Welcome to the Science department page
Departmental Staff:

- Mrs P Astle - Head of Science.
- Mr B Miah - KS 3 Co-ordinator.
- Mrs J King - KS 5 Co-ordinator.
- Mrs P Willis - Assistant head.
- Mrs C Deaville - Physics consultant. 
- Mr S Page - Head of Year 8.
- Mrs Allen - Teacher of Science
- Ms K Mistry - Teacher of Science.
- Mr C Lee - Teacher of Science.
- Mr T Ward - Teacher of science.
- Ms C Heath - Teacher of science.
- Mr A Worton - Teacher of science.
- Mrs L Johnson (Head technician)
- Mrs L Shakespeare (Science technician)
- Mr Daniel Clare (Science technician)

The courses we follow...
At key stage 3...
The program of study places less emphasis on science content and more emphasis on how science works skills;
- use scientific ideas and models to explain phenomena and events;
- Understand a range of familiar applications of science;
- think about the advantages and drawbacks of scientific and technological developments for the environment and in other contexts, considering the reasons for different opinions;
- carry out investigations of different types, on their own and in groups, making use of reference sources and evaluating their work;
- communicate what they did and its significance;
- learn how scientists work and the importance of experimental evidence in supporting scientific ideas.

At Key Stage 4...
Pupils follow the OCR Gateway GCSE

The aim of this course is to enable young people to learn science from a consumer's point of view as opposed to a purely academic study. This reflects the changing needs of society; we are moving into a high-tech age where most people use scientific skills and principles as part of every day life, e.g. biological washing powders use enzymes to speed up stain removal and save energy. Students learn why this happens and how it benefits society rather than simply studying "Enzymes".
There is a greater emphasis on reading and discussing scientific issues using contemporary and exciting events, including news items. Scientific knowledge and understanding is focused on how these apply in every day and industrial contexts. Activities have a greater emphasis on problem solving rather than learning vast quantities of information.

We are in transition at the moment due to new terminal rules being applied and so each year group is following a slightly different pathway in terms of assessment.

Year 9 have started their GCSE course and are following the 'Core' science programme at the moment. In Year 10 they will complete the 'Additional' science learning. We will be carrying out regular internal assessments to discover whether students are capable of completing the triple award to a high standard in Year 11 and this decision will be made at the end of Year 10 to ensure our students get the best possible grades.

Year 10 have completed the learning for the 'Core' award and will have one exam in June. They will then complete the learning of the 'Additional' award in Yr11 where they will complete all external exams. We have a specific class that are completing triple award and two specific classes that are completing a BTec qualification this year and a single GCSE next year.

BTEC Science
We are currently offering a select number of students the chance to follow a more vocational course in Science at Key Stage 4. The BTec Science course is designed to help students recognise how Science is used in the workplace and possible career paths for them to follow in the future. The assessment for the course relies solely on coursework and so we feel that some students do benefit from this level 2 qualification. The success rate for this newly administered course has been phenomenal and we are really proud of the students and their success.

At Key Stage 5...
A number of subjects are offered at AS and A2 level.

OCR Biology (specification B):
This course is designed to offer students the opportunity to devise and plan experimental and investigational activities and interpret, explain, evaluate and communicate results of these. Students also gain an awareness of the ethical, technological and economic aspects of the subject.
The course prepares students who wish to progress into further or higher education, to follow courses in biology, and related subjects, or directly into employment where knowledge of biology would be useful.

OCR Chemistry (Salters)
The course aims to:
- emphasise the ways chemistry is applied and the work that chemists do
- broaden the appeal of chemistry by showing how it relates to people's lives
- emphasise frontier areas of chemistry
- include a broad range of teaching and learning activities
- provide a rigorous and stimulating treatment of chemistry that both lays appropriate foundations for future studies, and satisfies those who will study no further chemistry.
We will be moving over to OCR Chemistry A, in September 2012 to bring our qualifications into line so that skills can be developed across the board for all Key Stage 5 courses.

Edexcel Physics
Salters Horners Advanced Physics is a context-led course placing students' learning in the environment and in situations in which physics is met in real life. Comments from students include:
'This physics with all its applications is more interesting and easier to grasp.'
'With the Salters Horners course you learn the physics but you also think - well I actually see a point in knowing this physics.'
'We are learning a lot of physics, but I find it easier to learn because it is related to modern day scenarios. When you are looking at things around you, you know it works and what the problem is with it.'
We will be moving over to OCR Physics A, in September 2012 to bring our qualifications into line so that skills can be developed across the board for all Key Stage 5 courses.

BTEC Applied Science
This qualification will give an understanding of the essential skills and attitudes to begin a professional career or move on to further education. The course is designed to be flexible so that it can reflect individual interests and career aspirations and it consists of core units (general science) plus specialist units. The focus of this qualification is to provide students with the opportunity to specialise in a work-based science qualification, and specific areas within this, such as: criminology/psychology, scientific investigation or mathematics/statistics. The course is designed to be equivalent to an AS level in Year 12 and can be carried forward to the equivalent of A2 level in Year 13.