicitly maps out in detail the knowledge required in each of the topics, alongside the mathematical and practical skills needed to apply and demonstrate understanding of this knowledge in each year group.  Core questions are derived from National Curriculum content with a view to ensure the foundation knowledge for GCSE is secure.  These core questions are drawn upon in both homework tasks and retrieval practice each lesson to enable students to commit to their long-term memory with the logical accumulation of knowledge.  The basis of the curriculum design is influenced by the work of psychologists Daniel Willingham and the learning scientists. 

The curriculum map allows for topics to be revisited over the course of study, each time a topic is revisited more depth is added through the detail required in the core questions, thus further connections are made between prior learning and new knowledge.  The map of practical and mathematical skills ensures students develop the necessary knowledge and skills needed for success in the required practicals and KS4. 

Based on Rosenshine’s principles of instruction, new learning in each topic is broken down into small steps across a series of planned lessons linked to the core questions associated with each lesson. The size of the step increases as students gain more knowledge.  All activities are planned to deepen understanding of scientific ideas, linking to the big ideas as well as fostering positive attitudes allowing students to make connections with their existing knowledge. 

The curriculum is knowledge rich.  The scientific knowledge has been selected across a team of science teachers and mapped across a five-year programme.  This map ensures students consolidate and build on their knowledge and are equipped with valuable scientific knowledge needed not only for life as an informed citizen but for further study in the sciences.  We have planned for delivery of both the substantive knowledge we expect each pupil to have gained in each year group.  But also the disciplinary knowledge, which underpins how science works and allows pupils to understand how science knowledge has grown and continues to.  Students have opportunity for retrieval practice throughout the year, providing a sound foundation of knowledge on which to build.  Throughout the lessons, students have opportunity not just to recall knowledge through rote learning but through carefully planned and designed tasks have opportunity to practise applying their factual knowledge and develop procedural knowledge and practical skills. 

Demonstrations are used in class for students to develop both their observational skills and use their scientific knowledge to explain their observation. A “predict-observe-explain’ model is used for all demonstrations ensuring students gain the most from them.  

Learning activities and teaching styles are not prescribed but a variety of approaches will be used in lessons, including:

·       Retrieval practice – daily, weekly and longer term – using a variety of questioning techniques such as, Brain dumps/free recall, quick quiz, cloze activities

·          Variety of questioning methods to encourage learning and thinking:

o   open and closed questions, 

o   process questions (how do you know? how did you work that out? what made you think that?) 

o   probing questions (what other reasons could there be? Is this always true? Is there another example?) 

o   ‘cold calling’ 

o   “say it again better’ 

o   mini whiteboards or show me boards 

o   questions that check for understanding (what have you understood?)

·       Think, pair, share and snowballing discussions

·       Practical work and independent enquiry 

·       Mind mapping

Debate and belief lines

·       Teacher-led demonstrations (predict, observe and explain)

·       Independent research

·       What a good one looks like (WAGGOL) – sharing model texts or explanations with students. 

·       Literacy activities and extended written tasks- explanations, story telling

o   OREO model for persuasive writing – opinion, reason evidence opinion 

o   IPEEL writing frame– introduction, point, explain, evidence, link 

·       Exam practice and revision skills

·       Direct teacher instruction

·     Use of concrete, pictorial and abstract ideas for delivery of new concepts. Use of different representations for concepts …e.g. atoms represented as lego, molymods, pictures, symbols/formula, names (words).  Using visuals representations and text/words for imparting information (dual coding).

Use of scaffolding, I do, we do and you do sentence structures.

·       Knowledge organisers 

·       Individual SLOP work to apply and embed knowledge

Mapping of extra curriculum and enrichment activities are used to develop students’ science capital.  Through developing science capital, students are able to make links with industry and careers related to science, and the impact of science on everyday living. Championing of pioneers in science allows teachers to challenge gender stereotypes. Alongside other cross curriculum links with using mathematical skills, English and geography, whilst promoting students’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness.

Opportunities for cross curriculum links

Maths skills required in each year group will be mapped and shared with the Maths department. A collaboration between departments will be sought to ensure consistency in the teaching of these skills and knowledge.  Opportunities for cross-curricular links are discussed in departmental meetings and included in the overview for the topic. Teachers are expected for familiarise themselves with these links and make reference to them at appropriate times in the topic.  This enables students to build connections between different subjects and connect schema in their long-term memory, adding new knowledge to existing knowledge and experiences. 

Homework is set using google classroom.  At KS3 homework ia set weekly and comprises of pupils using their knowledge organiser to either create mind maps, clock diagrams or flash cards.  Short immediate feedback quiz on Google forms based on the core questions are also used.  At KS4 homework is set fortnightly for each subject, this can be in the form of instant feedback quizzes, exam questions, Seneca learning work, creating flashcrds, mindmaps or clock diagrams using the revision guide.  The purpose of the homework is to offer spaced retrieval practice and reinforce learning of the core knowledge for application  during lessons, with the aim of generating fluency and rapid recall.

Vocabulary 

Key vocabulary is identified for each unit and shared with students in a word bank at KS3.  New vocabulary is specifically taught to students with the word meaning and origin, students are shown how to use the word the in a sentence and which part of speech the word belongs to.  For example,  photosynthesis derives from “light” and “to make”, it is a noun; the name of the process, photosynthesise is the verb used when plants carry out this process, photosynthetic is the adjective used to describe an organism that can carry out this process.  At KS4 each student has a subject specific glosary in their books.

Teachers’ Subject Knowledge 

Full time Science teachers are qualified and trained science teacher with first degrees in a science discipline. On this basis teacher’s subject knowledge is good.  CPD is available for non-specialists to ensure subject knowledge is of a good standard. 

Teaching staff carry out a subject knowledge self-audit and use this in appraisal to set a CPD program in conjunction with the Head of Science.  This may also include CPD on Cognitive Science ensuring a secure basis for the pedagogy behind lesson delivery and the construction of the curriculum. 

Departmental time is given to discussing the pedagogy of each unit before teaching to ensure consistency in the approach and methods for implementation of each area of the curriculum, this is done using a pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) framework and this is used to update schemes of learning for each topic. There are opportunities for collaboration and sharing good practice, which continue teachers’ professional development and continues to develop teacher pedagogical knowledge. 

Students are well prepared to access new learning at GCSE because they have a sound foundation of knowledge secured at KS3.  As cited by cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham “Those with a rich base of factual knowledge find it easier to learn more”

We measure the impact of our curriculum through:

·     Formal GCSE results including comparison to local and national levels, predicted and target grades

·     Ongoing tracking of progress through summative exams, pre-public exams and health-checks in KS3 and KS4. Health Checks are small assessments comprising of 5 retrieval core questions (multiple choice); 5 retrieval questions simple one word answer; 5 marks exam style application questions for the current topic at KS3.

·     Ongoing formative assessment through retrieval practice, marking books and feedback to students, teacher -student dialogue and assessment of practical skills 

·     Involvement with extra-curricular and enrichment programme

·     Monitoring of homework responses in retrieval practice 

·     Student voice with school council

The science curriculum is high quality and well thought out, it is planned to demonstrate progression, thus knowledge builds on knowledge. If students are achieving their target grades at GCSE they are deemed to be making good or better progress.   

Students’ progress from Year 7 is tracked through the cumulative percentage of performance in summative assessments. These assess students’ knowledge and understanding to date but also ask students to apply their knowledge in question involving an unfamiliar context.  Performance for students in these assessments is monitored and tracked by teachers and the Head of Department.    

The use of clear marking schemes and model answers helps to reduce prevalence induced concept change in teachers’ marking of work and ensure standardisation across classes. Discrepancies or regressive scores are explored and suitable intervention implemented.  These scores are shared with students and parents and used for moderation across the Department and Trust.