Science

The Tutorial Foundation Curriculum – broad and balanced

Science Curriculum Statement

Aims:

Students to develop knowledge, skills and an appreciation of the world around them; an understanding how science impacts on their everyday life and the ability to apply the knowledge learnt with increased fluency and independence across all subjects within the school setting and beyond, in the future.

Teaching/Delivery:

Teaching is tailored to students’ needs. Students are assessed on arrival to help with determining a suitable pathway. Lessons are delivered following the SOWs for each key stage, which can be adapted according to individual needs as well as in response to students’ feedback along the way. Regular assessments and end of unit tests are well planned to track progress.

The overall aim in the classroom is to provide a stimulating and varied approach in teaching, through explanation and talks, discussions between students, directed study, independent research, online videos and practical activities.

Assessment

At KS3: in-house end of topic assessments are set to establish the level students are working towards.

At Entry Level: official end of unit exam counts towards the students’ final level.

At GCSE Level: regular assessments are completed in lessons with exam-style questions/practice exam papers to measure performance towards the iGCSE target grade. Mock exams are also scheduled in June for year 10 students then December and late February for year 11 students.

KS3 – Year 7-8

We follow the National Curriculum. In years 7-8 students will work through topics such as Cells and Organisation; Genes and Inheritance; Variance and Survival; Atoms, Molecules and The Periodic Table; Physical and Chemical Changes; The Earth and the Atmosphere; Forces and Motion, Energy types and transfer; Waves; Electricity and Magnetism; The Earth and beyond.

Year 9-11 OCR Entry Level Certificate

Students work through a mixture of short units, up to 36 units in total, spread over all three disciplines of science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics). As students complete each unit, they take an end of unit exam for that unit. The marks for all units taken are added together to give a final qualification level at the end of year 11.

AQA Unit Award Science (Year 9 onwards)

Students who would struggle with Entry Level Science follow the Unit Award Scheme, receiving a certificate of achievement for each unit of work completed. If successful, these students may also go on to achieve Entry Level Science.