Curriculum Statement - Science

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‘Genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work’ – Thomas Edison

Our Vision

To create an ambitious and challenging curriculum that provides all students with the knowledge, skills and cultural capital they need to succeed in life and a depth of understanding that will enable them to pursue science beyond Key Stages 4 and 5. 

We offer a broad and deep curriculum that focuses on powerful knowledge and threshold concepts.  We believe that mastery of threshold concepts is integral to students accessing powerful knowledge and gaining a deep understanding and appreciation of science. 

We place an emphasis on teaching our students the disciplinary knowledge behind the scientific concepts we teach; we believe this underpins the fundamental nature of our subject and allows our pupils to appreciate the resilience and perseverance required to be successful in Science. 

 

Powerful Knowledge in Science

We have identified the following powerful knowledge that we believe to be the key threshold concepts for our subjects.

 

Curriculum Features

  • Taught in specialisms; Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
  • Covers the national curriculum and more, but focuses on identified threshold concepts (see above). More time is devoted to these concepts and a mastery learning philosophy is promoted.
  • There is a large focus on understanding concepts through:
    • Testing prior knowledge
    • Explanation
    • Practice
    • Feedback

Formative assessment / questioning

  • Interleaving and self-testing are a feature of the curriculum and independent study.

 

Practical Work

  • There is always at least one of the following foci to practical work;
    • Improve knowledge,
    • Practice procedures and techniques,
    • Learn about scientific enquiry.

 

Co-curricula Enrichment

We provide enrichment for a number of reasons;

  • To promote a love of the subject.
  • To increase student’s cultural capital.
  • To teach powerful knowledge specific to science.
  • Increase at uptake at KS4, 5 and beyond.
  • Narrow attainment gaps.
  • Promoting STEM Careers.
  • Stretch / Challenge / Aspirations.
  • Promote oracy.