Our Science curriculum

The Whickham Science curriculum draws inspiration from Matthew Arnold’s often quoted 1869 essay ‘Culture & Anarchy’ in which he suggested that people should be introduced “…to the best that has been thought and said”. Another point of stimulus for our science curriculum comes from an excerpt of a 1675 letter from Sir Isaac Newton to Robert Hooke, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”. Hence, we have designed an ambitious and wide-ranging curriculum encompassing the greatest, most foundational scientific knowledge and scientific skills, enabling our pupils to understand their place in the Universe and be prepared for related future study and careers. We have summarized the intent of our curriculum as follows.

The intention of the Whickham Science Faculty is to support our pupils to develop the scientific knowledge and skills to…

  • be curious about how our world and the wider Universe works.
  • aspire to further qualifications or a career in a scientific field.
  • respect scientists and the scientific method.
  • have the resilience to seek understanding, question information and opinion.
  • have empathy towards the needs of current and future generations, plus other species, to thrive on our planet.

Overview

Secondary school science is traditionally organized into the three disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Our high-quality science curriculum prioritizes pupils building knowledge of key concepts in a meaningful way that reflects how knowledge is organized within and across the scientific disciplines.

A great deal of time, thought and team work has gone into optimizing the sequencing of our curriculum to ensure that pupils are able understand scientific ideas as successfully as possible, developing a well-organized neural network of interconnected substantive and disciplinary knowledge. Another aim of our sequencing is to support long-term memory through introducing new ideas at appropriate times and also employing a spiral to allow our curriculum to revisit, build and deepen understanding.

Moreover, a key aim of our curriculum is to aid our pupils to recognize their learning journey here at Whickham Science, able to see the links between topics and years; the reason for this aim is to further support successful learning of new material as well as the long-term memory of pupils. Our device to aid pupils to recognize the links between topics is that we have developed our Whickham “Foundation Questions” of biology, chemistry and physics; learning is linked to these questions to help clarify connections and the course of learning development. Our Whickham “Foundation Questions” of biology, chemistry and physics are shown in the table below.

BiologyChemistryPhysics
What makes you, you?What is everything made of?How do forces affect things?
How do living things survive
and thrive?		How do we use materials and
make new materials?		How does energy describe
what things can do?
How do organisms depend on,
interact with and affect the
environment?		How do we use and protect
our planet?		What is the large-scale and
small-scale structure of the
Universe?

 

Year 7

In year 7 pupils have science lessons in their tutor groups. Pupils study a variety of topics covering biology, chemistry and physics. The sequence of topics is as follows.

  • P1: Forces (Physics)
  • P2: Energy (Physics)
  • C1: Particles (Chemistry and Physics)
  • C2: Atoms, Elements, Compounds and Mixtures (Chemistry)
  • C3: Chemical Reactions (Chemistry)
  • B1: Cells (Biology)
  • C4: Acids and Alkalis (Chemistry)
  • B2: Body Systems (Biology)
  • B3: Reproduction (Biology)
  • P3: Sound (Physics)

The rationale for this sequence is that pupils are introduced to fundamental concepts before these ideas are built upon. As a Science Faculty we have had extensive discussions to agree an optimal sequence to allow all pupils to develop an extensive interconnected schema with rich understanding and long-term memory of key ideas.

The disciplinary knowledge encompassed in our scientific skills are first introduced in our first two topics of P1 – Forces and P2 – Energy. We have categorized the scientific skills as follows:

  1. Planning experiments.
  2. Drawing conclusions.
  3. Evaluating experiments.
  4. Graphs and calculations.
  5. Scientific writing

These scientific skills are then interwoven throughout the rest of our curriculum to allow each to be revisited and developed further.

 

Year 8

In year 8 pupils have science lessons in their tutor groups. Learning builds upon the foundational themes from year 7 and pupils continue to study a variety of topics covering biology, chemistry and physics. The sequence of topics is as follows.

  • B4: Health and Lifestyle (Biology)
  • C5: Periodic Table (Chemistry)
  • C6: Separation Techniques (Chemistry)
  • P4: Light (Physics)
  • B5: Inheritance (Biology)
  • B6: Adaptations (Biology)
  • C7: Metals and Acids (Chemistry)
  • P5: Electricity and Magnetism (Physics)
  • P6: Thermal Energy Transfers (Physics)
  • C8: The Earth (Chemistry)
  • B7: Ecosystems (Biology)
  • P7: Motion and Pressure (Physics)
  • P8: Space (Physics)

The rationale for this sequence is that pupils build on the fundamental ideas introduced in year and as year 8 progresses. As a Science Faculty we have had extensive discussions to agree an optimal sequence to allow all pupils to develop an extensive interconnected schema with rich understanding and long-term memory of key ideas.

The disciplinary knowledge encompassed in our scientific skills are first introduced in our first two topics of year 7. We have categorized the scientific skills as follows:

  1. Planning experiments.
  2. Drawing conclusions.
  3. Evaluating experiments.
  4. Graphs and calculations.
  5. Scientific writing

These scientific skills are then interwoven throughout the rest of our curriculum to allow each to be revisited and developed further.

 

Year 9

In year 9 pupils have science lessons in their tutor groups. Our year 9 course is a bridge between key stage 3 and key stage 4. Our curriculum spirals, revisiting topics from years 7-8 building the knowledge up to GCSE level. This provides the foundations for success at key stage 4. Pupils continue to study a variety of topics covering biology, chemistry and physics. The sequence of topics is as follows.

  • 9B1: Cell Biology
  • 9P1: Particle Model of Matter
  • 9C1: Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
  • 9B2: Systems of the Human Body
  • 9P2: Energy
  • 9C2: Reactivity of Metals and Reactions of Acids
  • 9B3: Ecology
  • 9P2: Forces and Motion
  • 9C3: The Earth’s Resources

The rationale for this sequence is that we feel our year 7-8 sequence provides an excellent foundation for understanding the fundamentals of biology, chemistry and physics, hence in year 9 we wanted to rotate between the traditional disciplines with in a repeating sequence of biology, then physics, then chemistry. We have applied a “success first” principle to the sequencing to ensure that pupil’s confidence is maintained before moving onto to more challenging concepts.

The disciplinary knowledge encompassed in our scientific skills are first introduced in our first two topics of year 7. We have categorized the scientific skills as follows:

  1. Planning experiments.
  2. Drawing conclusions.
  3. Evaluating experiments.
  4. Graphs and calculations.
  5. Scientific writing

These scientific skills are then interwoven throughout the rest of our curriculum to allow each to be revisited and developed further.

 

Year 10

In year 10 pupils follow one of two pathways: 1) AQA Separate Sciences, where pupils work towards three separate GCSEs: GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Physics. 2) AQA Synergy Combined Sciences, where pupils work towards two GCSEs covering biology, chemistry and physics, all combined. The AQA Synergy course is organised in two halves, one covering Life and Environmental Sciences and the other covering Physical Sciences.

The topics covered in the various courses are listed below. The rationale for the sequencing of topics is common across the courses: we aim to revisit and build on the foundations of years 7-9, introduce new topics in an appropriate order and at an appropriate time to ensure that new learning is successful and supports the long-term memory of pupils. Furthermore, considerations about the structure of GCSE papers have also been taken into account.

Biology (Separate Sciences)

  • Health and Disease
  • Plant Structures and Organization
  • Photosynthesis & Respiration
  • The Nervous System

 

Chemistry (Separate Sciences)

  • C1: Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table Review
  • C2: Bonding, Structure and Properties
  • C3: Quantitative Chemistry
  • C4: Chemical Change
  • C5: Energy Changes
  • C6: The Rate and Extent of Chemical Reactions

Physics (Separate Sciences)

  • P1: Energy
  • P3: Particle Model of Matter
  • P2: Electricity
  • P4: Atomic Structure & Radiation
  • P6: Waves

Life and Environmental Sciences (Combined Sciences)

  1. Review of Cell Biology and Systems of the Human Body
  2. Plants and Photosynthesis
  3. Waves
  4. Lifestyle and Health
  5. Radiation
  6. Preventing, Treating and Curing Disease

Physical Sciences (Combined Sciences)

  1. Review of Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
  2. Bonding, Structure and Properties
  3. Magnetism and Electromagnetism
  4. Reactions of Acids and Energy Changes in Reactions
  5. Electricity Part 1
  6. Carbon Chemistry
  7. Electricity Part 2
  8. Rate and Extent of Chemical Reactions

Disciplinary Knowledge

The disciplinary knowledge encompassed in our scientific skills are first introduced in years 7-9. We have categorized the scientific skills as follows:

  1. Planning experiments.
  2. Drawing conclusions.
  3. Evaluating experiments.
  4. Graphs and calculations.
  5. Scientific writing

These scientific skills are then interwoven throughout the rest of our curriculum to allow each to be revisited and developed further.

Furthermore, in Years 10 and 11 we have an accompanying, parallel curriculum with a specific focus on enhancing disciplinary knowledge and exam literacy. This is known as our SKE (Subject Knowledge Enhancement) curriculum.

Year 11

In year 11 pupils continue to follow one of two pathways: 1) AQA Separate Sciences, where pupils work towards three separate GCSEs, GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Physics. 2) AQA Synergy Combined Sciences, where pupils work towards two GCSEs covering biology, chemistry and physics, combined. The AQA Synergy course is organised in two halves, one covering Life and Environmental Sciences and the other covering Physical Sciences.

The topics covered in the various courses are listed below. The rationale for the sequencing of topics is common across the courses: we aim to revisit and build on the foundations of years 7-9, introduce new topics in an appropriate order and at an appropriate time to ensure that new learning is successful and supports the long-term memory of pupils. Furthermore, considerations about the structure of GCSE papers have also been taken into account.

At the end of year 11 pupils sit their external GCSE exams.

  • GCSE Biology: Two exam papers both of 1 hour, 45 minutes.
  • GCSE Chemistry: Two exam papers both of 1 hour, 45 minutes.
  • GCSE Physics: Two exam papers both of 1 hour, 45 minutes.

GCSE Combined Sciences: Four exam papers in total. Two exam papers both of 1 hour, 45 minutes covering Life and Environmental Sciences and two exam papers both of 1 hour, 45 minutes, covering Physical Sciences.

Biology (Separate Sciences)

  • Homeostasis
  • Inheritance, Variation & Evolution
  • Ecology

Chemistry (Separate Sciences)

  • C6: Rate and Extent of Chemical Reactions
  • C7: Organic Chemistry
  • C8: Chemical Analysis
  • C9: Chemistry of the Atmosphere
  • C10: Using Resources

Physics (Separate Sciences)

  • P6: Waves
  • P5: Forces
  • P7: Magnetism and Electromagnetism
  • P8: Space Physics

Life and Environmental Sciences (Combined Sciences)

  1. Ecology and Biodiversity
  2. States of Matter
  3. Earth’s Atmosphere and Water
  4. Inheritance
  5. Evolution and Variation

Physical Sciences (Combined Sciences)

  1. Rate and Extent of Chemical Reactions
  2. Forces and Elastic Energy Changes
  3. Chemical Quantities
  4. Motion
  5. Electrolysis

Disciplinary Knowledge

The disciplinary knowledge encompassed in our scientific skills are first introduced in years 7-9. We have categorized the scientific skills as follows:

  1. Planning experiments.
  2. Drawing conclusions.
  3. Evaluating experiments.
  4. Graphs and calculations.
  5. Scientific writing

These scientific skills are then interwoven throughout the rest of our curriculum to allow each to be revisited and developed further.

Furthermore, in Years 10 and 11 we have an accompanying, parallel curriculum with a specific focus on enhancing disciplinary knowledge and exam literacy. This is known as our SKE (Subject Knowledge Enhancement) curriculum.

Year 12 & Year 13

At Key stage 5 we offer four courses: A Level Biology (AQA), A Level Chemistry (OCR A), A Level Physics (OCR A) and BTEC Level 3 Applied Science (Pearson).

All these courses build upon the knowledge and skills developed at GCSE level, so a secure level at GCSE is an essential starting point for success at KS5.

The sequencing of topics have been developed using similar principles to those discussed for KS4.

For more information about each course, please see the Whickham sixth form prospectus and courses guide on the school website.

Learning journeys

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