Upper Shirley High School
Home » Curriculum » Stem IT » Science » Welcome to Science
Welcome to Science
During key stage 3 students are required to develop their scientific ability in two key areas:
Explaining skills:
-
To be able to use a model or analogy to explain a scientific concept
-
To recognise that scientists from different backgrounds work together to produce explanations but science can not explain everything
-
To be able to use scientific evidence to prove or disprove a theory
-
To be able to explain the benefits and drawbacks of scientific discoveries and how decisions are influenced by society
-
To be able to use key scientific words in your descriptions and direct those descriptions to different audiences.
Investigation skills:
-
To be able to answer a scientific question using limited information, observations and measurements
-
To be able to decide on a range of variables and controls when designing an investigation
-
To recognise the health and safety procedures during practical investigations
-
To be able to record data and present results using tables and charts
-
To be able to describe patterns and trends and link these to a prediction
-
To be able to suggest and explain ways in which an investigation can be improved
-
To be able to explain different conclusions from different sets of data
During key stage 4 students complete a GCSE course provided by OCR named ‘Twenty First Century Science’.
Twenty First Century Science is a set of GCSE science courses developed to give all 14 to 16 year olds a worthwhile and inspiring experience of science. The strength of the programme is that it meets the needs, through flexible options, of those who will go on to be professional scientists and of those who will not.
A variety of courses are available for students to complete including:
GCSE Core science: - B1 You and your genes
- C1 Air quality
- P1 The Earth in the Universe
- B2 Keeping healthy
- C2 Material choices
- P2 Radiation and life
- B1 Life on Earth
- C1 Food matters
- P1 Radioactive materials
GCSE Additional science: - B4 Homeostasis
- C4 Chemical patterns
- P4 Explaining motion
- B5 Growth and development
- C5 Chemicals of the natural environment
- P5 Electric circuits
- B6 Brain and mind
- C6 Chemical synthesis
- P6 The wave model of radiation
GCSE Additional applied: - Life care
- Scientific detection
- Harnessing chemicals
GCSE Separate sciences: - Biology across the ecosystem
- Chemistry for a sustainable world
- Observing the Universe
The majority of students will gain two GCSE grades for science. This is done by completing GCSE core science in year 10 and then either completing GCSE additional science or GCSE additional applied science in year 11.
Some students who show a particular flare for science have the option of extending their knowledge. This can be done by completing the GCSE separate science course. In this instance students will receive three GCSE grades for science.
