Year 9 - 11 Science
Year 9 - 11 Science
Compulsory full year course
This year 9 course is designed to introduce students to science at college. It engages students through four integrated, themed units. Each unit combines key science strands like the physical world, material world, living world, and the planet Earth and beyond.
With a focus on inquiry, critical thinking, and relevance to Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider world.
The four units are
Ocean science (A look into the chemistry of water and local ocean biodiversity)
Communications (How we interact with the electromagnetic spectrum and sound)
Altered Carbon (How carbon-based molecules shape life and the future challenges humans are facing)
Life on Mars (How could humans get to & survive on Mars using physics & biological principles)
Recommended Prior Learning: Open Entry.
Contact Teacher: Angus Kininmonth-Weir
Possible next steps: Year 10 Science
Find more details in our Course outline 2025
Compulsory full year course
Year 10 Science provides students with the opportunity to explore key ideas in biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space science through hands-on investigations and real-world contexts. Students develop scientific literacy and critical thinking by engaging in inquiry-based learning, group collaboration, and independent research.
The course prepares students for the challenges of Year 11 Science and helps them build a solid foundation of scientific knowledge and skills.
Recommended Prior Learning: Open Entry.
Contact Teacher: Liana Wheeler
Possible next steps: Any Year 11 Science course.
Find more details in our Course outline 2025
Compulsory semester course
This course offers students a chance to investigate, understand, and explain our natural, physical world and the wider universe. Important scientific ideas within the umbrellas of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy are covered, with everyday contexts and environmental issues underpinning the skills that students learn.
Recommended Prior Learning: Year 10 Science - Developing 'At'
Contact Teacher: Mr. Phil Kendon
Possible next steps: Year 12 Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Human Biology or Science
Find more details in our Course outline 2025
Compulsory full year course
This course offers students a chance to investigate, understand, and explain our natural, physical world and the wider universe. Important scientific ideas within the umbrellas of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy are covered, with everyday contexts and environmental issues underpinning the skills that students learn.
Recommended Prior Learning: Year 10 Science
Contact Teacher: Ms. Rachael Anderson
Possible next steps: Year 12 Science, Year 12 Human Biology
Find more details in our Course outline 2025
Optional Science Course
This course introduces students to key biological ideas through practical investigations, real-world contexts, and research. Topics include the structure and function of flowering plants, ecological relationships in New Zealand ecosystems, human body systems, and current socio-scientific issues such as the use of 1080 poison. Students will also build skills in data collection, analysis, and scientific communication. This course provides a strong foundation for further study in Biology and the Health Sciences.
Recommended Prior Learning: Open Entry
Contact Teacher: Mr David Calder
Possible Next Steps: Year 12 Biology, Year 12 Human Biology, or other science pathways.
Find more details in our Course outline 2025
Optional full-year course
Year 11 Space & Rocket Science is an optional course taken alongside Year 11 Science. It is a more practical-based course designed to engage and extend students who are interested in Science. It is broken up into 4 topics
Rocketry (designing, building & launching rockets and using physics principles & calculations to explain their trajectories)
Carbon Chemistry (An introduction to organic chemistry, fuels and combustion reactions. A direct link to Year 12 Chemistry)
Astronomy (A look into the history of astronomy, the solar system and beyond and how we observe the universe)
Electricity & Magnetism (A direct link to Year 12 Physics, this unit involves practically investigating the phenomena around electricity & magnetism)
Recommended Prior Learning: Year 10 Science - Developing 'At'.
Contact Teacher: Mr. Phil Kendon
Possible next steps: Year 12 Physics & Year 12 Chemistry
Find more details in our Course outline 2025
Optional semester course
This year 11 physics course covers the topics of electricity, heat, and waves as well as providing opportunities to complete a physics research paper, to develop investigation skills, and to get an introduction to vectors. This course is designed to complement the physics component of the year 11 science course, which covers the topic of mechanics.
Recommended Prior Learning: Open Entry.
Contact Teacher: Elizabeth Strugnell
Possible next steps: Year 12 Physics
Find more details in our Course outline 2025