Science

Expected Equipment

• Pencil
• Writing Pen (Blue/Black)
• Assessment Pens (Red/Purple)
• Rubber
• Ruler – 30cm flexible
• Compass
• Protractor
• Calculator – with scientific capabilities
• Lab coat – with pupils name written across the top of the pocket
• Pens (Red/Purple).

Resources for learning

• Students access the required textbooks online through the rdp section of the site
• For year 9 CGP produce workbooks and study guides, which are course specific.

Curriculum Information Years 7 & 8

• Classes are taught in form groups throughout the year
• Students have six lessons over a two week timetable
• Homework is set twice a week and students are expected to spend roughly 30 minutes on each piece
• Students are expected to read through lesson notes and content covered in class as part of their homework time
• Students will be tested roughly once per half term with a bigger assessment at the end of year

Curriculum Information Year 9

• Classes are taught in ability sets throughout Year 9
• Students have six lessons over a two week timetable – two for each science
• Homework is set as required and students are expected to spend roughly 30 minutes on each piece. Students are expected to read through lesson notes and content covered in class as part of their homework time and to answer past exam questions on this
• Students will be tested roughly once per half term with a bigger assessment at the end of year
• We follow the AQA science curriculum.

Extracurricular enrichment

• Engineering Club
• Robotics Club 
• The top students in Year 8 attend the Science and Technology challenge

Expected Equipment

• Pencil
• Writing Pen (Blue/Black)
• Assessment Pens (Red/Purple)
• Rubber
• Ruler – 30cm flexible
• Compass
• Protractor
• Calculator – with scientific capabilities
• Lab coat – with pupils name written across the top of the pocket.

Resources for learning

• Students access the required textbooks online through Kerboodle. Students have a login name and password to access these resources
• CGP produce workbooks and study guides, which are course specific.

Curriculum Information

• Classes are taught in ability sets
• Separate Science students have 14 lessons over a two-week timetable covering the three disciplines
• Double Award students have nine lessons a fortnight – 3 per science
• Homework is set as required and students are expected to spend roughly 30 minutes on each piece. Students are expected to read through lesson notes and content covered in class as part of their homework time and to answer past exam questions
• Students will be tested roughly once per half term in each area with a bigger assessment at the end of year
• We follow the AQA science curriculum.

Extracurricular enrichment

• Engineering club
• There are extension activities on Kerboodle to help students achieve top grades.
• Robotics club
• Astronomy stretch and challenge at Greenwich Observatory
• BPHO Junior Physics Challenge for year 10 students
• Royal Society Biology Challenge for year 10 students

Expected Equipment

• Writing Pen (Blue/Black)
• Assessment Pens (Red/Purple)
• Pencil
• Rubber
• Ruler – 30cm
• Calculator – with scientific capabilities
• Labcoat – with students name written across the top of the pocket

Resources for learning

• Textbooks
• Revision guides

Curriculum Information

• A level classes have 2 teachers and have 10 lessons per fortnight
• Homework is set regularly and on top of this students are expected to complete several hours of independent study per week. Students are expected to read through lesson notes and content covered in class as part of their homework time and to answer past exam questions
• Students will be tested roughly once per half term in each area and will sit 2 larger end of year 12 exams

Programme of Study

• Exam board from September: AQA
• Topics
• 1. Biological molecules
• 2. Cells
• 3. Organisms exchange substances with their environment
• 4. Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms
• 5. Energy transfers in and between organisms
• 6. Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments
• 7. Genetics, populations, evolution and ecosystems
• 8. The control of gene expression

Examinations and assessment

• Exams - There are 3 exams at the end of the A level with a mixture of short, long and extended response questions as well as a 25 mark essay question in paper 3.
• Practical assessment - A separate endorsement of practical skills will be taken alongside the A-level.

Expected Equipment

• Pencil
• Writing Pen (Blue/Black)
• Assessment Pens (Red/Purple)
• Rubber
• Ruler – 30cm flexible
• Calculator – with scientific capabilities
• Labcoat – with pupils name written across the top of the pocket

Resources for learning

• Students use the following textbook - AQA Chemistry A Level Student Book (Ted Lister, Janet Renshaw) ISBN 978-0-19-835182-5
• These textbooks are also available online through Kerboodle 
• Students have a login name and password to access these resources
• CGP produce workbooks and study guides, which are course specific.

Curriculum Information

• Students have 5 lessons a week and are expected to complete homework and extra self-directed work, using questions from the school website or AQA website to practise sufficient questions to gain a high level of proficiency.
• Topic tests are taken by students at the end of each topic (approximately 16 in each year).
• In addition students sit a synoptic exam at the end of each term which covers all the content that has been taught to date. The results of these exams is used to predict final grades, as will be shown on UCAS applications for university, so it is imperative that students make a strong start to the course, and are sufficiently motivated to keep all topics fresh in their minds.

Support

• Year 12 Chemistry Clinic – This lunchtime support session is run once a week with staff and Year 13 students present to assist students.
• Year 13 Chemistry Revision - This lunchtime support session is run once a week with staff present to assist students, as they practise exam questions.

Programme of Study

• Exam Board AQA 
• A Level Chemistry Assessments -
• Paper 1 - 2 hours - 105 marks - 35% of A level (105 marks of short and long questions)
• Paper 2 - 2 hours - 105 marks - 35% of A level (105 marks of short and long questions)
• Paper 3 - 2 hours - 90 marks - 30% of A level (40 marks of questions on practical techniques and data analysis, 20 marks of questions testing across the specification, 30 marks of multiple choice questions)

a-level-chemistry-programme-of-study-.pdf

KS5 Overview

Exam Board: AQA
Specification: Physics A

Year 12

Autumn Term Topics

• Unit 2 Particles and Radiation (key concepts: fundamental forces, matter and antimatter, quarks and leptons, quantum physics).
• Unit 5 Electricity (key concepts: components, resistivity, circuits, internal resistance, potential dividers)
• Unit 1 Required practicals.

Spring/Summer Term Topics

• Unit 2 Waves and Optics (key concepts: phase, stationary waves, refraction, interference, superposition)
• Unit 4 Mechanics and Materials(key concepts: statics, moments, kinematics, forces, momentum, work, energy and power, materials)
• Unit 6a Further Mechanics (circular motion, simple harmonic motion)
• Unit 1 Required practicals.

Exams

Year 13

Autumn Term Topics

• Unit 6b Thermal Physics (key concepts: specific heat capacity, ideal gas equation)
• Unit 7 Fields (key concepts: gravitational fields, electric fields, capacitors, magnetic fields, electromagnetic induction)
• Unit 8 Nuclear Physics (properties of radiation, half-life, nuclear radius, binding energy)
• Unit 1 Required practicals.

Spring Term Topics

• Optional unit – Either Medical Physics, Astrophysics, Turning Points in Physics, Engineering physics or Electronics
• Students will have a choice of either of two of these modules (currently between Medical Physics and Astrophysics)

Exams

Taking A Level Chemistry has transformed chemistry into my favourite subject and persuaded me to apply for chemistry at university. The concepts from GCSE are explored in a much greater depth, allowing for a deeper and more sophisticated understanding. The course is quite challenging, as there is a lot of content and some of it can be difficult to grasp at first. However, the interesting topics more than make up for this. I particularly struggled with organic chemistry in previous years but the patterns and logic behind it have made it much more enjoyable. The skills that I have developed the most during A Level course are my analytical skills. The main new thing we have been introduced to are in-depth uncertainty calculations.

There are also a number of required practicals to complete, which are done in class and then the experiment is written up formally for homework. Completing this is vital for the subject as practical questions are an intrinsic part of the exams and you will receive a final pass or fail for your practical skills. Some of the practicals that we do at A Level have similar features to ones we have done previously at GCSE. Other exam questions range from one-mark multiple choice to long-answer questions, all of which are consistently covered in lessons, which allows everyone to become prepared for exams. I have also found that going to Chemistry Clinic to get extra help from teachers and doing lots of practice questions really helps.

By choosing Chemistry A Level, you will be exposed to many leadership opportunities. For example, even from Year 12 you are encouraged to run a Science Club for younger years, in which you choose the practical and organise the club yourself. Then later in Year 13, there are greater roles to take on, like being a Chemistry Prefect or a helper in the Chemistry Clinic to help Year 12 students.

Chemistry complements other subjects, like any other science and maths. A Level Chemistry is definitely a worthwhile subject because of the opportunities it will give you post-A Level, the interesting content of the course, and the problem solving abilities it helps you to develop. As long as you put the effort in, chemistry is an extremely enjoyable subject and a great choice for A Level.

As someone who thoroughly enjoyed GCSE Biology, taking it as an A Level was an easy choice. The course builds on content from GCSE, going into much more depth as it contextualises these facts into real life scenarios, such as the forensics topic where you learn about how time of death can be established.

As well as encouraging a deeper understanding of key biological processes and concepts, I found the A Level course to be much more hands on and independent, with various practicals you do yourself, such as heart dissections and titrations. The course also offers more freedom regarding your studies, as you are encouraged to do further reading into areas of your own interest which not only enhances understanding of the subject but also allows you to develop key skills required for higher education such as citing research.

As well as this, the course offers freedom in terms of independent learning as at the end of Year 12 you will be invited to deliver a presentation on a topic of your choice to the class. Not only did this enhance my own understanding of other areas of biology through the research I conducted, but I also learnt about more obscure parts of biology such as its use in biological warfare and in performance-enhancing drugs – two topics which members of my class chose for their presentations. Therefore, I can say, with confidence that if you liked GCSE Biology, you will love the A Level course!

Physics gives you the opportunity to explore the phenomena around you and to look at theories that explain what is observed. It is a very inspiring subject that both explains concepts you’ve never considered and introduces you to new and exciting ideas. For me, lessons have never been boring – whether I’m sat at my desk learning or on my feet preparing practicals – because I’m constantly absorbing new information that genuinely fascinates me. Besides enjoying myself and being invested in each lesson, physics also develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are valuable in areas beyond physics. Something that surprised me when continuing on with physics is how much more mathematical it becomes. Despite this, the maths is used in a way that doesn’t disadvantage non-mathematicians and so the subject is accessible to everyone.

I think something quite prevalent that needs to be addressed is the disparity between the number of female students opting to study physics compared to our male counterparts. It has personally never affected me too much to the point where I became less confident in the class environment; however, throughout my education (GCSE onwards where we are able to choose subjects), I definitely felt more comfortable in my place within the class whenever I was sat next to a female student. The school and my teachers have never made it difficult for me to choose physics. In fact, I feel as though I’ve been encouraged to pursue this science. The (incorrect) presumption that physics was a more “masculine” science was never put forward to students at this school and everyone is given the same opportunity to take the science without traditional gender stereotypes.