Science
We use a variety of teaching methods to ensure that students are fully engaged, actively involved and experience an enjoyable learning environment at all times. These include hands on practical work, active learning tasks, project work and model making.
The science faculty is a thriving and active part of the Roundwood Park School community. We support our students in building their Science Capital from the excitement of their first lesson in Year 7 all the way through to studying science A-Levels. Students really enjoy developing their practical skills through a range of experiments and investigations, allowing them to discover key concepts and ignite a passion for science. Teachers use a variety of research-led activities to help share their passion of the subject, whilst instilling a firm grasp of the methodology and experimental design that is at the centre of al good scientific research.
The learning is not confined to the classroom, with ever popular Science and STEM clubs giving endless opportunities to inspire. A variety of trips and learning opportunities take students far and wide, including Biology Field trips, visits to the CERN laboratories and even studying Whale sharks in Mozambique as part of the World Challenge!
Key Stage 3 (Years 7 & 8)
All students follow a programme of units that develop their knowledge of biology, chemistry and physics. Each unit contains a range of practical, written and discussion activities designed to develop understanding of scientific ideas and skills. Year 9 Science is a transition year that builds on the students’ knowledge and skills and prepares them for the start of the GCSE curriculum. Each school term contains elements of each of the three sciences with an assessment test at the end of each section. The topics chosen, along with the assessments, give the faculty a good indication of each student’s suitability for either the Combined Science or Separate Science courses at KS4.
Key Stage 4 GCSE (Years 10 & 11): AQA
Students begin their Key Stage 4 studies in Year 10. They begin to follow the AQA GCSE science course presented in separate units for biology, chemistry and physics. This allows students to focus on each subject individually. The GCSE science course is for learners of all abilities and prepares students for further studies in science. The students are assessed regularly with GCSE style tests to monitor their progress in line with KS4 expectations.
They will have either two or three specialist teachers depending on the route chosen. The Separate Science course covers extra units that are taught in Year 11 to gain an individual GCSE in biology, chemistry and physics. These courses provide a firm foundation for progression to A Level science where we offer the choice of all three science disciplines.
Key Stage 5 (Years 12 & 13)
At A level, students will have the opportunity to study the following subjects:
Biology: Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield)
This is a very interesting and engaging context-led Biology A Level. Covering a wide variety of topics including human physiology, genetics, ecology, immunity, bioenergetics, and even sports science and neuroscience.
The course includes 18 core practicals that complements the subject matter and enriches students’ understanding through interesting and challenging experiments.
Chemistry: OCR A
The OCR A Chemistry A Level course has been chosen as it challenges the most able of our scientists, whilst providing a strong foundational underpinning for degree level study in the sciences – the career choice of the vast majority of our students.
The structure of the required practicals allows students to investigate questions relevant to everyday life – such as working out the iron content of prescribed iron supplements and making aspirin from scratch. Through a variety of topics, ranging from organic and green chemistry, rates of reaction, energy changes and quantitative calculations, an ongoing theme of making the scientific future of our planet more sustainable runs through the course.
Physics: AQA (7408)
As well as developing a fundamental understanding of the pillars of physics, the AQA A Level course contextualises the learning by allowing us to explore such themes as the practical applications of advanced materials, the surprising properties of resonance in waves, the exciting future of nuclear fusion reactors and introduces quantum mechanical properties such as wave/particle duality for light and electrons.
This rigorous 2-year course prepares our scientists in developing the scientific method by learning fundamental data analysis skills as well as completing a large number of core practicals that support our key topics.
Further learning in electricity, mechanics, atomic physics and field theory is ideal preparation for University courses in theoretical and applied physics, astrophysics, applied maths and of course a wide range of Engineering disciplines, as well as being an ideal course for those interested in pursuing higher or degree level apprenticeships in Engineering.
