Science
Rationale
In the Science department we aim to provide our students with an engaging, challenging and aspirational curriculum. Science is all about finding out what our world and universe is really like and learning to understand it better. To do so we need to learn to make accurate observations and measurements. Investigations test our ideas, so we learn about living things, about substances and about forces and energy. We want our students to build on what they already know about the Natural World and to discover more. We all need to understand the impact which Science is having on our lives and how it can help shape our future.
Overview - Biology
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 3 |
Term 4 |
Term 5 |
Term 6 |
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Year 7 |
Organisms - Movement and Cells | Ecosystems - Interdependence and Plant reproduction | Genes - Reproduction and Variation | |||
Year 8 |
Organisms - Breathing and digestion | Ecosystems - Respiration and Photosynthesis | Genes - Evolution and Inheritance | |||
Year 9 |
B1 Cells | B3- Movement of substances | B2- Photosynthesis | |||
Year 10 |
B4- Health and Disease | B6- Genetics | B8- Ecosystems | |||
Year 11 |
B7- Variation and Evolution | B5- Co-ordination and control | Revision | |||
Year 12 |
Biological Molecules and Cells | Organisms exchange substances with their environment Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms | Populations in Ecosystems | |||
Year 13 |
Energy transfer in and between organisms | Organisms respond to changes in their environments | Genetic populations, evolution and ecosystems and The control of gene expression | Revision | ||
Overview - Chemistry
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 3 |
Term 4 |
Term 5 |
Term 6 |
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Year 7 |
Matter Part 1- Particle Model | Matter Part 2- Seperating Mixtures and Earth 2- Universe | Reactions- Metals and non metals and Acids and Alkalis | |||
Year 8 |
Matter- Periodic table and Elements | Earth 1- Earth Structure and Reactions | Earth 3-Climate and Earth Resources | |||
Year 9 |
C1- Atomic Structure | C2- Structure and Bonding | C4- Chemical Changes | |||
Year 10 |
C4b- Electrolysis | C3- Quantitative Chemistry | C5- Chemical Changes | C6- Rates of Reactions | ||
Year 11 |
C7- Hydrocarbons C8- Chemical analysis | C10- Sustainable development | Revision | |||
Year 12 |
Amount of substances and Energentics | Bonding, Atomic structure and Introduction to organic chemistry | Alkanes, Halogenalkanes, Kinetics, Redox reactions | Alkenes, Chemical equilibria | Alcohols, Organic analysis, Periodicity, Group 2 and Group 7 | Revision/ Mocks |
Year 13 |
Optical isomerism, Carboxylic acids, Aromatic Chemistry, Thermodynamics, Rates | Amines, Polymers Amino acids, Rates (continued from Term 1) | Organic Synthesis, NMR, Equilibirum constant, Electrode potentials and electrochemical cells | Transition metals, Reactions of ions in aqueous solutions, Acids and bases, Properties of Period 3 | Revision | |
Overview - Physics
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 3 |
Term 4 |
Term 5 |
Term 6 |
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Year 7 |
Electromagnets- Voltage and resistance and current and Waves-Light | Forces- Speed and Gravity | Energy- Energy costs and Energy transfer | |||
Year 8 |
Forces- Contact forces and Pressure and Waves-Sound | Energy- Work and Heating and cooling | Electromagnets- Electromagnets and Magnetism | |||
Year 9 |
P3-Particle Model | P4- Atomic Structure | P1b- Energy Resources | |||
Year 10 |
P3-Particle Model | P4- Atomic Structure | P6-Waves | |||
Year 11 |
P6-Waves | P7 Electromagnets (Both combined science and separate science) P8- Space (separate Science students) | Revision | |||
Year 12 |
Particles and Radiation, Mechanics | Particles and Radiation, Mechanics | Waves, Mechanics | Waves, Materials | Electricity, SHM | Electricity, Thermal |
Year 13 |
Gravitational Fields | Electric Fields, Thermal | Gravitational Fields, Radioactivity | Magnetic Fields, Astrophysics | Revision | |
Key Stage 3
In Years 7 and 8 students study a range of units encompassing the 10 Big ideas (Forces, Electromagnets, Energy, Waves, Matter, Reactions, Earth, Organisms, Ecosystems and Genes). The course delivers on engagement, understanding and skills. Additionally, it aims to motivate students to learn, whatever the topic.
Students will become confident with “Working Scientifically” skills in preparation for their GCSEs whilst at the same time learning about contemporary and relevant scientific issues. We aim to provide activities within lessons to help foster our student’s ability to problem solve, apply scientific reasoning to different situations, demonstrate and practice a range of analytical skills and represent data in a number of ways.
The course also best prepares the students for the GCSE course which expects students aiming for the top GCSE grades to be able to apply the knowledge gained in lessons to new situations.
Key Stage 4
The science curriculum spirals through KS3 and KS4, enabling students to revisit and extend their understanding and knowledge of the big ideas and allows for students to make links between previously taught knowledge. During each topic studied students will become more confident with "working Scientifically" skills through a range of practical experiments that allows students to gain hands-on experience of different scientific equipment and techniques. During year 9 will study science. At the end of the year students will complete an assessment, which will allow us to recommend a suitable GCSE Science course for them to continue on. This will either be Combined Science or the Separate Sciences. The GCSE courses ensures students have a well rounded understanding required for them to be successful in their next phase of education.
Post 16
Building upon the strong foundations from GCSE, students undertaking an A-Level in a Science subject are able to nurture their passion for the subject and develop the knowledge and skills required for further study in a science related discipline. Practical work is at the heart of Science, so we have ensured that we have placed practical work at the heart of our KS5 curriculum. A separate endorsement of practical skills will be taken alongside the A-level. This will be assessed by teachers and will be based on direct observation of students’ competency in a range of skills that are not assessable in written exams.
Extra Curricular Opportunities
STEM Club
Independent Research projects accumulating in presenting projects at local conferences
TeenTech
folkeSTEM
In December 2023, over 30 year 12 STEM students took part in the FSGs inaugural STEM conference. This conference provided an opportunity for students to display their own research in the form of scientific posters, participate in a series of carousal presentations and hear from four external STEM based speakers.
The day was a huge success, which saw the following research project win the poster competition, ‘An investigation into the antimicrobial properties of honey’. The runners up for the competition were ‘Should you panic if its not organic?’ an investigation comparing organic versus non-organic foods, and CanSAT, a project developing a satellite that fits into a tin can.
The event was designed to encourage Working together to inspire minds and create future leaders.
Benenden Science Convention
In December 2023, 15 year 12 students were invited to participate at the Benenden STEM convention, at the Benenden School. This opportunity provided students with the opportunity to present their own scientific research to a variety of local schools in an American-Style Science Fayre.
Liana and Sury from FSG announced winners of the competition at the convention.
Faraday Challenge Day
In January 2024, we had the pleasure of hosting one of the IET Faraday Challenge Days in our school. Year 8 students from The Harvey Grammer, The Wye School, The Turner School, and The Folkestone Academy were invited to compete in this national competition alongside year 8 students representing FSG. This competition challenges students to develop and build an idea based on an engineering brief. All teams did a fantastic job, but on the day, it was a team from FSG that was announced as the winners.
Online Resources
Exam Boards
GCSE - AQA
A-Level - AQA