Subjects: Sciences (Biology; Chemistry; Physics)

Overview 

Science is all around us! By including Science in the curriculum you will gain knowledge of the subject, its principles and skills in a wide context, seeing the place of Science in the everyday world.

The Science Faculty aims to provide an excellent standard of education, enabling you to achieve your potential in a supportive environment. We aim to make science:

• relevant
• engaging
• challenging
• enjoyable

for all pupils, whatever your ability, within the constraints of the specification followed. Our enthusiastic and highly qualified staff are a real strength in the Science Faculty.

Our modern Science labs are based in a well resourced, separate building, which provides a delightful atmosphere, conducive to work.

We teach Science as three separate subjects, by subject specialists where possible, from Year 7 (age 11). This enables us to follow the guidelines of the National Curriculum, but to order topics in a way that best suits you.

We aim to start teaching GCSE Science during Year 9 (age 13). All teaching from this age and upwards is taught by subject specialists. We currently offer two courses at this stage:

• Three Separate Sciences (Triple Award)
• Science + Additional Science (Double Award)

We feel that the Triple Award course is a stimulating and challenging course, which provides the best foundation on which to build within the IB Diploma at Higher Level, or at A Level.

Many of our pupils are involved in our Y7 Science Club and we enter a team for the Annual Salter's Festival of Chemistry at Bath University. We also run a Science Investigations club for Y8 and Y9 girls who would like to work towards a CREST award. Our Y10 girls are given the opportunity to apply for a place on a Salter's Chemistry Camp during the summer holiday.

Physics

Years 7-9

Physics studies how things work from the entire Universe to subatomic particles. You will study a range of topics that will help you to gain a better understanding of how physics is applied to improve our everyday lives. An appreciation of physics will be crucial for scientists to face the challenges that face the world in the 21st century, such as how we should produce electricity.

As a result of studying physics, you will develop an ability to think in three dimensions to solve problems involving forces, and to visualise the interactions of the planets in the solar system. You will need to use your imagination to gain an insight into how electrical circuits work, and you will get to practice manipulating numerical data to find meaningful answers to how the world works.

The principles and factual knowledge in Physics can often be summed up very succinctly; the difficulties you will face will be to apply what you know to a range of different situations, which demands you to think creatively.

In experimental work, you will learn to work with precision, and it will be important that you arrive at lesson equipped with a calculator, ruler and protractor as well as standard equipment.

Many of the demonstrations you will see will fascinate and amaze you, and hopefully inspire you to take your physics education to the next level.

Years 10 & 11 (GCSE)

The physics element taught at GCSE will give you a broad understanding of how the knowledge of the subject is applied to improve the standard of living of people around the globe. It will help you to make informed opinions about important issues such as whether mobile phone use poses a health hazard. You will be encouraged to think critically about science reports in the media, and whether the evidence is sufficient to be conclusive. Additional topics such as optics and ultrasound are covered.

In order to be successful, it will be important to keep up to date with homework, and catch up if you miss a lesson. It is crucial that you are prepared for lessons with all the equipment you might need, such as a calculator. If you get into difficulties, staff will be very happy to meet you outside of the lesson to give you extra help.

Extra curricular opportunities are available through activities such as science society. The Physics department also runs a photographic competition open to all of the school, where images must have a particular theme, and in the coming year this will be "The Heat Is On!".

Chemistry

Chemistry is a subject of global impact. It has a profound effect on our planet, is involved at some level in almost every aspect of everyday life and plays a vital role in a technological society.

Years 7 to 9 (age 11-14)

In Years 7 and 8 we introduce you to the fundamental ideas which underpin the study of Chemistry.

Broad outlines of the topics studied are as follows:

• In Year 7 we complete an introduction to Science along with a study of important physical changes and ideas about the Particle Model of matter. We end the year by considering how we classify matter as elements or compounds and how these can change by chemical reactions.

• In Year 8 we develop the ideas met in Year 7 to consider important chemical reactions, including those of acids, fuels and metals. You will look at their reactions and consider their uses and impact on the environment.

• In Year 9 you will start the first unit of the GCSE course which considers limestone and its use in building, the extraction of metals from their ores, the structure of the Earth and the development of its atmosphere.

Years 10 and 11 (age 14-16)

At KS4 (GCSE) you will study three units:

• The second half of unit 1 considers obtaining fuels and plastics from crude oil and the uses and benefits of using plant oils.
• Unit 2 studies the atomic model of matter and considers how atoms interact to make molecules. Quantities of matter as well as studying chemical reactions make up the rest of unit 2.
• Unit 3 (which is the Triple Award part of the course) considers the importance and development of the Periodic Table, aqueous chemistry, the identification and detection of substances and the energy changes that take place in chemical reactions.

Biology    

From Year 7 to Year 8 students follow the KS3 national curriculum without having to be constrained by it. We are constantly building on ideas and concepts throughout the course. Students have the opportunity to study a variety of Biological topics. A selection of these topics include studying cells, the body's building block, in this topic students use microscopes to look at cells seeing they have common characteristics but also show a huge variety. Food and digestion is studied more specifically looking at how we digest food and why we need to eat. The students study ecological topics in the summer term so we can go outside using the school grounds, pond dipping in one of the schools two ponds.

The GCSE course is started in year 9 it is a diverse course and will appeal to those interested in themselves and the world around them. The applied style helps students to see the relevance of the subject to them. The course helps the student for example to appreciate the importance of enzymes in everyday life not just the theory of how they function.  The GCSE is designed to be relevant to all sorts of learners and is approached from an applied aspect. It will equip the students to make informed decisions about the many biological issues which are constantly in the news. The coursework is all carried out in lessons and involves carrying out a practical investigation and sitting a paper based on the experiment and topic just completed.

We use a wide range of teaching techniques in order involve and engage the students in the lessons trying to ensure active learning in a friendly and enthusiastic atmosphere. The lessons all take place in our well equipped laboratories; students might be doing practical work, watching DVDs, producing displays or video clips, taking part in discussions or debates.  Alternatively they could find themselves in one of the IT suites researching on the internet or producing a presentation.