Hamstead Hall Academy
Science
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Curriculum Intent and Vision
The Science department at Hamstead Hall Academy drives “Success for all through hard work and harmony”. We want all our students to foster a love for all Sciences by promoting the values of pride, persistence, patience, preparation and progression.
Our science curriculum is designed for students from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We want our students to enjoy the practical elements of science and be analytical in their thinking. We develop essential skills to help our students understand the way the world works through the eye of a scientist in order to become scientists for our future.
We celebrate and utilise these attributes to engage them in their learning and scientific development. We challenge all our students through a broad and balanced curriculum that is sequential and supports progression and intellectual challenge. Our curriculum is designed effectively to ensure retrieval of knowledge and embedding knowledge in long term memory is common practice. Students are regularly assessed to enable gaps in learning to be identified and addressed.
In Year 7 and 8 students are taught a bespoke curriculum that is based upon the National Curriculum but exceeds it is some areas of content and skills. Students are taught core scientific knowledge in all three disciplines as well as year specific disciplinary knowledge. In biology students look at the core concepts of the human body, environment, evolution and inheritance, whilst in chemistry students re taught the key concepts of Elements, Mixtures and Compounds and Key Chemical Reactions. In Physics students study Energy, Forces and Space as well as Electricity, Magnetism and Waves.
In Year 9 Students are taught the key concepts required to access GCSE Science at Key Stage 4. In Biology students will look at Cell Biology and Plant and Animal Physiology. In Chemistry students will study the atom and bonding, the periodic table, as well as acids and their reactions. In Physics students study the core concepts of energy and the particle model. Interwoven into this curriculum students will also be taught distinct disciplinary skills which build upon and enhance those skills learnt in year 8 and 9
Key Stage 4 students are taught the AQA Science Syllabus, with three groups completing the Separate Sciences, 5 groups completing Trilogy Science and the final group completing entry level science and some selected students completing Separate Science Chemistry.
We endeavour to encourage as many students onto Key Stage 5 science where they can study A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics or BTEC Forensic Science.
